VisaSeychelles travel authorisation and visitor extensions need separate applications
This current guide distinguishes pre-departure electronic authorisation from the visitor permit issued on arrival, extension charges and additional checks for affected travel histories.
Official source date: 2026-10-29
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Visa-free travel still involves advance authorisation
Seychelles visitors should distinguish permission to travel from the visitor permit issued at the border. Immigration and Civil Status says visitors must hold a valid electronic travel authorisation before departing their country of origin. The absence of an ordinary visa requirement does not remove this pre-departure task. This is a current guide to established procedures, not an announcement that a new visa starts today.
The official electronic-border preparation page accepts authorisation applications within 30 days of scheduled arrival. It asks for the passport photo page, a traveller photograph, trip details, responses to the required health and customs questions, and payment. The system also identifies documents for non-citizen permit holders and separate arrival or departure forms for Seychellois citizens. Select the form matching citizenship and permit status rather than assuming every traveller uses the tourist request.
Prepare bookings and use the official application channel
The Foreign Ministry travel page lists flight booking confirmation showing arrival and departure dates, accommodation confirmation for each location and a host invitation for visits to friends or family. It identifies the standard authorisation charge as EUR10.90. Other processing packages may cost more; confirm the selected charge before paying.
That ministry page still refers to applying within ten days of the flight, while the electronic-border preparation page says 30 days before arrival. Use the live border-system instructions for submission availability and seek assistance if the system will not accept the intended journey. The border-system application FAQ explains that applicants receive a reference number for tracking through the system or confirmation email. Keep that reference and the actual decision; payment alone should not be treated as approval.
The arrival permit depends on the intended visit and evidence
Immigration’s visiting guidance requires a recognised passport or travel document valid for the intended stay through return to the holder’s country of origin or residence. It requests confirmed accommodation, a return or onward ticket and sufficient funds, specifying a minimum of USD150 or equivalent per day. Provide the correct local accommodation address and notify immigration promptly if it changes.
The visitor-permit page covers holidays, visiting friends or family and business visits, subject to admissibility and the other conditions. It excludes people already holding a valid permit entitling them to reside in Seychelles from that visitor category. An arrival permit does not itself establish permission to take employment. The separate gainful-occupation guidance says expatriate workers require the relevant permit, including for paid or unpaid work.
Apply before expiry if the visit needs to be extended
The initial visitor permit can cover up to three months and is free for that first period. Immigration permits successive extensions of up to three months, subject to continuing eligibility, with a maximum total stay of twelve months. It lists SCR5,000 for each additional three-month period or part of one. A short extra stay can therefore attract the stated period-based charge rather than a daily fraction.
Extensions can be requested through the official visitor-extension service, with card payment, or in person at Independence House in Victoria. The UK government’s entry guidance tells British visitors to apply before their current permit expires. Use the Immigration visitor-permit page to check conditions and follow its extension link; the original travel authorisation is not the renewal application. For illustration, a visitor staying past an initially granted period needs an approved extension rather than relying on the twelve-month overall ceiling.
Recent travel history can trigger additional border checks
The UK government updated its Seychelles advice on 23 October with information on Ebola-related entry measures. Its entry page says foreign nationals must spend at least 21 days outside the Democratic Republic of Congo and meet monitoring requirements; recent presence or transit can lead to screening and refusal. It distinguishes citizens and residents, who may enter subject to health measures. Travellers affected should confirm their itinerary with the Seychelles health authorities before departure.
This additional check depends on travel history and status, not merely passport nationality. Complete the border-system questions accurately and resolve any request for evidence. The reviewed immigration pages do not promise that an authorisation removes separate health restrictions or guarantees admission, and they do not establish automatic extensions for a delayed departure.
