Solomon Islands research academic visa

The research academic visa is one of the special purpose visas. It supports university researchers, scientific field workers and academic staff conducting approved studies or field research in Solomon Islands. It is applied for from outside the country, and the passport must be valid for more than six months, otherwise entry may be refused.

Submit the research permit issued by the Solomon Islands Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, a copy of the passport bio page, a cover letter on the purpose of the research, a sponsor letter from the university or institution, and a police clearance and medical report from the country of residence. Letters are addressed to the Director, Solomon Islands Immigration Division, Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration, PO Box G26, Honiara. The paper forms are Form 11 for special purpose visas and Form 16 for the sponsor.

The visa costs USD 100 plus the USD 50 online lodgement fee, the same figures as the research academic line in Schedule 1 of the Immigration (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, which lists no extension fee for it. It is valid for one year and allows a maximum stay of one year; the visa page lists single or multiple entry, while the visa category overview describes it as single entry.

Applications and payments are made electronically through the eVisa portal; under regulation 9 of the fee regulations as amended in 2025, the Immigration Division may accept a manual application only in exceptional cases such as a system outage or an applicant with limited access to electronic platforms. You register an account with an active email address, select the correct visa class (the portal highlights the first class by default), register the application and pay by Mastercard or Visa; the receipt and all updates arrive by email.

Once approved, a grant letter is emailed to you. A visa applied for from abroad is valid from the date you enter Solomon Islands, and you must present a copy of the grant letter to immigration officers on arrival. You can follow up on an application after 30 working days through the contact form, by email to immigration.visas@immigration.gov.sb or by telephone on +677 45650.

An extension of stay may be permitted; researchers should contact the Immigration Division to discuss their circumstances before the visa ends. Work outside the scope of the research is not permitted, so paid employment needs an employment visa and work permit.

Under section 23 of the Immigration Act 2012 there is a character concern if a person has a record of serious criminal conduct, has more than one conviction anywhere, is a threat to national security or is linked to terrorism, people trafficking, child sex offences or drug smuggling, or was acquitted on grounds of unsoundness of mind and detained. Under section 21 the Director may cancel a visa for a character concern or where it was obtained by fraud or false documents.