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BIOT (Chagos) - Immigration

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No visa is required to visit BIOT. Visitors get a maximum of a 28 day visitation period.

BIOT Customs and Immigration officials visit the approved mooring sites to check permits and passports. The passports of all passengers/crew will be checked against the permit issued. You will be asked to explain any discrepancies.

Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of six months from the date of entry into British Indian Ocean Territory.

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BIOT (Chagos) was last updated 1 month ago.

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  1. August 1, 2021 at 6:01 PM
    rustlessbog says:

    What is the vessel name responsible for the vandalism?

  2. July 22, 2021 at 11:59 AM
    profile photo
    sue-richards says:

    Reported by Kara Sewell, Assistant Administrator, British Indian Ocean Territory Administration:A member of the public applied for a mooring permit. I had assessed their application form and insurance documents and was satisfied with these. I had then provided a mooring permit to the individual. The individual was accompanied by his family. During their  stay in British Indian Ocean Territory, they had carved the name of their yacht into one of the pine trees. This vandalism was later discovered by one of my colleagues who is located in the Territory. By the time my colleague discovered this, the individual and his family had departed the territory so we were unfortunately unable to prosecute them. I had confronted him about the vandalism via email but he refused to respond.
    We wish to remind vessels that moor in BIOT, that vandalism is unacceptable and legal action will be taken for anyone found vandalising BIOT’s natural resources.[Editor’s Note: See https://www.noonsite.com/place/biot-chagos/formalities#restrictions-section
    for what is and isn’t permitted in BIOT].

    1. July 29, 2021 at 10:52 AM
      domander says:

      This infuriates me! It would be nice if the next country to see this boat was to deny them entry. Unbelievable!

  3. June 9, 2016 at 10:53 AM
    Data Entry3 says:

    Posted on behalf of SY Adina – currently in BIOT:

    Really beautiful in BIOT/Chagos. They are now using spotter planes to check on us! The pilot called us up on VHF16 and I read all the boat names to him – clearly had a list and he quickly recalled them. Very polite and wished us well.

  4. January 22, 2016 at 2:17 PM
    Data Entry3 says:

    Posted on behalf of Katja Verheul:
    At the moment I am doing research for a 20-min documentary about the Chagos Archipelago, which will be finished in July 2016 as part of my research as a Master at Goldsmiths University in London. A part of the documentary will be based on stories of sailors who visited the island, preferably in the ’80s and the ’90s.

    I was hoping that through noonsite I could get in touch with some cruisers who have been here and ask them some questions about their stay and experience of the islands. Please e-mail me at va301kv(at)gold.ac.uk if you are able to assist.