The general rule is that travelers from anywhere in the world can get a 30 day tourist and business visa quite easily on arrival to East Timor at Dili Airport or Dili Seaport by filling in a simple form and paying US$30 in cash. Note however that "visa on arrival" is not available at the land border, where most travellers apart from Indonesian and Portuguese nationals must have obtained a visa or "visa application authorisation" in advance.
Check out the Immigration Department of Timor Leste, and specifically the link to the Tourist Visa for details on visa requirements, and for details on how to apply for a "visa application authorisation" (which may be obtained via email before you travel), or how to apply for a visa at an Embassy or Consulate should you want to enter at a land border crossing.
Apart from Tourist & Business Visas, other visas that are available include the Transit Visa, Work Visa, Study Visa, Cultural, Scientific, Sport & Media Visa and Residence Visa.
Tourist Visa requirements as stated by the Immigration Department of East Timor are as follows:
The applicant must:
Demonstrate intention of a genuine visit (as tourist or business trip).
Demonstrate sufficient funds for period of proposed stay (access to US$100 on entry & US$50 for each day).
Demonstrate accommodation arrangements.
Hold a return ticket, or show ability to fund own departure.
Applicants must also be assessed as being of good character and health before they will be granted the visa and/or permitted to enter East Timor.
All foreigners seeking to enter East Timor on a temporary visa are required to have a valid national passport with an expiry date not less than 6 months from the date of entry into East Timor and must have at least one blank page available for Visa stamp.
Where applied for on arrival, the visa will be granted for the duration of stay up to 30 days, and is only valid for single entry. Extension after arrival – US$35 for each extension of 30 days, or US$75 for extension of 60 days. Extension of a tourist visa beyond 30 days requires a sponsor, East Timorese citizen or work-permit holder, to complete a Termo de Responsabilidade, guaranteeing your conduct and compliance with East Timorese laws for the duration of your stay.
Those who apply in advance for a tourist visa at an Embassy or Consulate, or who apply by email direct to the Immigration Department for a "visa application authorisation" may request a visa allowing up to 90 days stay, with single or multiple entry.
Travellers are advised to hold the necessary amount for the payment of visa fees in US Dollars cash upon arrival at the border.
There are no ATM or credit card facilities inside the airport or at border posts, hence traveller must have US$30 in cash to pay for their visa. There is now an ANZ ATM outside the Dili Airport and many ATMs throughout Dili where foreigners can draw money through Visa, Mastercard etc just like in any other country.
Portuguese passport holders do not need a visa for short stay entry (max 30 days).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about East Timor
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in East Timor - updated Apr 2024
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East Timor Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
