Types of visas
- Business visa
- Requirements
- Passport scanned into a pdf file with a validity of at least three months (exceeding the deadline for stay indicated on the visa)
- Return Ticket
- Hotel Reservation or Contact Person
- Payment must be made upon arrival at the border
- If you are traveling through a third country, make sure you have scanned proof that allows you to enter the country of destination
- Business visa application procedure
- Fill out the form available on the eVISAST page of the Migration Service and Border
- You must submit a copy of your Passport, Ticket, and hotel reservation or contact person details on the platform in a single document, no larger than 2 MB
- Follow the instructions until the order is completed
- Please ensure all information provided is as accurate and complete as possible
- None of the information can be changed once submitted
- ATTENTION! IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SAVE YOUR PROCESS NUMBER (Reference) WHICH IS GENERATED AT THE END OF THE ORDER
- To carry out a Visa consultation, the user must access the “entry authorization” menu, then the “entry visa consultation” submenu and search using their reference or process number. When you do this search, you will be informed about the status of your entry permit application. You can also consult it via the Migration and Borders Service website
- Temporary visa
- It is intended to allow entry into São Tomé territory for cultural trips, tourism or other purposes that, if accepted by the competent authorities, do not justify the granting of another type of visa
- Valid for up to 180 days and for one or more entries, with the duration of an uninterrupted stay not exceeding three months
- Must be used within 90 days following its grant
- Temporary visa holders are prohibited from carrying out any other activity for profit, with the exception of cultural activities
- Residence visa
- For the exercise of subordinate professional activity:
- Depends on the presentation of employment contract proposals with a favorable opinion issued by the Ministry of Labor, requested by the employer and issued within 20 days, focusing on the contractual conditions and the absence of São Tomé citizens or legal residents with a profile suited to the professional activity in question
- For the exercise of independent professional activity:
- Have carried out a foreign investment operation or demonstrate that you have sufficient financial means to start an independent professional activity in the national territory
- Is qualified to carry out independent activity whenever applicable
- For the exercise of a research or highly qualified position:
- Be connected to research centers, officially recognized for the purpose of carrying out scientific research
- Have a compatible job offer and means that guarantee your return in case of illegal stay to carry out a highly qualified activity
- For Study, Student Exchange, Professional or Volunteer Internship: granted for these purposes provided that the citizen:
- Have a travel document, the validity of which covers at least the expected duration of the stay
- If you are a minor under national legislation, be authorized by the person exercising parental authority for the planned stay
- For the purpose of Family Reunification
- The Migration and Borders service communicates to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communities for referral to the territorially competent embassy or consular post, the decision to grant requests for family reunification, with the residence visa being issued immediately following such communication
Autorizações e procedimentos para a sua obtainment
The request for a residence certificate can be made by the interested party or by their legal representative and must be presented to the Migration and Borders Service (SMF). See here the general conditions of your concession.
Certificate of residence
Temporary residence certificate, valid for a period of one year from the date of issuance of the respective title and renewable for annual periods or whenever there is a change in the identification elements registered on it;
Permanent residence certificate, which has no validity limit, although it must be renewed every five years or whenever the identification elements registered on it change.
Regimens exceptional
The Government Decree of April 2017 approved the Visa Exemption for entry and stay in the National territory for foreign citizens of the countries discriminated against for a period of fifteen days.
As part of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the State of São Tomé and the People's Republic of China, exemption from entry and stay visas for Chinese citizens holding Diplomatic and Special Service Passports was approved for a period of fifteen days.