# British Indian Ocean Territory entry answer

San Marino passport → British Indian Ocean Territory
Entry date: 2026-09-12

Permit, stay set by the visa
Before you travel: entry is by permit from the administering authority, not a visa. See the conditions for who issues it.
How long you may stay is set by your visa.

Conditions:
- A permit issued by the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory (the BIOT Administration) must be obtained before travelling; the application is made to the BIOT Administration in London, not at an embassy or consular post.
- The FCO guidance states that 'All persons, except those who are connected to the military facility on Diego Garcia, require permits to visit BIOT', so a person connected to the Diego Garcia military facility does not need the ordinary visitor permit.
- As of 31 March 2026 the BIOT Administration paused substantive consideration of new permit applications except in exceptional circumstances and except for permits needed for Diego Garcia military operations or official BIOT Administration business.
- The permit requirement of the Immigration Order 2004 remains in force; the 2025 Immigration (Unlawful Entry) Ordinance expressly provides that nothing in it derogates from the Order.

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20070715022337/http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KArticle&aid=1174558806718
Source checked: 2026-08-29
Data snapshot: 2026-09-10

This establishes the recorded entry rule and stay allowance, not admission, work permission, residence rights or a tax position.
https://aevamo.com/requirements/smr/iot/

## Source passage

> Under the British Indian Ocean Territory (Immigration) Order 2004 '… no person shall enter the Territory or be present there unless he is in possession … of a permit …'. … All persons, except those who are connected to the military facility on Diego Garcia, require permits to visit BIOT.

Data version: 4f66864a7d4f8a08b6c8c7e446d7f16addcd9303