Seychelles Visa & Entry: Travel Authorisation and Visitor Permits

Visa-free entry still requires preparation

Seychelles distinguishes the pre-travel Travel Authorisation from the visitor’s permit issued at the border. A visa-free holiday is therefore not a trip for which no documents are required. Start by checking the rules for your nationality, travel document, route and purpose of visit, then make sure every confirmation matches the same passenger names and dates. The information here was checked on 1 November 2026; temporary health measures and application conditions should be checked again before departure.

Use the Immigration and Civil Status visiting guidance and the official Seychelles Electronic Border System. A commercial assistance website may charge additional fees and is not the government application portal. An approved authorisation is not a substitute for carrying the travel document or meeting entry conditions on arrival. Keep the approval and booking information available offline so a weak connection does not prevent you from presenting them.

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Passport validity and complete booking evidence

Immigration’s published rule requires a passport or other recognised travel document valid for the intended stay through arrival back in the holder’s country of origin or residence. Your airline or transit country may impose additional document conditions, so check every part of the itinerary. Do not apply a generic six-month rule without checking the actual authorities, and do not assume that a passport acceptable for Seychelles will automatically be acceptable during a connection elsewhere.

Prepare a return or onward ticket and accommodation confirmations covering the journey. For an island-hopping trip, keep the dates and location of every property together, including any final Mahé night. Check the actual arrival date of an overnight flight before booking the first room. For a private visit, ask the authority what invitation or host details are needed. If you change a booking after approval, use the official system’s instructions or contact immigration rather than assuming the old information remains adequate.

Applying for the Travel Authorisation

Air Seychelles’ pre-travel guidance says travellers should obtain the authorisation before travel and may apply within thirty days before the flight. It lists a passport, selfie, contact and trip details, airline confirmation and accommodation evidence. Its published standard application fee is EUR10 excluding processing and bank fees, with standard processing described as twelve hours. The current portal’s terms and checkout determine the actual charge and service selected; a published timeframe is not a personal approval guarantee.

Apply early enough to correct an upload or answer a request, rather than waiting until airline check-in. Read optional services separately from the application itself. Buying a SIM, transfer or insurance add-on does not replace checking your own requirements. Review the application before payment, particularly passport number, spelling and travel dates. Save the confirmation email and the final approval as different documents, because a receipt or submitted-application message does not necessarily establish that authorisation has been granted.

Funds, insurance and the evidence you may need

Immigration publishes a sufficient-funds minimum of US$150 or equivalent per day. This is an entry requirement, not a researched daily holiday budget or a direction to carry that amount in cash. Ask the authority how to evidence your particular circumstances if accommodation or other major costs are prepaid. Keep access to the evidence and to working payment methods; a screen showing a failed connection is not useful when a document is requested.

Arrange insurance appropriate to the whole route, trip duration, medical circumstances and activities. Check whether evacuation, smaller-island treatment, diving or other planned activities are covered. Read restrictions rather than assuming every product sold during a booking is suitable. Keep the policy number and assistance contact accessible. For practical spending and declarations, see Travel Costs & Money; for healthcare and activity preparation, see Health & Safety.

Health-related entry rules depend on your route

Yellow-fever documentation can be required because of where you have travelled or transited, even though Seychelles itself is not a yellow-fever-risk destination. Check the current origin, transit, duration and exemption wording with the official system and a qualified travel-health professional. Do not infer a requirement merely from the continent of a connecting airport, or assume that all short transits are treated identically under every authority’s guidance.

A temporary issue needs particular attention at this check date. The UK government’s Seychelles entry advice, updated in October 2026, reports Ebola-related measures for foreign nationals who have been in or transited through the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the previous twenty-one days, including possible screening and refusal of entry. The measures distinguish citizens and residents. Contact Seychelles health/immigration authorities and the airline for your exact itinerary; do not treat this dated summary as a permanent rule or a statement that an outbreak exists in Seychelles.

Your visitor permit and an extended stay

The current immigration visitor-permit page says the initial permit is free for up to three months. Extensions can be granted in successive periods of up to three months, with a maximum total of twelve months, subject to continuing eligibility. It lists SCR5,000 for each additional three-month period or part. The permission actually granted to you is the document to follow; do not substitute a general maximum for your own expiry date.

Apply before expiry using the official process, with current accommodation, onward travel and funds evidence as required. An extension is a decision by immigration, not a guarantee attached to a long hotel booking. Work, study or residence may require a different permission; ask about the intended activity rather than assuming a visitor’s permit covers it. If your stay is several weeks, read Cost of Living for practical recurring costs, keeping those budgeting decisions separate from legal status.

Arrival, customs and changes to the plan

Keep the passport, approval, onward ticket and first accommodation contact together during the journey. At arrival, answer accurately and provide the current address if asked. Immigration’s visiting guidance asks travellers to notify changes of address. If a cancellation moves you to another island or property, retain the revised booking trail and ask the authority what update is needed. The goal is a truthful, coherent itinerary rather than a collection of inconsistent confirmations.

Check customs and biosecurity instructions for medicines, food, equipment and any goods you intend to take home. Buying something in a shop does not establish that it may be exported or imported at the next destination. Declare where required and use the official customs channel when unsure. Cruise or private-yacht arrivals have their own prearrival requirements; an ordinary domestic ferry between Seychelles islands should not be confused with an international arrival by sea. Keep room in your final-day plan for checks and document questions.

Frequently Asked Questions