Entry is easy; getting there is not. Most visitors, Americans included, receive a visitor’s permit on arrival rather than needing a visa in advance. The complication is the route: flights connect through Brisbane, Port Moresby or Fiji, and those countries’ transit rules apply to you.
Quick facts
Australia requires a visa or authorisation even to transit in many cases, and it is a separate application unconnected to Solomon Islands. That is the single most common reason a trip goes wrong before it starts.
Fees breakdown
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor’s permit | Usually free on arrival | Confirm for your nationality |
| Australian transit authorisation | Charged by Australia | A separate requirement |
| Extension of stay | Charged in Honiara | Immigration authorities |
| Work permit | Charged in Honiara | Through the employer |
| Malaria prophylaxis | Charged by your clinic | Take medical advice |
Malaria is present throughout much of the country, and medical facilities outside Honiara are limited. Insurance covering evacuation is worth confirming rather than assuming.
How to prepare
- Confirm the entry arrangement for your nationality.
- Check the transit rules for Australia, Fiji or Papua New Guinea on your route.
- Apply for any transit authorisation separately and early.
- Take medical advice on malaria well before departure.
- Confirm insurance covering evacuation.
- Carry proof of onward travel and accommodation.
Required documents
- Passport valid at least six months beyond arrival.
- Return or onward ticket.
- Accommodation details.
- Transit documentation for your connecting country.
- Proof of lawful residence in the United States for third-country nationals.
- Evidence of funds where requested.
Where to enquire
At the Permanent Mission in New York, the only Solomon Islands representation in the country.
No offices currently listed.
Additional notes
The transit country is the hard part
Solomon Islands may want nothing from you. Australia probably will.
Cyclone season
Roughly November to April. Check your insurance wording before booking then.
Solomon Islanders need no visa
But renewing a passport from here is difficult. See the passport page.
Verify close to travel
Pacific entry arrangements change. Confirm near the date.