Entering the Seychelles

When you start planning a trip to the Seychelles, you usually think first about beaches, island hopping, and where to stay. Fair enough. Entry formalities feel more like an annoying little chapter you will sort out “at some point”. The problem is that you usually realise how important that chapter is when you are already standing at the check-in desk. Especially now that a lot of things run digitally, it really helps to understand the process in advance.

In this article, you will get a compact overview of how entry to the Seychelles currently works, which documents you actually need and what the whole thing feels like in practice.

Do I need a visa for the Seychelles?

Good news first. The Seychelles are officially a visa free country. For essentially all travellers from Europe that means you do not need to apply for a classic visa in advance. Instead, you receive what is called a Visitor’s Permit on arrival.

To be able to get this permit, you do have to meet a few basic requirements. You need a valid passport that covers your whole stay, a return or onward ticket, confirmed accommodation and proof that you have enough money for your trip. Officially, the guideline is often quoted as at least 150 US dollars per person and day, although in reality this is hardly ever checked.

The Visitor’s Permit is issued when you enter the country, is initially valid for up to three months and does not cost anything extra in this first phase. You can extend it beyond that, but then fees apply and you need to go through the local immigration authorities. For a typical holiday of two or three weeks this is usually not something you need to worry about.

The most important hurdle: electronic travel authorisation

These days your “real ticket” to the Seychelles is not just your passport, it is the electronic travel authorisation, the so called Travel Authorisation that you obtain through the official E Border system. Without this authorisation, you will not even get on the plane in practice. Airlines are obliged to check it before departure.

You apply online via seychelles.govtas.com or through the official Seychelles E Border app. You create a profile, enter your details and upload a few documents. You will need your passport, a selfie or passport style photo, your contact details and travel dates, booking confirmations for all your accommodations and a credit or debit card to pay the fee.

The standard Travel Authorisation costs around 10 euros per person and is mandatory for all travellers, including children. You can submit the application up to 30 days before departure. Officially they say it is usually processed within 24 hours, but in reality I would not leave it to the last evening in case something is missing and you need to upload more documents.

So how does the application actually work?

The form itself is fairly straightforward, but a few points regularly cause confusion. Most of the time you start by entering your personal details and uploading your passport. The system then checks whether everything looks plausible. After that you add your flight details and accommodation information. It is important that the names of your accommodations match the names shown on the booking confirmations. If you are staying on several islands, you have to list all stops.

Payment comes at the end. Once you have submitted the form, you first receive a confirmation email. The actual Travel Authorisation follows as a PDF, which you should ideally both print out and save offline on your phone. This is the document the airline staff and border officers will want to see later. If anything goes wrong while filling in the form, it is worth checking the E Border app or using the chat on the website, which often helps with technical issues.

What happens when you arrive?

At Mahé Airport the process is similar to other international airports, just on a slightly smaller scale. First you go to passport control. You show your passport and your approved Travel Authorisation. Depending on the situation and how busy it is, the officers might also ask to see your return ticket, proof of accommodation or travel insurance. Anything you uploaded in advance is good to have ready on your phone or as printouts.

If everything is in order, your Visitor’s Permit is stamped into your passport or linked electronically. From that moment you are officially registered as a visitor in the country. After that you collect your luggage and pass through customs. If you are carrying a large amount of cash, you may have to declare it. The relevant information is listed in the E Border system and in the official entry guidelines.

In practice the whole process is usually quite smooth, especially if you have all your documents prepared. It only becomes really stressful when the Travel Authorisation is missing or has been filled in with incorrect data. So it is worth taking a careful look before you hit submit.

Health and vaccinations

When it comes to vaccinations, the Seychelles are relatively relaxed. A yellow fever vaccination is only required if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present or if you have had a longer transit there. If you are flying directly from Europe, this does not normally apply to you.

Regardless of official rules, a good international health insurance policy with medical repatriation included is, in my view, something that should always be in your luggage for a trip to the Seychelles. Medical care is available, but if something serious happens and you need to be flown home, it can get very expensive very quickly. Travel health insurance is available for just a few euros a year. Some credit cards, such as the Amex Platinum, already include this kind of insurance.

Staying longer: extending your Visitor’s Permit

If you realise that three months in the Seychelles are not enough, you can extend your Visitor’s Permit. This is handled by the immigration authorities. You pay a fee for each extension, and the total length of your stay cannot exceed twelve months. That makes it an interesting option for long term travellers, digital nomads or anyone who simply does not want to leave. For most holiday makers though, the initial, free period is all they will ever need.

Practical tips to finish

If you are planning a trip to the Seychelles, it really helps to treat the entry formalities as their own little project. As soon as your flights and accommodations are booked, you can calmly sort out the Travel Authorisation and avoid any last minute stress before departure. Save all important documents offline, ideally in two places, and double check the information in your application rather once too often than not often enough.

The real benefit is this. Once the formalities are taken care of, your arrival feels much more relaxed. You clear immigration, pick up your bag, walk out of the terminal and your head is free for the things you actually came for. Palms, granite boulders, warm water. And the nice feeling that, for once, the paperwork really stayed in the background.