Asia and Oceania

• 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 evacuation to the value of $100,000 and yacht insurance (to include wreck clean up and disposal) 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.

Entry Requirements - Permits
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.

Entry Requirements - Passport Validity
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.

Contact your GP around eight weeks before your trip to check whether you need any vaccinations or other preventive measures. Country specific information and advice is published by the National Travel Health Network and Centre, and useful information about healthcare abroad, including a country-by-country guide of reciprocal health care agreements with the UK, is available from NHS Choices (refer to the health information for the Seychelles as BIOT is not listed on these websites).

There are no medical facilities in the territory. Search and rescue facilities are limited. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation.

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

Our travel health pages offer further advice on how to stay healthy when overseas. 

General - Insurance
Permits will only be issued to people with comprehensive travel insurance (to include medical evacuation to the value of $100,000) and yacht insurance (to include wreck clean up and removal) 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.