The Solomon Islands has scrapped visa-free entry for holidaymakers. Anyone travelling for sightseeing, tours or leisure now needs to secure a tourist visa before departure via the country's new online e-visa portal, according to the Immigration Division.
The practical details: the e-visa costs US$50 plus a separate US$50 online lodgement fee, so the upfront hit is about US$100 (roughly AU$140) per person. In return you get a multiple-entry visa valid for 12 months, with each visit capped at three months. Applications go through the official portal at immigration.gov.sb/visiting.
Here's the catch: the rollout has been light on detail. Tourism Solomons, the country's official tourism body, has acknowledged that the lack of information has created "understandable uncertainty" for travellers, airlines and industry partners, and says it is chasing clarification so it can issue consistent guidance. In other words, even the people promoting the destination are still working out the fine print. Expect updated advice from Tourism Solomons once things are firmed up — worth checking before you book.
The timing isn't ideal, either. The change landed just a week after Solomon Airlines announced it would cut its Brisbane–Honiara service down to three flights a week, citing fleet availability, network needs and market conditions. So Australian travellers — the market with the most direct access to the islands — now face both a new pre-departure step and fewer flights to catch.
Why should you care? If the Solomons is on your list — and it should be, with world-class diving at wrecks like those off Guadalcanal and WWII history scattered across the islands — you now need to factor in the e-visa application, the ~AU$140 in fees, and possibly a tighter flight schedule. Apply well before you fly rather than assuming you can sort it at the border, because under the new rules you can't.
