Asia and Oceania

Insurance

 

We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  For the Solomon Islands this should include a provision for medical evacuation.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.  See Travel Insurance for more details.

 

If things do go wrong when you are overseas then this is how we can help.

 

Registering with the British High Commission

 

You should register with the British High Commission on arrival (if necessary via your hotel reception).

 

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.  More information about registering with LOCATE can be found here.

 

Replacement Passports

The British High Commission in Honiara does not issue full passports.  Applications for a new passport can be submitted to the High Commission in Honiara for forwarding to Canberra. You are advised to apply at least two months before your passport is due to expire.  You should be aware that you will not be allowed to retain your old passport whilst waiting for a replacement to be processed and returned.

 

Urgent applications can be forwarded by commercial courier, to the British High Commission in Canberra, and the courier cost will be added to the passport fee.  You should be aware that our High Commissions will process your application as quickly as possible but, due to the distances involved, it is likely that there will be a delay in issuing you with a full replacement British Passport.  

Where necessary the High Commission will issue an emergency or temporary Passport.  Temporary passports have a restricted validity of up to one year, whilst emergency passports are only valid for a single journey back to the UK using agreed transit points as necessary, or to Commonwealth countries provided a prior arrangement exists with the authorities of the Commonwealth country concerned.

The High Commission will be able to advise you which of these options best suits your circumstances.

There is a GSM phone service in the Solomon Islands.  Coverage, however, is limited to Honiara, Gizo, Munda and Noro.  You should contact your service provider for further details.  Solomon Telekom offers a hire service for their mobile phones and satellite phones.

There are a few Internet cafes in Honiara; costs range from SB$16 to SB$120 per hour.

 

Money

 

There are three banks operating in the Solomon Islands, but banking facilities outside the major towns are non-existent.  There are a small number of ATMs in the Solomon Islands including one at Honiara Airport.  Current experience is that these operate efficiently.