Immigration law in Timor-Leste

The main legal basis is the Lei de Migração e Asilo, Law No. 11/2017, as amended by Law No. 10/2021. The official Portuguese text is authoritative; available English versions are unofficial translations. The Serviço de Migração is responsible for border control, visa and residence enforcement, asylum examination and removal. The Ministry of Interior handles migration matters, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, diplomatic missions and the Direção Nacional de Registos e Notariado have responsibilities in related procedures. Entry generally requires a suitable visa, a residence permit or another recognized authorization, unless a visa waiver or international arrangement applies. A passport or travel document should normally be valid for at least six months and have one blank page, and border officials may require proof of onward travel, accommodation, sufficient means and an arrival card. Entry and exit take place through staffed border-control points. Current practice generally charges US$30 in cash for tourist and business visa on arrival. Visa on arrival rules differ by nationality and border crossing: Indonesians can obtain it at all border points, while many other nationalities are limited to Dili International Airport or the port; land-border travelers generally need prior Visa Application Authorization, except nationals of Indonesia, Portugal and the United States. Visa categories include tourist, transit, airport transit, work, business, study, other temporary stay, volunteer and residence visas. A tourist visa is legally valid for 30 days and can be extended once for another 30 days, although current Serviço de Migração forms and practice may advertise different 30- or 90-day options. A work visa is generally valid for up to one year, allows multiple entry and is tied to the approved activity. Business Class I covers prospecting and investment for up to 60 days, while Business Class II is designed for a shareholder or administrator in a relevant position and can involve longer residence, company registration, tax obligations and 183-day presence requirements. Study, specialist activity, volunteer work and dependants use temporary-stay categories with different evidence and validity periods. Applications usually require a passport copy, photograph, proof of funds, accommodation and the purpose of stay. Work applications also commonly require an employment or service contract, qualifications, commercial registration, authorization for the economic activity, a tax-debt certificate, medical evidence and a criminal-record certificate. Study applications require confirmation from the school or higher-education institution, and family applications require proof of the family relationship. Applicants under 16 do not provide a criminal-record certificate. Tourist and transit applications may be made through a diplomatic mission or border post; work, business, temporary-stay and residence applications generally begin at a diplomatic mission abroad, with direct applications to the Serviço de Migração possible in specified circumstances. A foreign resident receives a residence permit and card as the sole proof of resident status. Temporary residence permits generally last two years and can be renewed for two-year periods; a separate five-year category applies to foreign missionaries covered by the relevant parliamentary resolution. Temporary residence can cover employment, marriage to a Timorese citizen, family reunification, trafficking or illegal-immigration victims and exceptional reasons. Renewal applications should normally be filed at least 30 working days before expiry. Permanent residence is indefinite, subject to card renewal when personal data changes, and generally requires at least ten consecutive years of lawful residence, or another qualifying basis such as marriage to a Timorese citizen for more than five years or six years holding a temporary residence permit. Permanent residence does not automatically confer citizenship. Family reunification can cover a spouse, minor, adopted or disabled child and dependent ascendants, subject to the sponsor's status and evidence of family ties, accommodation and means. Refugees receive exemptions from accommodation and means evidence in the relevant family-reunification process. Asylum is available to people facing persecution because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. An asylum claim may be made orally or in writing to any police authority within 72 hours of entry. The process includes a confidential interview, interpretation where needed, access to a public defender or lawyer at state expense and consultation with UNHCR. A provisional residence permit is valid for 60 days and may be renewed in 30-day periods while the claim is processed. The citizenship procedure is separate from immigration law and is governed by Law No. 9/2002 and Decree-Law No. 1/2004. Lawful residence alone does not automatically create citizenship. Naturalization can require adulthood, the relevant residence period, knowledge of an official language, moral and civic integration, self-support and knowledge of Timor-Leste's history and culture. Applications are made through the Minister of Justice and the National Directorate of Registries and Notarial Services. A refusal of entry, visa or residence application generally has a 15-working-day appeal period, followed by judicial review within the applicable 15-working-day period. Entry refusal requires a hearing and a written explanation in an official language and an understandable language, with interpretation, medical assistance, consular contact and access to legal assistance available under the law. Appeals against expulsion also generally take place within 15 working days; the effect on removal differs according to whether the person has lawful or unlawful stay. Overstay fines range from US$150 to US$580 depending on duration, unauthorized professional activity can lead to a US$200–1,000 fine, and an employer can face US$750–1,500 per illegally employed person. Visa and residence purposes are binding, so changing from tourism to work or remaining after expiry without the correct authorization can create fines, cancellation or removal risks.