• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• General
 

• Access to the British Indian Ocean Territory is restricted and a permit is required. There are no commercial flights to the British Indian Ocean Territory and permits are only issued to yachts in safe passage. The British Indian Ocean Territory is not a tourist destination.
  

• British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is a British Overseas Territory. There is no British diplomatic or consular representation in the British Indian Ocean Territory and it is administered from London.
  
  
• You will require a permit in advance if you intend to visit any of the outer islands of the Territory. Rules governing permits changed on 01 January 2011, for further information please check the BIOT Country Profile.  
  
  
• Access to Diego Garcia is only permitted to those with connections to the military facility. The BIOT Administration in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London is responsible for issuing permits.
  
  
• The threat from terrorism is low. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.
  
  
• There are no medical facilities in the territory. Search and rescue facilities are limited. You should take out comprehensive travel insurance (to include medical emergency) and yacht insurance before travelling. See General Insurance.

Safety and Security - Terrorism
The threat from terrorism is low. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners. See our terrorism abroad page.

Safety and Security - Crime
There is no reported crime within the territory. The majority of the islands, which form the British Indian Ocean Territory are uninhabited.

See our victims of crime abroad page.

Safety and Security – Local Travel – Sea Travel
While there have been no attacks around the waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory, piracy is a significant threat in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, and has occurred as far as 1,000 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia.  See our Piracy in the Indian Ocean page.

Safety and Security - Political Situation
BIOT country profile

The Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory, based in London, regulates all access to the Territory. Contact details are on the right side of this page.

See our your trip page.

Before travelling to the British Indian Ocean Territory, you will need a valid permit, which you must obtain from the BIOT Administration in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London. Contact details are on the right side of this page.

Any permit issued would be valid for the outer islands only. Access to Diego Garcia is restricted to those with connections to the military facility

Rules governing permits changed on 01 January 2011. For further information on permits, please check BIOT country profile.

You must hold a valid passport to enter British Indian Ocean Territory. Your passport must be valid for a minimum period of six months from the date of entry into British Indian Ocean Territory.

There are no medical facilities in the territory. Search and rescue facilities are limited.

You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. See our HIV and AIDS page.

You should seek medical advice before travelling and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up to date. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention visit the websites of the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and NHS Scotland’s Fit for Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

See our travel health page. 

General - Insurance
Permits will only be issued to people with comprehensive travel insurance (to include medical emergency) and yacht insurance and proof of these documents will be required before a permit can be issued. Check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. See our travel insurance page.

If things do go wrong when you are overseas then see our When Things Go Wrong page.

General - Locate
Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency.