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Central Africa · 0.34° N · 6.73° E

São Tomé and Príncipe visa and entry requirements

São Tomé and Príncipe grants an online entry authorisation, e-VisaST, which is free to request; the visa, for a single stay of up to 30 days, is then stamped at São Tomé airport against EUR 20. Citizens of the EU, CPLP countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and several other countries need no visa for short stays of up to 15 days.

Verified on smf.st · October 21, 2026

Key facts

Authorisation
e-VisaST – Visto Turístico (online entry authorisation, visa stamped on arrival)
Stay
30 days · Single entry
Validity
30 days from issue
Authority processing
Up to 7 business days
Passport
6 months beyond departure

No official filing window is published. Apply at least 7 working days before arrival, the response time announced by the SMF, and ideally 2 to 3 weeks ahead so that a late answer never overlaps your departure.

With your passport

E-visa required

You need an e-visa

Mongolian passport holders need an e-visa for to São Tomé and Príncipe. It is issued online — no embassy visit, no passport to send.

Filed for you

Filed inside the official window

Your typical itinerary

  1. Today
  2. Filed on the official portal
  3. Authority decision
  4. Delivery

Dates calculated for the Standard service, from a payment made today.

The e-VisaST is run by the Serviço de Migração e Fronteiras (SMF) on smf.st, in Portuguese and English. You choose a visa type (tourist, business, transit or temporary), fill in the form and confirm with 'Terminar'; nothing can be modified afterwards. The approval, an entry authorisation (Autorização de Entrada), is posted on the SMF status page rather than emailed, and is presented at São Tomé International Airport, where the officer stamps a single-entry visa for a stay of up to 30 days against EUR 20, payable in euros, US dollars or dobras. Plan to pay in cash, as card payment cannot be relied on. Citing Decree-Law 11/2009 (article 20), the portal announces an answer within 7 working days, and replies often come sooner.

Most visited cities

  • 0.34° N · 6.73° E

    São Tomé

    Small capital on Ana Chaves Bay, with colonial architecture, the cathedral and the São Sebastião fort and museum.

  • 1.64° N · 7.42° E

    Santo António

    Quiet capital of Príncipe island, a UNESCO biosphere reserve known for forests, beaches and cocoa estates.

  • 0.13° N · 6.65° E

    São João dos Angolares

    Small fishing town on the south-east coast, known for its restored cocoa estate and seafood cuisine.

Photo credits: São Tomé — wsrolim, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Santo António — Yellowcarpenter, CC BY-SA 4.0 · São João dos Angolares — Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 4.0

Documents you need

Your passport scan covers most of the form. These are the files the official portal asks for.

  • Single PDF: passport + return ticket + hotel booking

    One file < 2 MB ('Carrege o ficheiro Menos de 2MB'); passport scanned in PDF, valid ≥ 3 months beyond the end of stay (1 year recommended)

    Required
  • Passport data page

    PDF, included in the single upload

    Required
  • Round-trip ticket

    Mandatory ('É obrigatório anexar o Bilhete de Passagem IDA / Volta'); included in the single upload

    Required
  • Hotel booking (number, booked by, guest)

    Booking data typed in the observations field and attached in the single upload

    Required
  • Minor: birth certificate + legal guardians' declaration

    Digitised, included in the upload; only for applicants under 18

    If it applies
  • Proof of means (100 EUR/day)

    Shown at the border, not uploaded

    If it applies

How it works

From scan to payment in under 60 seconds.

  1. 01

    Scan your passport

    Point your phone at the photo page or upload it. We read it in seconds — nothing to type.

  2. 02

    See the full price, then pay

    Service fee and government fee are shown before you pay. No account needed, just your email.

  3. 03

    Answer what’s left

    Only the official questions your passport did not answer. Saved as you go; finishing them is what lets us file.

  4. 04

    Track it to your inbox

    We file on the official portal, follow up with the authority and send you the approved document.

Entry rules at the border

Passport
6 months beyond departureTo confirm before you flyThe e-VisaST portal, citing Decree-Law 11/2009 (article 13), requires a passport valid at least 3 months beyond the last day of the authorised stay; the French and Canadian governments advise 6 months after departure. Travel with 6 months beyond your departure date to satisfy both.
Blank pages
No official minimum is published. Keep a free page for the visa stamped on arrival.
Onward ticket
RequiredA return ticket is mandatory and must be attached to the online request.
Vaccinations
Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a risk countryA yellow fever certificate is required only from travellers aged 1 year or older arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, or who transited through an airport of such a country (WHO country list). Travellers coming from Europe without passing through a risk country are not concerned. Those connecting through Accra, Libreville, Douala or Luanda, or combining the trip with Ghana, Gabon, Cameroon or Angola, need it.
Insurance
RecommendedNot part of the e-VisaST request. Travel medical insurance with evacuation cover is recommended.
Ports of entry
São Tomé International Airport, where scheduled international flights land and where the visa is stamped. The online form also offers 'ship' as a means of transport, but the SMF publishes no list of sea entry points: confirm with the service before arriving by sea.

Carry a printed copy of your authorisation

Also good to know

  • At the border, proof of means of subsistence of EUR 100 per day may be requested.
  • The form asks where and with whom you will stay; for a hotel, the booking number, the person who made the booking and the guest's name go in the final details field.

Why applications get refused — and what we check

Single upload over 2 MB or incomplete

The form accepts only one file, under 2 MB, which must contain the passport scan, the return ticket and the hotel booking. A file that is too heavy is refused, and a file missing the return ticket fails the mandatory check.

What we checkWe merge the passport page, the return ticket and the hotel confirmation into one PDF under 2 MB, adding the birth certificate and guardians' declaration for a minor, and check that each page is legible after compression.

Data that differs from the passport

The SMF asks for data that matches the passport exactly, and the request cannot be modified after 'Terminar'. A missing middle name or a swapped date is carried into the entry authorisation shown at the airport.

What we checkWe copy names, dates and passport number from the machine-readable lines and review the summary screen line by line before confirming.

Missing or vague accommodation details

The SMF asks where and with whom you will stay and, for a hotel, the booking number, who made the booking and who it is for. A request without a traceable address in São Tomé and Príncipe gives the officer nothing to check.

What we checkWe enter the full address, the booking number, the person who booked and the guest's name in the final details field, and include the hotel confirmation in the single PDF.

Minor without the guardians' declaration

For applicants under 18, the upload must also include the digitised birth certificate and a declaration from the legal guardians.

What we checkWe add both documents to the child's single PDF and check the declaration is signed by the guardians named on the birth certificate.

What if…

Real situations our agents handle, and what to do.

You did not write down your reference number
The process number is shown at the end of the form but not emailed, and the status page on smf.st only works with it. Contact the SMF with your passport details; if your departure is close, a new request may be quicker.
You hold an EU passport and stay 12 days
No visa and no online registration are needed for stays up to 15 days. Carry a passport valid 6 months after your return, the return ticket and your hotel booking.
Your visa-free stay is extended beyond 15 days
The 15-day exemption cannot be stretched. Before day 15, contact the SMF in São Tomé to regularise your stay with a visa, and keep proof of your new departure date.
You plan to arrive by yacht
The e-VisaST form lists ship as a means of transport, but the SMF publishes no list of sea entry points and the visa is normally stamped at São Tomé airport. Before sailing, confirm with the SMF or a consular post of São Tomé and Príncipe which port will process your entry.
You arrive without cash
The EUR 20 is collected on arrival in euros, US dollars or dobras, and card payment cannot be relied on. Carry the amount in cash for each traveller before landing.

Questions travellers ask

Do I need a visa for a week in São Tomé and Príncipe?
Not if you hold a passport of the EU, a CPLP country, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or one of the other exempt countries: these can stay up to 15 days without a visa. Other nationalities, and anyone staying longer, need the tourist visa.
Is the e-VisaST free?
The online request is free. The visa is paid at São Tomé airport when it is stamped: EUR 20, in cash.
How do I pay the visa on arrival?
At the immigration counter, in euros, US dollars or dobras. Bring cash: card payment cannot be relied on for the visa fee.
Why can I upload only one file?
The SMF form has a single upload slot under 2 MB. Merge your passport scan, return ticket and hotel booking into one PDF before you start.
Will I get a confirmation email?
The process number appears at the end of the form and is not emailed. Write it down: the status page at smf.st/autorizacaoentrada needs it.
How long does the SMF take?
Citing Decree-Law 11/2009, the e-VisaST portal announces an answer within 7 working days; replies often come sooner. Apply 2 to 3 weeks before arrival.
Which passport validity applies, 3 or 6 months?
The e-VisaST portal, citing Decree-Law 11/2009, asks for 3 months beyond the end of the authorised stay, while the French and Canadian governments advise 6 months after departure. Six months beyond your departure satisfies both.
How much money should I carry?
Officers may ask for proof of means of EUR 100 per day of stay. Carry recent bank statements, a card or cash showing you can cover the whole stay.
Can I fly directly to Príncipe?
Scheduled international flights land on São Tomé. Clear immigration at São Tomé International Airport, where the visa is stamped, then continue to Príncipe on a domestic flight.
Can I correct my request after submitting it?
No. Once you click 'Terminar', the SMF form cannot be modified. Review the summary carefully; a mistake means a new request.
Do I need a yellow fever certificate?
Only if you are aged 1 year or older and arrive from, or transited through an airport of, a country with yellow fever risk. Travellers from Europe who do not pass through such a country are not concerned; those coming via Accra, Libreville, Douala or Luanda need it.

Other passports

The requirements above are for a Mongolian passport. For another passport, change it in the price column or see the list.

Entry without a visaSee the 56 passportsPassports56Stay15 to 90 daysGovernment feeNoneProcessingNone
E-visa before departureSee the 142 passportsPassports142StayUp to 30 daysGovernment feeFreeProcessingUp to 7 business days
Your passport is in this group

142 passports need the e-visa for São Tomé and Príncipe, filed online before departure. The authorities of São Tomé and Príncipe take up to 7 business days to decide. Apply at least 7 days before flying to São Tomé and Príncipe: the airline checks the e-visa at boarding.

Visaska is a private company, unaffiliated with any government. You can apply directly with the authorities at www.smf.st/evisa/index.php.