Tonga employment visa

An employment visa is required for any non-Tongan who wants to work in Tonga in the public service or private sector for any length of time, and for groups or individuals doing voluntary or charitable work. Special conditions apply to international organisations that bring volunteers regularly under an official agreement with the Government approved by Cabinet. The Immigration Act also bars a visitor from taking up employment without the written permission of the Principal Immigration Officer.

The checklist asks for a fully completed form (one per family), two recent photos per applicant, the signed declaration on page 3, a passport valid for the period of the visa, a medical report issued within six months on the prescribed health form by a doctor approved by Tonga Immigration, a national police record issued within three months for everyone over 16 and two character references whose contact details will be verified. Immigration may also ask for police records covering the past five years.

A letter of support from MLCI is essential: Immigration will not consider an application without it. For jobs of two years or more, the Embassy in Beijing also lists an offer of employment, evidence of professional skills, a labour check by the Secretary for Labour on whether the skill is needed in Tonga, and any licence or registration the profession requires, such as registration with the Board of Health for doctors. Renewals need a letter from the Inland Revenue Department on tax payments. Foreign documents may be originals or certified copies issued by recognised authorities, with an English translation attached; supply copies if you want originals returned. Incomplete applications may be delayed or rejected.

The Immigration Division's checklist lists an application fee of TOP 172.50; the Embassy in Beijing collects USD 230 by cash or money order. Entering as a visitor and then adjusting to an employment visa without having informed Immigration in writing costs TOP 1,150, the same penalty as overstaying. The fee checklists republished by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January 2025 still carry the amounts dated 2006 and 2011, and the Embassy in Beijing quotes its own USD fees; confirm the current amount with the Immigration Division before paying.

Assessment takes up to one month. The Immigration Division may inspect the employer's business for genuineness, and MLCI may inspect the company and ask how many Tongans it currently employs. The employer's business licence and company registration may also be requested.

Every employment contract must include the job specification and a repatriation clause placing the cost of return on the employer when the contract ends. Without it, a bond may be imposed; the Embassy in Beijing cites TOP 1,000 per person. Where the applicant meets all conditions and MLCI recognises the skill as needed in the Tongan labour market, the Immigration Division issues the employment permit. A worker may transfer to another employer by applying for a transfer of the visa and meeting its conditions.

Long-stay visas are entry permits under section 9 of the Immigration Act. The Principal Immigration Officer may attach conditions on the security to be provided, the occupation the holder may exercise and the person who may employ them, may vary those conditions and may extend the permit. A person refused an entry permit can appeal by written petition to the Prime Minister within 30 days of notification; the Prime Minister's decision is final.