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  4. Temporary Residence for Business or Investment

🇼🇸 Independent State of Samoa · investor

Temporary Residence for Business or Investment

By Sam Parks · Last reviewed: 30 June 2026

Samoa temporary resident permit for conducting business or investing in Samoa.

No sponsorship requiredDoes not lead to permanent residencyTemporary residence; confirm the approved validity period and any renewal conditions on the permit issued by Samoa Immigration.
Processing time
The Samoa Immigration fee table lists 10 working days for temporary residence entry permits; confirm timing before relying on it.
Government fees
Temporary residence conduct-of-business fees listed by Samoa Immigration: SAT$900 main applicant off island, SAT$1,800 main applicant in country, and SAT$450 per dependent spouse/child; 10 working days processing is listed.
Typical duration
Temporary residence; confirm the approved validity period and any renewal conditions on the permit issued by Samoa Immigration.
Sponsorship required
No
Leads to permanent residency
No
Reviewed 30 June 2026Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
OverviewSourcesEligibilityPathwayApplyFAQ

Overview

Samoa coverage is based on the official Samoa Immigration pages under the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The reviewed pages publish visitor-entry conditions, permit categories, temporary-residence purposes, employment restrictions, medical and police-report triggers, citizenship routes, official forms and fee tables. Applicants should still confirm the current form, fee, filing place and supporting evidence with Samoa Immigration before travelling, working, studying, investing or relying on long-stay status. Samoa Immigration says temporary residence can be issued for business and investment. Before applying for business temporary residence, investors need an Investment Certificate from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour, a Business License from the Ministry for Revenue, and company-registration confirmation from the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration. With those prerequisite documents, applicants submit MPMC100 plus medical and police reports.

ℹ️ Who can apply?

You do not need a job offer or employer to apply for the Temporary Residence for Business or Investment. This route does not lead to permanent residence. Open to qualifying applicants from all countries.

Additional sources

  • Primary source

    Samoa Immigration ↗ · Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

    Link last verified: 30 June 2026

  • Primary source

    Samoa Immigration - Immigration Forms ↗ · Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

    Link last verified: 30 June 2026

  • Primary source

    Temporary Residence application form MPMC100 ↗ · Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

    Link last verified: 30 June 2026

Eligibility

Typical criteria

  • ✓The applicant is conducting business or investing in Samoa.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • ✓The applicant has the required Investment Certificate, Business License and company-registration confirmation before filing.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • ✓The applicant submits MPMC100 plus medical and police reports.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗

Common blockers

  • !The applicant tries to work in Samoa without employment permission that specifically authorizes the employment.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • !The applicant uses a visitor permit for employment, study, investment, family residence or another activity that needs temporary residence handling.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • !Medical, police, sponsor, employer, school, funds, accommodation or purpose evidence requested by Samoa Immigration is missing.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗

Typical evidence

  • ·Completed Temporary Residence application form MPMC100.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • ·Medical and police reports where Samoa Immigration requires them.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • ·Purpose-specific evidence for the stay, such as employer, school, investment, host, family, research, cultural or religious support.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • ·Investment Certificate from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • ·Business License from the Ministry for Revenue.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗
  • ·Company Registration confirmation from the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration.Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ↗

Application pathway

  1. 01

    Check the route fit

    Secure the investment, business-license and company-registration prerequisites.

  2. 02

    Build the evidence pack

    Complete MPMC100 and prepare medical and police reports.

  3. 03

    Submit through the official channel

    Submit the permit application with the business/investment evidence.

  4. 04

    After approval

    Operate only within the permission granted by Samoa Immigration and relevant business authorities.

Official application links

Where to actually go next

Government links only

These are the official pages to use for this route. Open them before preparing documents: the forms, fees, appointment systems, and sponsor steps can change without warning.

  1. Official guidanceApplicant
    Read Samoa business and investment temporary residence guidance ↗

    Use this official Samoa source to confirm the current requirements, fee, filing channel and supporting evidence before filing. Samoa coverage is based on the official Samoa Immigration pages under the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The reviewed pages publish visitor-entry conditions, permit categories, temporary-residence purposes, employment restrictions, medical and police-report triggers, citizenship routes, official forms and fee tables. Applicants should still confirm the current form, fee, filing place and supporting evidence with Samoa Immigration before travelling, working, studying, investing or relying on long-stay status.

    Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet · verified 30 June 2026

  2. ChecklistApplicant
    Download temporary residence form MPMC100 ↗

    Use this official Samoa source to confirm the current requirements, fee, filing channel and supporting evidence before filing. Samoa coverage is based on the official Samoa Immigration pages under the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The reviewed pages publish visitor-entry conditions, permit categories, temporary-residence purposes, employment restrictions, medical and police-report triggers, citizenship routes, official forms and fee tables. Applicants should still confirm the current form, fee, filing place and supporting evidence with Samoa Immigration before travelling, working, studying, investing or relying on long-stay status.

    Samoa Immigration, Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet · verified 30 June 2026

Matches these professions

EntrepreneurInvestor

Also explored by

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Compare Independent State of Samoa with

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  • 🇫🇯 Republic of Fiji
  • 🇻🇺 Republic of Vanuatu

Related routes

  • Business Visitor Permit

    Samoa short business visitor route for offshore-employed visitors attending short business activity.

  • Permanent Residence Permit

    Samoa permanent residence permit route, using Samoa Immigration permanent-residence form and fee-table authority.

Frequently asked questions

What prerequisites does Samoa list for business temporary residence?+−

Samoa Immigration lists an Investment Certificate, Business License and company-registration confirmation before applying.

Is ordinary business visiting enough for investment activity?+−

No. Samoa Immigration says other business activity in Samoa requires a Temporary Resident Permit.

Need tailored advice?

We do not provide legal advice. For an application that depends on your exact circumstances, consult a regulator-listed immigration advisor.

Find a regulated advisor

This is not legal advice

We publish neutral, sourced information about immigration routes. Rules and thresholds change often — always verify details on the official government source linked on this page and consult a regulated immigration advisor before applying.

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