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Saint Helena - Short-Term Entry Permit

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaShort stays and visits

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Read the five questions ↓

For the relevant traveller scope, is a visa, electronic authorisation, visa on arrival or no advance visa normally required?

A person holding a passport from a country specified by the Governor by order may not travel to St Helena without first having obtained a visa prior to embarking, and this does not apply to a person who has St Helenian status or is a dependant of a person who has it, who holds a valid long term entry permit issued under section 20, or who can produce valid proof of being a crew member on duty on the vessel on which he or she will be travelling.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The Ordinance does not publish the list of countries specified by the Governor, so no nationality matrix can be stated.
  • chars 23487-24117
    16A. (1) Subject to subsection (2), no person holding a passport from a country specified by the Governor by order may travel to St Helena without first having obtained a visa prior to embarking on his or her journey to St Helena. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to any person who— (a) has St Helenian status or a dependant of a person who has St Helenian status; (b) holds a valid long term entry permit issued under section 20; or (c) can produce valid proof that he or she will be a crew member on duty on the vessel on which he or she will be travelling to St Helena.

What short-visit purposes does this route cover?

The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm the visit purposes this route covers.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Read Immigration Ordinance section 19, Immigration Regulations regulation 8 and the official Short Term Entry Permit page in full. They set the duration, the passport requirement and the means requirements, and the Ordinance calls it permission to visit, but they do not list the short-visit purposes the route covers. The duration wording belongs to the length-of-stay box and was not reused here.

What maximum stay, rolling-period rule, validity and entry rules apply?

A short term entry permit is valid for a period, not exceeding 183 days, specified in it. The official source does not state a rolling-period rule or the number of entries.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • No rolling-period rule and no number-of-entries rule are stated for this permit.
  • chars 30622-30720
    (2) A short term entry permit is valid for a period (not exceeding 183 days) specified in it.

What important funds, accommodation, invitation, insurance, onward-travel or passport evidence may be required?

The applicant must be outside St Helena, complete the approved form, either hold a valid onward ticket for travel from St Helena to their next destination or otherwise satisfy the Immigration Officer as to repatriation, or arrive on a vessel of which they are the owner, master or a crew member and intend to leave on it, provide evidence of a valid address where they will be staying in St Helena, and declare that they have no outstanding fines or unspent convictions which are multiple or serious in nature.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The regulation does not itself state the medical-insurance, funds or passport-validity evidence, which are set out in section 19(1) of the Ordinance.
  • chars 96144-97084
    8. (1) A person applying to enter St Helena for a period of 183 days or less under section 19 of the Ordinance must— (a) be outside St Helena; (b) complete the approved form; (c) either— (i) hold a valid onward ticket for travel from St Helena to the person’s next destination or otherwise satisfy the Immigration Officer in accordance with section 19(1)(c)(ii) of the Ordinance with regard to his or her repatriation; or (ii) arrive on a vessel of which the person is the owner, master or a crew member and intend to leave on that vessel; (c) provide evidence of a valid address where the person will be staying in St Helena; and (d) make a declaration that he or she does not have any outstanding fines or unspent convictions which are multiple or serious in nature.

Where/how is permission obtained when required, and under what important circumstances can a stay be extended or changed?

For a Saint Helena Short-Term Entry Permit, the official operational page says the applicant applies to an Immigration Officer on arrival, subject to any separate prior-visa requirement for the traveller. Section 19 requires the approved form, a passport valid for at least six months after permit expiry, intended departure within 183 days and means for accommodation, welfare and repatriation. The holder may apply to an Immigration Officer before expiry for an extension; the officer may grant it if passport validity and support continue and the permit’s total duration remains at most 183 days. These sources do not establish a general in-country change to another permission.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • A traveller from a nationality subject to section 16A may need an advance visa before boarding; an on-arrival permit application is not an exemption from that visa rule. The 2026 replacement Holiday Permit proposal is not treated as commenced.
  • https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/government/portfolios/safety-security-and-home-affairs/immigration/short-term-entry-permit/
    Requirements for Short Term Entry Permits An Immigration Officer may grant an entry permit (a “Short Term Entry permit”) to an immigrant who – (a) applies on arrival, for permission to enter St Helena for a period not exceeding 183 days (b) produces a passport which is valid on the date of entry into St Helena and will remain valid for at least 6 months after the expiry of the entry permit; (c) establishes to the satisfaction of the Immigration Officer that he or she has the intention to leave St Helena within 183 days and has the means to provide for— accommodation (must have pre-arranged accommodation) food, clothing, etc. (proof of sufficient funds) health and welfare of himself or herself and any dependants throughout the duration of the entry permit; (medical insurance which must cover emergency medical).
  • https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Immigration-Ordinance.pdf
    Short term entry permits 19. (1) An Immigration Officer may grant an entry permit (a “short term entry permit”) to an immigrant who – (a) applies, in the approved form, for permission to visit St Helena for a period not exceeding 183 days; (b) produces a passport which is valid on the date of entry into St Helena and will remain valid for at least 6 months after the expiry of the entry permit; (c) establishes to the satisfaction of the Immigration Officer that he or she has the intention to leave St Helena within 183 days and has the means to provide for— (i) the accommodation, food, clothing, health and welfare of himself or herself and any dependants throughout the duration of the entry permit; and (ii) his or her and their repatriation to their place of domicile. 13 (2) A short term entry permit is valid for a period (not exceeding 183 days) specified in it. (3) At any time before the expiry of a short term entry permit, the person to whom it was granted may apply to an Immigration Officer for the duration of the permit to be extended and the Immigration Officer may grant the application if satisfied that— (a) the immigrant’s passport is valid until a date which is at least 6 months after the extended period of validity of the entry permit; (b) the immigrant will continue to have the means to provide for the matters referred to in subsection (1)(c) throughout the extended duration of the entry permit; and (c) the total duration of the entry permit will not thereby exceed 183 days.
  • https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Immigration-Ordinance.pdf
    Visa requirement to travel to St Helena 16A. (1) Subject to subsection (2), no person holding a passport from a country specified by the Governor by order may travel to St Helena without first having obtained a visa prior to embarking on his or her journey to St Helena. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to any person who— (a) has St Helenian status or a dependant of a person who has St Helenian status; (b) holds a valid long term entry permit issued under section 20; or (c) can produce valid proof that he or she will be a crew member on duty on the vessel on which he or she will be travelling to St Helena. (3) Every application for a visa and every visa issued under subsection (1) must be in the approved form. (4) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence. Penalty: A fine of £5,000 or imprisonment for 12 months, or both.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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