- Solomon Islands launched its new electronic visa system in Honiara on September 6, 2026.
- The Solomon Islands Border Management System now handles applications, approvals, and records online.
- Tourists need pre-entry authorisation, and the tourist visa can allow stays of up to 180 days.
Solomon Islands launched its new electronic visa system in Honiara on September 6, 2026, and officials said the change is meant to tighten border security while making travel easier and faster.
It is live now.
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Director of Immigration Christopher Akosawa said the shift should cut delays and widen access for applicants at home and abroad. He put it plainly:
“will reduce processing times and make visa services more accessible to applicants both in Solomon Islands and overseas”
The Immigration Division, Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration now runs the process through the Solomon Islands Border Management System (BMS). Applicants can apply, be processed, approved, and recorded online. Paper movement is out of the middle.
The legal basis comes from Section 92(1) of the Immigration Act 2012. Under that provision, the Minister approved an authorised electronic system for visa applications and decisions. The announcement says a decision made through the system is recognised as a decision made by an authorised officer under the Act.
The government also brought in the Immigration (Amendment) Visa Regulation 2025 and the Immigration (Amendment) Fees Schedule 2025. The e-payment gateway became operational on August 22, 2026, allowing visa fees to be paid online. The money now moves with the file.
The portal now fronts the visa process
The new regime introduces 34 visa categories under 11 visa subclasses. Everything starts online.
Tourists and other travellers who require a visa must now apply through the online portal before travelling. Approved applicants receive pre-entry authorisation for an initial 30 days visa-free. The first approval comes before the flight.
The tourist visa subclass allows a total stay of up to 180 days, subject to requirements under the Immigration Act 2012. That cap sits inside the new framework. Longer visits still run through the same law.
The government framed the reform as both a security move and a service upgrade. It said the system is meant to:
“strengthen border security and make travel to Solomon Islands easier and more efficient”
The message joined control and convenience. Both were named.
Some visa-exemption and mutual-exemption arrangements remain in place. The government said those cover holders of official and diplomatic passports, and in some cases ordinary passports, including arrangements involving the European Union, Indonesia, India, United Arab Emirates, People’s Republic of China, and Hong Kong. Those channels stayed open.
The new system keeps border checks in place
Even with online filing, travellers remain subject to immigration clearance on arrival. They must also comply with visa conditions. The border check still happens.
The BMS sits at the center of the reform. The government says it modernises immigration processing and border control, while also improving border management, strengthening immigration security, providing clearer visa requirements, and streamlining processing. The system now handles more of the trip.
That online path carries legal weight. The announcement says a decision made through the system is recognised as a decision made by an authorised officer under the Act. The paper route has a digital twin.
Honiara has the launch date, the portal has the rules, and the agency has already switched on online payment. Travellers who need visas must still go through the online portal before travelling, then clear immigration on arrival and follow the visa conditions attached to the entry they receive.
