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Solomon Islands · Relocation guide

Moving to Solomon Islands: work, family and island logistics

A sponsored job usually requires Labour approval and the matching immigration permission. Honiara and an outer-island posting need different housing, banking, school and evacuation plans. Resolve those practical differences before committing to a move.

Content updated 12 September 2026. Individual source-check dates are listed below.

Get Labour and Immigration into the same plan

The government work-permit service describes employer evidence, a contract and the local-recruitment case. Applications are normally made while the prospective worker is abroad, with specific exceptions. Labour approval is not a substitute for the immigration visa.

Immigration distinguishes short-term and long-term employment categories. Ask the sponsor to confirm which category covers the actual contract and where it is filed; do not assume that every long-stay application is available through the visitor e-visa process.

Prepare for the particular job, not a generic visa

Have the employer confirm the legal entity, job, work location, qualifications and any professional registration. Keep the signed offer, permit correspondence and repatriation responsibilities yourself. A consultant, business visitor and local employee may need different permissions.

Ask for a written breakdown of what the employer pays: filing, flights, housing, family travel, medical cover and travel between islands. Keep time and money available for an approval or flight delay instead of treating a proposed start date as a government commitment.

Do not assume family residence permits employment

Immigration publishes a resident-dependent category linked to the principal worker, and a separate family-of-citizen category. Its family and long-term residence descriptions expressly retain restrictions on work unless authorised. Confirm each adult’s activity rights independently.

Prepare civil-status and custody evidence and obtain school-place confirmation. Match the school journey and access to treatment to the intended island. For a short remote posting, compare accompanying-family and later-reunification plans before making a non-refundable housing commitment.

Choose housing around access and land arrangements

Verify the landlord’s authority and the written terms for rent, deposit, water, electricity and repairs. FCDO notes the importance of customary-land permissions; a visit or verbal agreement is not a safe basis for assuming wider access or property rights.

For an outer-island placement, ask how supplies and people travel when the usual boat or flight is unavailable. Include an arrival buffer and a backup contact. Check phone coverage at the accommodation rather than assuming Honiara-level service everywhere.

Treat evacuation as part of the household budget

FCDO describes basic healthcare and limited supplies, including at the principal hospitals in Honiara and Gizo. Specialist treatment may require travel to Australia. Confirm insurance, accessible payment funds and receiving-country entry requirements before departure.

Ask a clinician about ongoing treatment and necessary medicine. Establish who can arrange transport from the worksite to care and who makes the evacuation decision. Residence permission should not be read as a guarantee of comprehensive public medical coverage.

Plan payments for the actual island

FCDO identifies ATMs in Honiara, Gizo, Munda and Auki but warns that banking and international-card use are more limited elsewhere. Keep a realistic payment backup, arranged securely, rather than relying on one card for rent, food and transport.

Ask the bank for current identity, immigration, address and source-of-funds evidence. Agree salary currency and deductions with payroll and keep records for local and home-country tax advice. A work visa is not a determination of every tax obligation.

Recheck permissions when the work changes

Calendar Labour approval, visa, passport and dependant dates separately. Ask the authorities before changing employer, island worksite or type of activity. Keep copies of both approvals and do not rely on the expiry printed on one document to cure a problem with the other.

Long-term residence has its own qualification and activity rules; it is not an automatic consequence of repeated work visas. Before leaving, close the employment and lease arrangements and preserve the permit and travel record for future applications.

Your moving checklist

Tick off the tasks that apply to you. The timing is a planning order, not a substitute for the deadlines on your permission or an official instruction.

0 of 12 tasks completed

Before you move
On arrival
Your first month
Later and before renewal

Sources and checks

The linked authorities set the rules. VisaAtlas explains how the steps fit together; planning suggestions are not a decision on your immigration status, tax residence or entitlement to services.

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