Field notes
Seychelles Visa for Indians 2026 — Complete Guide
Quick answer
The Seychelles visa for Indians is not a consulate visa — Indian passport holders complete an online Travel Authorisation before departure, and the Visitor's Permit is then issued free of charge on arrival, allowing an initial stay of up to three months. No embassy visit, no appointment and no biometric centre is involved.
Seychelles travel authorisation at a glance
The table below summarises the key details of the Seychelles entry process for Indian passport holders, drawn from the official government portal as verified on 15 October 2026.
| Authorisation detail | Verified value |
|---|---|
| Category | Online travel authorisation or registration |
| Type | Visitor's Permit (issued on arrival); Travel Authorisation required before departure |
| Maximum stay | Up to three months initially |
| Validity | Travel Authorisation validity — check the official portal; Visitor's Permit valid for the initial stay of up to three months |
| Fee | Free for the initial three-month Visitor's Permit; Travel Authorisation fee — check the official portal |
| Processing time | Not published — check the official portal |
| Application channel | Seychelles Electronic Border System (seychelles.govtas.com) or the Seychelles e-Border app |
How the Seychelles authorisation is obtained
Indian travellers apply entirely online before flying — the full process runs through the Seychelles Electronic Border System or the official e-Border app, with no consulate, VFS centre or third-party agent required at any stage.
- Authorisation step 1: Open the official channel. Go to the Seychelles Electronic Border System at seychelles.govtas.com or download the Seychelles e-Border app on your phone. Both are official government channels operated by the Seychelles government. Avoid third-party websites that charge a service fee for submitting the same form — they are not official channels and the official permit itself is free on arrival. Navigate directly to the URL above rather than clicking a search advertisement to be sure you are on the legitimate portal.
- Authorisation step 2: Enter your passport and trip details. The form asks for the documents listed in the section below. Have your Indian passport, confirmed accommodation booking, return or onward ticket, and evidence of sufficient funds ready before you start. Completing the form in one sitting reduces the chance of a session timeout causing you to re-enter data. Double-check that the name on the form matches your passport exactly — a mismatch can cause a delay at immigration on arrival.
- Authorisation step 3: Confirm any fee before paying. The initial three-month Visitor's Permit is free according to the official government portal. The Travel Authorisation fee is not stated clearly in the official material at the time of verification, so check the current position on the portal before you submit any payment. Do not assume the entire process is free until you have confirmed the Travel Authorisation step on the portal itself.
- Authorisation step 4: Submit before departure. The Travel Authorisation must be completed and approved before you leave India. The official material does not publish a minimum lead time, so do not leave this to the day of travel. A practical approach is to complete it as soon as your flights and accommodation are confirmed, so any query from the system can be resolved before your departure date.
- Authorisation step 5: Carry the approval to check-in and immigration. Save a digital copy on your phone and carry a printed copy in your hand luggage. Your airline's check-in staff may ask to see the authorisation before boarding. At Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) on Mahé, immigration officers will issue the Visitor's Permit on arrival once they verify your authorisation and supporting documents. Keep all supporting documents — ticket, accommodation confirmation, funds evidence — accessible in your carry-on, not packed in checked baggage.
What the form asks you for
The Seychelles Electronic Border System form requires five categories of information, each of which immigration officers may also verify on arrival at SEZ. Prepare originals and digital copies of everything listed below before you open the form.
| Needed for the form | Note |
|---|---|
| Passport | Valid for the full period of your intended stay until you return to your country of origin or residence; check the expiry date before applying |
| Valid return or onward ticket | Required; confirms you will leave Seychelles within the permitted period; a one-way ticket is unlikely to satisfy this requirement |
| Confirmed accommodation | Required; a hotel booking confirmation or a letter from a host is standard; confirm at booking whether a cancellable reservation is accepted |
| Sufficient funds | At least US$150 or equivalent per day for the duration of your stay, as stated by the official government portal |
| Valid Travel Authorisation | Must be obtained before departing your country of origin; the Visitor's Permit is issued on arrival against this authorisation |
The funds requirement of US$150 per day is stated by the official government portal. The total amount you need to demonstrate depends on the length of your stay — confirm current prices and the accepted form of evidence (bank statement, credit card limit or cash) on the official portal before you travel. Carrying a mix of a bank statement and a credit card is a practical approach that most immigration counters accept.
Your passport validity is worth checking carefully. The official requirement is that the passport is valid for the period of your intended stay until you arrive back in your country of origin or residence. This is a shorter validity window than the six-month rule some other destinations apply, but renew your passport if it is close to expiry to avoid any ambiguity at the immigration counter.
Accommodation confirmation is a firm requirement, not a suggestion. Travellers island-hopping across Mahé, Praslin and La Digue should carry confirmation for each leg of the stay. Immigration officers can ask to see where you are staying throughout your trip, not just for the first night.
How long the authorisation lets you stay
The Visitor's Permit issued on arrival allows an initial stay of up to three months, which is the maximum for the first period as stated by the official government portal. This is a generous window — most Indian travellers to Seychelles plan trips of seven nights, so the three-month ceiling is unlikely to be a constraint for a standard holiday.
The Travel Authorisation you complete before departure has an unclear validity period in the official material. Check the official portal to confirm how far in advance the authorisation can be completed, particularly when booking several months ahead. What matters at the airport is that the authorisation is valid and approved when you board your flight in India.
The Visitor's Permit is not issued before you fly — it is recorded on arrival at Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) on Mahé. Travellers from India typically fly into SEZ, clear immigration there, and then take a ferry or connecting flight to Praslin or La Digue. The Mahé–Praslin ferry takes approximately 60 minutes and the Praslin–La Digue ferry approximately 15 minutes, according to published transfer information. Your Visitor's Permit covers travel across all three islands — no separate permit is needed for Praslin or La Digue.
One practical point: the permit period begins on the date of arrival at SEZ, not on the date you reach your final island. Two days spent on Mahé before taking the ferry to Praslin count against your permitted stay. Plan your island itinerary with the permit start date in mind.
Cost and timing of the Seychelles authorisation
The initial three-month Visitor's Permit is free, as confirmed by the official government portal. That is the only fee figure on file for the permit itself, and it applies to Indian passport holders.
The Travel Authorisation fee is not stated in the official material at the time of verification. Check the current position on the Seychelles Electronic Border System portal before you submit, since a fee could apply to the pre-departure authorisation step even if the permit on arrival is free. The portal will show the amount and accepted payment methods at the time of application.
No processing time is published for this route. Because no official lead time is stated, the safest approach is to complete the Travel Authorisation as soon as your flights are confirmed — ideally several weeks before departure. This gives you time to resolve any query the system raises, and it means your check-in at the Indian airport goes smoothly since you will already have the approved authorisation on your phone.
For context on overall trip costs: mid-range hotels on the islands run approximately INR 12,000 to 25,000 per night, and luxury resorts approximately INR 30,000 to 100,000 per night, as of October 2026. Island transfers between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue cost roughly INR 5,000 to 10,000 per person. These figures are separate from the permit, which costs nothing. Confirm all accommodation and transfer rates at booking, as they can vary by season and availability.
Staying beyond the first period
An extension to the Visitor's Permit can be requested online through permits.ics.gov.sc or in person at the Immigration and Civil Status Office at Independence House, Victoria, Mahé. This is the official government office for permit extensions on the main island, and it is the only in-person option named in the official material.
Successive extensions may be granted for up to three months each. The maximum total stay across all extensions is twelve months from the date of first arrival. Each additional extension carries a fee of SCR 5,000 as of 2026, according to the official government portal. The initial three-month permit is free, but every extension beyond that is chargeable at this rate.
Apply before your current permit period expires. Overstaying a permit is a serious immigration matter in any country, and Seychelles is no exception. Keep your passport, onward ticket and accommodation details ready for the extension application, whether you apply online through permits.ics.gov.sc or go in person to Independence House in Victoria.
Travellers staying on Praslin or La Digue when their permit nears expiry should factor in ferry time back to Mahé for an in-person application. The Mahé–Praslin ferry takes approximately 60 minutes and the Praslin–La Digue ferry approximately 15 minutes. Add time for the onward journey from the Mahé ferry terminal to Independence House in Victoria. An online extension through permits.ics.gov.sc avoids this travel entirely, so check whether your situation qualifies for the online route before planning a trip back to Mahé solely for the extension.
The official material does not specify what supporting documents are required for an extension application beyond the general permit framework. Check the official portal at permits.ics.gov.sc for the current document list before you apply, since requirements can be updated.
Passing through Seychelles in transit
Transit rules for Seychelles are not clearly stated in the official material. Travellers with a short stop at Seychelles International Airport without entering the country should confirm their position on the official portal before booking that routing.
Pre-arrival requirements apply to all travellers entering Seychelles: the Travel Authorisation and immigration forms must be completed through the Seychelles Electronic Border System before departure from your country of origin. The official sources state that a Visitor's Permit is issued on arrival and that no visa is required, yet they also require a pre-departure Travel Authorisation. Until the official portal clarifies transit separately, treat the authorisation as mandatory for any trip that involves clearing Seychelles immigration, regardless of how short your stay is intended to be.
Alternative entry routes are not described in the official material. There is no separate transit category or transit corridor mentioned in the sources verified for this guide. Check directly with the official portal or your airline before confirming any booking where Seychelles appears as a stopover on a longer journey. Airlines operating the route may have their own guidance on what documentation they require at check-in for transit passengers.
Levy or tax rules for transit passengers are also not stated in the official material. Confirm at booking whether any departure tax or airport levy applies to your specific routing and ticket type.
Insurance
The official government material does not state whether travel insurance is required or recommended for this route. Check the official portal for the current position before you travel, since requirements can be updated between the date of this guide and your departure.
Taking out a policy is a sensible precaution on a multi-island trip. Match the cover period to your full trip length, including any planned island transfers between Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. A policy that ends on your last night on La Digue but does not cover the ferry back to Mahé and the onward flight to India would leave a gap. Check the policy wording on inter-island ferry cover specifically, since some travel insurance products treat ferry journeys differently from flights.
Official sources for Seychelles
The primary application channel is the Seychelles Electronic Border System at seychelles.govtas.com, or the Seychelles e-Border app. Both are official government channels for completing the pre-departure Travel Authorisation and immigration forms.
For permit details, the official government portal pages to read before applying are the Visitor's Permit page at ics.gov.sc/permits/visitors-permit and the visiting Seychelles page at ics.gov.sc/visa-and-travel/visiting-seychelles. Extension applications go through permits.ics.gov.sc or in person at the Immigration and Civil Status Office at Independence House, Victoria, Mahé.
These visa facts were verified against official government sources on 15 October 2026. Entry rules can change, so re-check the official portal close to your travel date — particularly the Travel Authorisation fee and validity period, which were not clearly stated in the official material at the time of verification. Any change to the fee structure or the authorisation validity window will appear on the official portal first.
Tripstor's team is happy to help you plan your Seychelles trip around your approved authorisation — including island transfers, ferry timings and accommodation options across Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.