Seychelles Visa for UAE Residents: Travel Authorisation, Fees and Visitor's Permit Rules

The short answer: Seychelles does not require a visa for any nationality, so Emiratis and Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan residents of the UAE, along with British and other Western passport holders, all enter on the same terms. Instead, every traveller must complete an online Travel Authorisation before departure, at the official portal seychelles.govtas.com, for a standard fee of EUR 10. On arrival, immigration then issues a free visitor's permit for up to three months, provided you carry a return ticket, confirmed accommodation and enough money for your stay.

Seychelles is about four and a half hours' non-stop flight from Dubai, which makes its granite-boulder beaches and outer islands one of the easiest tropical escapes from the UAE. The entry rules are simple once you know the difference between the Travel Authorisation (a pre-flight online step) and the visitor's permit (what you get stamped at the airport), and once you know which fees are official and which sites charge more than they should.

Seychelles visa for UAE residents at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Visa before travel	Not required for any nationality, including Emiratis
Travel Authorisation	Mandatory for every traveller, applied for online before you fly
Where to apply	Official government portal only: seychelles.govtas.com
Travel Authorisation fee	EUR 10 standard application (check the total at checkout)
Visitor's permit on arrival	Free, up to 3 months, issued at the airport
Passport	Valid for the whole stay and until you return home
Funds	Official minimum is US$150 per day, or the equivalent
Extensions	Up to 12 months total, in 3-month blocks; each extra block costs SCR 5,000

No visa for any nationality, but the Travel Authorisation is mandatory

Seychelles' Immigration and Civil Status Department states plainly that a visa is not required for visitors "regardless of the nationality of the person." That one rule covers every passport a UAE resident is likely to hold: Emirati, Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, British and other Western passports all get the same treatment. Your UAE residence visa makes no difference either way, because the rule is set by passport, not by where you live.

That does not mean you can simply turn up. Every traveller arriving by air must complete the online Travel Authorisation before departure, through the Seychelles Electronic Border System. Seychelles' tourism authorities have repeated this warning: the only valid channel is the government's own site, and applications submitted through a third-party website may not be accepted by the system. They also warned that applying through an unofficial site can mean paying again for the authorisation on arrival. The same online step was extended to passengers arriving by sea, such as cruise and private yacht visitors, who have needed a Maritime Travel Authorisation since it became mandatory on 1 December 2024.

How to apply for the Travel Authorisation

1. Book your flights and accommodation first. You need the dates and the name of where you are staying.
2. Apply at seychelles.govtas.com, or through the official Seychelles e-Border mobile app. Do not use a site with a different address, even if it looks official.
3. Upload a photo of your passport, a selfie, your flight itinerary and your accommodation booking for each place you will stay.
4. Pay the fee by card and wait for approval before you travel.

Apply as soon as your trip is booked. The government pages don't publish a processing time, so check what the portal offers, and what it charges, before you pay.

Fees

• Standard Travel Authorisation fee: EUR 10 per application, as stated by Seychelles' tourism authorities. Check the total shown before you confirm payment.
• Unofficial sites charge more. Seychelles' tourism authorities have specifically warned that third-party websites charge well above the EUR 10 government fee, and that using one risks your application not being recognised at all. Apply only at seychelles.govtas.com.
• Visitor's permit: free for the first three months. There is no charge at the airport.

Visitor's permit conditions at the airport

Clearing immigration and receiving your visitor's permit depends on meeting a short list of conditions, which the Immigration and Civil Status Department sets out for every visitor:

• Passport validity: your passport must be valid for the whole length of your stay, and must remain valid until you return to the UAE or your home country.
• A return or onward ticket covering your visit.
• Confirmed accommodation for your stay, with a correct address you can give to immigration.
• Sufficient funds: the official minimum is US$150 per day, or the equivalent, for the length of your stay.
• You must not already hold a valid permit that allows you to reside in Seychelles, and you must not be a prohibited immigrant.

Immigration can refuse entry even to someone holding an approved Travel Authorisation if these conditions are not met at the airport, and the department explicitly warns that false declarations to an immigration officer are a serious offence. If you change address during your stay, you are expected to notify immigration.

Extending your stay

The visitor's permit covers up to three months and is free. After that, you can extend it in blocks of up to three months, to a total stay of twelve months, as long as you still meet the same conditions above. Each extra three-month block, or part of one, costs SCR 5,000. You can apply online at permits.ics.gov.sc, paying by card, or in person at the Immigration and Civil Status office at Independence House in Victoria, Mahé.

The environmental levy on your accommodation

Most hotels and resorts in Seychelles charge a Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy per person per night, collected on your bill rather than at the border. From 1 January 2026, the government removed the levy entirely for small properties of up to 24 rooms. The rates that remain are:

• Medium properties (roughly 25 to 50 rooms): SCR 75 per person per night
• Large properties (more than 50 rooms), yachts and island resorts: SCR 100 per person per night

Seychellois citizens and residents, airline and yacht crew, and children aged 12 and under are exempt. Ask your hotel or resort whether its quoted rate already includes the levy.

Flights from the UAE

• Dubai to Mahé: Emirates flies non-stop, in roughly four and a half hours.

From Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, check the current timetables. UAE flights were disrupted for much of 2026, so confirm your flight with the airline before you book. Seychelles is on the same time as the UAE.

Frequently asked questions

Do UAE residents need a visa for Seychelles?

No. Seychelles does not require a visa for any nationality, including Emiratis and Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan residents of the UAE. You do need an online Travel Authorisation before you fly, and you must meet the visitor's permit conditions at the airport.

What is the Seychelles Travel Authorisation?

It is a mandatory online pre-travel clearance, separate from a visa, that every traveller must obtain before departure at the official portal seychelles.govtas.com. It is not the same as the free visitor's permit you receive on arrival.

How much does the Seychelles Travel Authorisation cost?

The standard government fee is EUR 10 per application; check the total shown at checkout. Unofficial third-party websites charge significantly more, and Seychelles' tourism authorities have warned against using them.

Is Seychelles visa-free for Indian and Pakistani passport holders in Dubai?

Yes. Seychelles' no-visa policy applies regardless of nationality, so Indian and Pakistani passport holders living in the UAE enter on the same terms as any other visitor, provided they complete the Travel Authorisation and meet the visitor's permit conditions.

How long can I stay in Seychelles without a visa?

The visitor's permit issued on arrival covers up to three months, free of charge. It can be extended in three-month blocks, for a fee of SCR 5,000 per block, up to a total stay of twelve months.

How much money do I need to show to enter Seychelles?

Immigration's official minimum is US$150 per day, or the equivalent, for the length of your stay. You also need a return or onward ticket and confirmed accommodation.

Planning a trip to Seychelles

Most short trips from the UAE combine Mahé with Praslin or La Digue, reached by ferry or a short inter-island flight. See visa services for help preparing your documents, browse holiday packages, or talk to us about flights, resorts and inter-island transfers.

Related guides

• Maldives visa for UAE residents
• Kenya visa for UAE residents
• Tanzania visa for UAE residents
• Mauritius visa for UAE residents

Last checked 9 October 2026 against the Seychelles Immigration and Civil Status Department's visitor's permit and entry pages, Tourism Seychelles' notices on the Electronic Border System, the Seychelles Revenue Commission's 2026 Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy update and airline schedules. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements with Seychelles Immigration or at seychelles.govtas.com before you apply or travel.