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Tuvalu · study

Study — Permit to Enter and Reside

By · Last reviewed:

Guidance updated 15 November 2026. Full-review date shown above.

Study-purpose residence under regulation 3, with institution and financial evidence rather than ordinary visitor conditions.

Study and financial evidence; institution process is not employer sponsorshipDoes not lead to permanent residencyA Permit to Enter and Reside under regulation 3 is for a maximum stay of one year. Extensions use Form 4 and are discretionary. Regulation 4(5) allows no more than three extensions in any five-year period unless the Minister, acting on Citizenship Committee advice, certifies national interest. Filing does not itself extend an expiring permission.In flux
Processing time
No current purpose-specific decision deadline or complete online filing service was verified. Obtain the actual receiving-office and purpose evidence instructions from the Principal Immigration Officer.
Government fees
Published regulation 7 study charges are $300 for the principal applicant and $150 for each dependant. Confirm current applicability, currency and assessed charges; course fees and documents are separate.
Typical duration
A Permit to Enter and Reside under regulation 3 is for a maximum stay of one year. Extensions use Form 4 and are discretionary. Regulation 4(5) allows no more than three extensions in any five-year period unless the Minister, acting on Citizenship Committee advice, certifies national interest. Filing does not itself extend an expiring permission.
Required support
Study and financial evidence; institution process is not employer sponsorship
Leads to permanent residency
No
Reviewed Tuvalu Government — official legislation ↗

In short

Study-purpose residence under regulation 3, with institution and financial evidence rather than ordinary visitor conditions. Guidance updated 15 November 2026. Costs, application stages and eligibility conditions are set out with their sources below.

Cite this: https://visaatlas.org/visas/tuvalu/study-permit#answer

What is the Study — Permit to Enter and Reside in Tuvalu?

Study and financial evidence; institution process is not employer sponsorship. Confirm the actual legal basis, conditions and authority instructions. Indicative government fees are Published regulation 7 study charges are $300 for the principal applicant and $150 for each dependant. Confirm current applicability, currency and assessed charges; course fees and documents are separate; indicative processing time is No current purpose-specific decision deadline or complete online filing service was verified. Obtain the actual receiving-office and purpose evidence instructions from the Principal Immigration Officer; typical duration is A Permit to Enter and Reside under regulation 3 is for a maximum stay of one year. Extensions use Form 4 and are discretionary. Regulation 4(5) allows no more than three extensions in any five-year period unless the Minister, acting on Citizenship Committee advice, certifies national interest. Filing does not itself extend an expiring permission. This route does not lead to permanent residence.

Primary guidance checked with Tuvalu Government — official legislation on 15 November 2026.

Overview

The actual purpose is study under regulation 3(1)(c); an ordinary visitor permit prohibits study. Actual Form 3 section 8 asks for the school/university/college and enrolment letter, course duration, and scholarship or other accommodation/support information. An internship/practical-experience section asks for employer/sponsor details and a letter where applicable. That question does not establish a universal work-hours entitlement or authorise unrelated employment. The public immigration texts are the 2022 revisions, with later legislation considered where relevant. They identify legal purposes and forms, but a complete current online immigration service, modern receiving-office instructions and individual assessed charges were not verified. Confirm the actual legal basis, activity conditions, documents and assessed charges with the Principal Immigration Officer before relying on travel, work or continued stay. Legal PDFs are guidance, not online filing services.

Additional sources

Eligibility

Typical criteria

Common blockers

Typical evidence

  • ·Form 3 in English or Tuvaluan, signed by the applicant or, for an applicant under 18, a parent or guardian; passport or certificate of identity and two passport photographs.Tuvalu Government — official legislation ↗
  • ·Evidence of the actual permitted purpose and financial capacity, or a resident sponsor’s Form 6; further information requested by the officer.Tuvalu Government — official legislation ↗
  • ·For an intended stay of more than one year, regulation 4(2) requires medical Form 7, radiological Form 8 and police reports from every jurisdiction where the applicant lived for more than one year in the past five years. Scheduled notes use different age/duration wording and some incorrect form numbers. Obtain current instructions for each applicant, including exactly one-year stays and children.Tuvalu Government — official legislation ↗
  • ·Good health and character, compliance with the Act, and an outward-bound ticket or the repatriation bond assessed by the Principal Immigration Officer.Tuvalu Government — official legislation ↗
  • ·Institution enrolment letter and course details; scholarship award or evidence of accommodation and financial support as applicable.Tuvalu Government — official legislation ↗
  • ·For an internship or practical experience, the actual employer/sponsor letter and any additional activity permission required.Tuvalu Government — official legislation ↗

Application pathway

  1. Check the route fit

    Identify the actual purpose and obtain current Principal Immigration Officer instructions before travel or starting the activity.

  2. Build the evidence pack

    Prepare Form 3, purpose and financial/support evidence, and the applicable identity, health and character documents.

  3. Submit through the official channel

    Submit through the instructed receiving office and pay the assessed charges; do not treat a legal PDF or fee payment as an application approval.

  4. After approval

    Observe the actual grant, activity and expiry conditions. Seek any extension or change of permission before relying on it.

After approval: prepare for your next step

For Study — Permit to Enter and Reside, use the actual decision and the issuing authority’s instructions to establish what has been granted. A successful application, permission to enter, permission to work and a residence document are not interchangeable.

  1. 1. Check the decision. Confirm the name, passport, status granted, start date and any next action. Resolve an error with the authority before relying on the document for travel or employment.
  2. 2. Establish the travel step. Read any entry window, activation, collection or in-country registration instruction. For an extension or change of status, do not assume leaving the country is required or safe while a further step remains pending.
  3. 3. Confirm what you may do. Coordinate enrolment and attendance with the institution. Check the actual work conditions before accepting a job or freelance work.
  4. 4. Organise the household. Check each accompanying person’s permission separately, then arrange healthcare, accommodation, access to money and the relevant local registrations. A tax number or bank account does not by itself prove a right to work.
  5. 5. Keep the ongoing conditions visible. Record the actual expiry, renewal process, permitted absences and any duty to report changes. An initial grant does not automatically establish permanent residence or citizenship.
Official Study — Permit to Enter and Reside instructionsBuild my moving plan for this routeMoving to Tuvalu

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
    Immigration Regulations — 2022 revision, purposes, fees and scheduled forms ↗

    Check this specific purpose, its fee and scheduled forms; obtain current authority filing instructions.

    Tuvalu Government — official legislation · verified

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Frequently asked questions

Does this permission automatically allow any employment or business?+

No. The actual purpose and conditions control; check any additional activity or employment permission separately.

Is employer sponsorship always required?+

The general framework permits financial-capacity evidence or resident Form 6 support. This is distinct from Form 5 employer sponsorship for an employment case. The actual purpose evidence still matters.

What remains to confirm?+

No universal student work-hours allowance or automatic paid-work permission was verified. For an intended stay of more than one year, regulation 4(2) requires medical Form 7, radiological Form 8 and police reports from every jurisdiction where the applicant lived for more than one year in the past five years. Scheduled notes use different age/duration wording and some incorrect form numbers. Obtain current instructions for each applicant, including exactly one-year stays and children.

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 in Tuvalu

How we verified this

We check every figure on this page against the primary government source, record the date it was last checked, and re-check it on a regular schedule. Rules change, so always confirm time-sensitive details with the official source before you rely on them. Visa Atlas is an information-only publication and does not give legal advice.

Primary source: Tuvalu Government — official legislation

Last checked: 15 November 2026

See the full evidence trail and methodology

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