Solomon Islands Immigration Division

Beijing, China – The Ambassador of Solomon Islands to the People's Republic of China, His Excellency Barrett Salato, recently received a courtesy call from the Director of Immigration, Mr Chris Akosawa, during the latter's visit to China.

Director Akosawa was in China to attend the 2026 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum held in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province.

During the courtesy call, Director Akosawa briefed Ambassador Salato on several key developments within the Solomon Islands Immigration Division, including the introduction of the country's new electronic visa (e-Visa) platform and measures available to assist Solomon Islands citizens residing in or travelling through China whose passports may expire, be lost, or become damaged while abroad. He informed the Ambassador of the processes and support mechanisms in place to facilitate passport renewal and replacement applications for Solomon Islanders facing such circumstances.

Ambassador Salato welcomed the updates and commended the Immigration Division for its ongoing efforts to modernise immigration services and improve support for Solomon Islands citizens overseas.

Director Akosawa also shared his experience as one of the first Solomon Islanders to enter Hong Kong Special Administrative Region following the implementation of the newly established reciprocal visa exemption arrangement between Solomon Islands and Hong Kong.

Both officials acknowledged the importance of continued collaboration between Solomon Islands missions abroad and government agencies to ensure that citizens overseas remain informed and are able to access timely assistance and services when needed.

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Solomon Islands Immigration Division We provide official information and online services to guide visitors, residents, and employers on visas, permits, citizenship, border control requirements, and in return assist us in managing the movement of people to and from Solomon Islands.

📣𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥.
𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞:🌐𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.𝐠𝐨𝐯.𝐬𝐛 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
✅𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆: 𝑶𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒚𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 & 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒘!

Irene Mete is an immigration officer currently in the United States to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on “Trafficking in Persons: Prevention and Mitigation,” with fellow experts from around the East Asia Pacific region. They are examining best practices to combat trafficking in persons, address forced labor, fight commercial s*x trafficking, and promote international cooperation and border security.

We wish Irene a productive experience in the United States and look forward to hearing about her experiences and ideas when she returns to Honiara!
Source: U.S. Embassy Honiara

Immigration Updates

Immigration officers attended two weeks joint training at Heritage Park Hotel. Other border security agencies from Police, Customs and Immigration have also taken part in this crucial training on our maritime border security.

📢 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐀𝐑 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐚-𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Solomon Islands and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China will officially implement a reciprocal visa-free travel arrangement, effective 26 August 2026.

The arrangement follows the successful exchange of diplomatic Notes between the Solomon Islands Embassy in Beijing and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The agreement marks another important milestone in strengthening the friendly relations between Solomon Islands and HKSAR.

Under the agreement, nationals of Solomon Islands holding valid Solomon Islands passports and permanent residents of Hong Kong SAR holding valid HKSAR passports will be exempt from visa requirements for entry, exit, transit and temporary stays in each other's territories.

Visitors will be permitted to stay for up to 30 days on each visit without the need to obtain a visa.

The visa-free arrangement is expected to promote greater people-to-people exchanges, facilitate tourism, encourage business and investment opportunities and strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade acknowledges the efforts of the Solomon Islands Embassy in Beijing and the authorities of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in concluding this agreement.

--𝐌𝐅𝐀𝐄𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄

Government steps up fight against organised crime

Honiara, 22 July 2026 - Senior Government officials have met to strengthen inter-agency coordination and prepare for the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) – the Palermo Convention.

The meeting follows Cabinet’s endorsement of Solomon Islands’ accession to the Convention and the formal process to deposit the Instrument of Accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MFAET), Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT), Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs (MJLA), and the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC) attended the meeting to agree on implementation priorities.

Permanent Secretary for MFAET, Mr George Hoa'au, confirmed Cabinet’s endorsement.

“Cabinet’s endorsement marks a significant milestone in Solomon Islands’ commitment to strengthening international cooperation against transnational organised crime,” Mr Hoa'au said.
“The Ministry has commenced the process for depositing the Instrument of Accession with the UN Secretary-General. Once completed, the Solomon Islands will formally become a State Party to the Palermo Convention.”

The meeting focused on the legislative, institutional and operational reforms required following accession. Key discussions centred on the GREAT Coalition Government’s commitment to modernise the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Proceeds of Crime (POC) legislative framework.

The proposed reforms will replace the current legislation enacted in 2002 and 2010, and will align Solomon Islands’ laws with international standards and obligations.

Officials agreed on the need for a coordinated whole-of-government approach. Effective action against transnational crime will require close collaboration between law enforcement, justice institutions, financial regulators, border agencies and other key stakeholders.

The meeting acknowledged work already underway. Particular recognition was given to the Solomon Islands Financial Intelligence Unit (SIFIU) of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) for its technical leadership, in collaboration with MJLA, in developing the policy framework and draft AML and POC Bills.

Appreciation was also extended to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI) for its work in strengthening the national response to human trafficking.

Officials also noted the relevance of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988. They agreed its implementation should be considered alongside broader legislative reforms to support Solomon Islands’ compliance with international standards, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations.

Following the formal deposit of the Instrument of Accession, the Government will convene a broader whole-of-government stakeholders’ forum to develop a coordinated national implementation programme.

“The Solomon Islands Government remains committed to strengthening the rule of law, enhancing national security, protecting the integrity of our financial system, and working with national, regional and international partners to combat transnational organised crime,” Mr Hoa'au said.

Munda International Airport Border Management System goes live to facilitate cross border passengers arriving by air.

Last Friday 3rd July 2026, Munda International Airport, Western Province, the second International Airport to Solomon Islands goes live for border management system (BMS) for the first time. Solomon Islands Airlines international flight to Brisbane to Munda now facilitated using BMS cross border crossing. On Friday 3rd July 2026 about thirty-eight tourists were facilitated on arrival. Munda International Airport designated for tourists and low risks travellers. Solomon Islands Immigration supported by the Information Communication Technology Service Unit (ICTSU) team conducted successfully BMS assessment for Noro International Seaport and Munda International Airport during the month of May 2026. During the BMS assessment Noro International seaport and Munda International Airport was connected to facilitate passengers’ cross border processing of passengers arriving by air and sea. This would not be possible by the Joint Trilateral between Solomon Islands, Australia Department of Home Affairs and the Papua New Guinea Immigration Citizenship Authority. Australian Government under the Trilateral engagement funded Solomon Islands Immigration with SBD$18M in 2024 to develop Solomon Islands BMS.

Immigration Officers using the Border Management System processing passengers arriving at Munda International Airport from Brisbane, Australia.

Funding suuports provided by DFAT assisted Immigration to improve office capacity and working environment through reform program and border security. DFAT and ABF assistance Immigration Division to achieve these milestones; refurbishment of the Immigration office , border manegement system reform of visa system, and retructuring program.These is transformational changes under the Immigration strategic plan 2025 - 2035.