Seychelles International (SEZ) — The Complete 2026 Airport Guide
Here is the thing nobody tells you until you are already at the check-in desk: Seychelles gives every nationality visa-free entry, yet no airline will let you board without an online Travel Authorisation you paid for in advance. Sort that at home and immigration is a formality. The real question on the ground is the fun one — how you island-hop off Mahé to Praslin or La Digue. SEZ is a small, easy airport; this guide covers the paperwork trap and the boat-or-plane decision.
Last verified: July 2026. Fares, ferry schedules and entry rules for Seychelles change often — confirm the specifics on your ticket, on the official portal and at the counter before you travel.
Quick reference
| Detail | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| Airport | Seychelles International Airport, IATA SEZ / ICAO FSIA — the country’s only international gateway, at Pointe Larue on Mahé |
| Location | About 11 km southeast of Victoria, the capital — a 10–15 minute drive along the coast road |
| Terminals | An International Terminal and a Domestic Terminal, side by side, about a 2-minute walk apart |
| Entry | No visa for anyone, but every traveller must buy a Travel Authorisation online in advance (from ~€10) before boarding; a free Visitor’s Permit is stamped on arrival |
| Getting to town | Taxi to Victoria ~SCR 300 (~€20) · to Beau Vallon ~SCR 500–600 (~€33–40) · SPTC public bus a few rupees, but cashless and slow |
| Onward islands | Air Seychelles hops to Praslin in ~15 min from the domestic terminal, or the Cat Cocos ferry to Praslin (~1h15) and La Digue (~1h45) |
| Watch out for | Boarding blocked without a Travel Authorisation · lookalike “visa” websites · a late arrival meaning an overnight on Mahé before any island transfer |
The 2026 catch: visa-free, but you cannot board without a Travel Authorisation
Seychelles is one of the most open countries in the world — it grants visa-free entry to every nationality. But do not confuse that with “turn up and go”. Since the Seychelles Electronic Border System came in, every single traveller must hold a Travel Authorisation before departure, and airlines check for it at check-in. No Travel Authorisation, no boarding pass. This is the one thing that catches people out, so it leads this guide.
You apply online at the official government portal, seychelles.govtas.com. The base fee is €10 for standard processing (up to 24 hours) or €30 for premium (about 6 hours); once a mandatory processing charge is added, the standard application comes to roughly €12 all-in. The portal shows you the exact total before you pay, so take that figure as final rather than any number you read elsewhere. You can apply up to about 10 days before your flight — do it early, because the accommodation and ticket details it asks for take a few minutes to gather.
One airport, two terminals — and your island is the next question
SEZ is refreshingly simple after the mega-hubs. There are two buildings, the International Terminal and the Domestic Terminal, and they sit right next to each other — about a two-minute walk apart. Long-haul carriers including Air Seychelles, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines, plus seasonal European operators such as Condor and Edelweiss, all use the International Terminal. The Domestic Terminal is the little one next door that runs the inter-island flights — well over a hundred a week to Praslin alone.
That layout is the whole point of SEZ. For most visitors the airport is not the destination; it is the pivot between a long international flight and a short hop to whichever island your hotel is on. So the two decisions that matter here are the same two this guide is built around: get the entry paperwork done before you fly, then decide how you reach your island once you land. Everything else — a coffee, a duty-free bottle, a taxi — is straightforward.
Getting into Mahé — Victoria and Beau Vallon
The airport is only about 11 km from Victoria and roughly the same again round to Beau Vallon, so no transfer is long. Most people either pre-book a hotel transfer, grab a taxi, or hire a car at arrivals. The public bus is genuinely cheap but awkward with luggage. Here is the honest comparison:
| Option | Approx price | Good for | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi to Victoria | ~SCR 300 (~€20 / $23) | Most arrivals | Fixed government zone fares, but no meters — agree the price before you get in |
| Taxi to Beau Vallon | ~SCR 500–600 (~€33–40) | The main beach-hotel strip | The default for the north-Mahé resorts; confirm the fare first |
| Hotel transfer | Varies (often pre-booked) | Resort guests | Simplest with bags and late arrivals; arrange when you book the room |
| Car hire | From ~€45/day | Exploring Mahé yourself | Desks in arrivals (Avis, Sixt, Europcar, Hertz and others). Drive on the left |
| SPTC public bus | A few rupees per ride | Budget, light luggage | Very cheap but cashless (SPTC card only) and you change in Victoria for Beau Vallon |
Taxis in Seychelles run on government-set zone fares rather than meters, so the figures above are the going rate — but always confirm the price with the driver before you set off, especially at night. The SPTC public bus is the cheapest way into town by a mile, at only a handful of rupees a ride, but there is a catch: buses are cashless, so you need an SPTC travel card (sold at the terminal and shops), and there is no single direct service to the beaches — you ride into Victoria and change there for Beau Vallon. It is a lovely, scenic ride if you are travelling light; a poor idea with a trolley of suitcases.
Entry: the Travel Authorisation, Visitor’s Permit and what to bring
Two documents, in order. First the Travel Authorisation you buy online before you fly (above). Then, on landing, the free Visitor’s Permit that the immigration officer stamps into your passport.
- The Visitor’s Permit is free and given on arrival. It is granted for a stay of up to three months for holidays, visiting friends and family, or business. It can be extended for further three-month periods up to a total of twelve months, but the extensions are paid (SCR 5,000 for each additional period) — for a normal beach holiday you will never touch this.
- What the Travel Authorisation application asks for. A valid passport, a selfie, your contact and trip details, your airline booking confirmation showing arrival and departure dates (so an onward or return ticket), and an accommodation booking for every place you will stay. If you are staying with friends or family, a letter of invitation stands in for the hotel booking. Have these ready before you start — it is a form, not an interview, but it will not submit with gaps.
- Passport validity and funds. Bring a passport valid for your stay, proof of onward travel and evidence you can support yourself (accommodation and return ticket usually cover this). Seychelles is not a place immigration hassles genuine tourists, but the officer can ask.
- No EES or ETIAS here. Those are European Union systems and do not apply to Seychelles — the Travel Authorisation is the only pre-travel step you need for entry to the islands.
Onward to Praslin and La Digue — fly or ferry?
This is the decision that shapes your arrival day. Your hotel is very often not on Mahé at all but on Praslin or La Digue, and there are two ways across: the little Air Seychelles plane, or the Cat Cocos catamaran. Neither runs late into the evening, which is the trap — see the tip below.
| Route | By air (Air Seychelles) | By ferry (Cat Cocos) |
|---|---|---|
| Mahé → Praslin | ~15 min flight from the Domestic Terminal; fares vary widely by date (roughly from €85–100 one way) | ~1h15 crossing; economy from about €56 one way (upper deck / business cost more) |
| Mahé → La Digue | No airstrip on La Digue — you fly to Praslin, then take a short local ferry across | ~1h45 via a brief stop at Praslin (no change of boat); economy from about €68 one way |
| Best for | Speed, or if you get seasick — but small planes and strict baggage limits | Value, big luggage, and the scenery; a €1 per-person port tax applies |
The 15-minute flight to Praslin leaves from the domestic terminal a short walk from where you land, which makes it the seamless option if you book it on the same Air Seychelles ticket as your international flight. The trade-off is cost and tight baggage allowances on a small aircraft. The Cat Cocos ferry is the workhorse: comfortable, far cheaper, and it takes proper luggage. It sails to Praslin in about an hour and a quarter and continues to La Digue (about an hour and three-quarters all told) with only a short stop at Praslin, so you stay on the same boat. Book ferry seats ahead in high season at the official catcocos.com.
Lounges
SEZ has a lounge in each terminal, and the international one is Priority Pass territory:
- Salon Vallée de Mai — the Air Seychelles lounge in the International Terminal, airside, up on the first floor to the left of security by the departure gates. It accepts Priority Pass, LoungeKey and Diners Club, along with Air Seychelles business-class passengers and Etihad Guest Gold/Platinum members. It opens about three hours before the first flight and runs to the last departure, with a maximum stay of three hours, and has showers, luggage storage, drinks and snacks — genuinely useful before a long night flight home.
- Payanke Lounge — a smaller lounge over in the Domestic Terminal, handy if you have time before an inter-island hop.
Connections and timing
SEZ does not publish a formal minimum connecting time the way a big hub does, largely because it does not need to — the flow is short and physical. If you are connecting from an international flight onto a domestic hop, you clear immigration, collect your bags, and walk about two minutes to the Domestic Terminal to check in for the island flight. If both legs are on one Air Seychelles ticket, they can be through-checked, which is the smoothest path.
Because the flow includes immigration and a fresh domestic check-in, give yourself a comfortable buffer — think 1.5 to 2 hours between landing and a booked island flight, more in busy arrival banks when several wide-bodies land together. If you are crossing by ferry instead, remember that you must also taxi from the airport to the ferry terminal and the boats stop in the early evening, so a self-connection by sea needs even more slack.
Money, Wi-Fi and the sustainability levy
Money: the currency is the Seychellois Rupee (SCR). Pay in rupees where you can — if an ATM or card machine offers to bill you in your home currency, decline it and choose SCR to avoid a poor conversion. There are ATMs in the arrivals area; use bank ATMs over exchange booths. Euros and dollars are widely accepted at hotels, but change tends to come back in rupees.
Wi-Fi and practicalities: free Wi-Fi is available in the terminal, and the International Terminal has duty-free, cafés and car-hire desks in a compact footprint. There is no meaningful “layover” to plan for at SEZ — it is a small airport, so arrive with your entry paperwork done and your onward island transfer booked, and there is little left to solve.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa for Seychelles in 2026?+
No — Seychelles grants visa-free entry to every nationality. But you must obtain a Travel Authorisation online before you fly, through the official Seychelles Electronic Border System at seychelles.govtas.com. Airlines check for it at check-in, and without one you will not be allowed to board. On arrival you are given a free Visitor’s Permit for a stay of up to three months.
How much does the Seychelles Travel Authorisation cost?+
The base fee is €10 for standard processing (up to 24 hours) or €30 for premium (about 6 hours). Once a mandatory processing charge is added, a standard application comes to roughly €12 all-in. The official portal shows you the exact total before you pay — treat that figure as final. Apply only at seychelles.govtas.com and ignore third-party sites that charge much more.
How do I get from Seychelles airport to Victoria or Beau Vallon?+
The airport is about 11 km from Victoria. A taxi to Victoria is roughly SCR 300 (~€20) and to Beau Vallon about SCR 500–600 (~€33–40) — fares are set by government zones but taxis have no meters, so agree the price first. Many resort guests pre-book a hotel transfer. The SPTC public bus is very cheap but cashless (you need an SPTC card) and you change in Victoria for the beaches.
How do I get from Mahé to Praslin or La Digue?+
Two ways. Air Seychelles flies Mahé to Praslin in about 15 minutes from the domestic terminal next door to international arrivals. Or take the Cat Cocos catamaran: about 1h15 to Praslin (economy from around €56) and about 1h45 to La Digue (from around €68), with just a short stop at Praslin and no change of boat. La Digue has no airstrip, so if you fly you land at Praslin and take a short local ferry across.
Are the two terminals at SEZ far apart?+
No — the International Terminal and the Domestic Terminal sit side by side, about a two-minute walk apart. That makes connecting from an international flight onto an inter-island hop simple: clear immigration, collect your bags, and walk over to check in for the domestic flight.
Can I do a same-day connection to my island after a long-haul flight?+
Often, but not always. If you land in the morning or early afternoon, an Air Seychelles hop or the Cat Cocos ferry can get you to Praslin or La Digue the same day — allow about 1.5 to 2 hours after landing for a booked island flight. If your flight arrives after dark, the inter-island flights and ferries have usually stopped, so plan to spend the first night on Mahé and cross in the morning.
Is there a lounge at Seychelles International Airport?+
Yes. The Salon Vallée de Mai in the International Terminal is airside on the first floor by the gates and accepts Priority Pass, LoungeKey and Diners Club, plus Air Seychelles business class and Etihad Guest Gold/Platinum members. It has showers, luggage storage, drinks and snacks, opens about three hours before the first flight, and caps stays at three hours. The Domestic Terminal has a smaller lounge, the Payanke.
What currency should I use at Seychelles airport?+
The Seychellois Rupee (SCR). Pay in rupees where you can, and if an ATM or card machine offers to bill you in your home currency, decline and choose SCR for a better rate. There are ATMs in arrivals; bank ATMs beat the exchange booths. Note the separate Tourism Environmental Sustainability Levy (SCR 75–100 per person per night from January 2026), which your hotel collects, not the airport.
At a glance
| Codes | SEZ / FSIA — Seychelles International Airport, Pointe Larue, Mahé |
| Terminals | International + Domestic, side by side, ~2-minute walk apart |
| Distance to Victoria | ~11 km, 10–15 minutes by road |
| Entry | Visa-free for all, but a Travel Authorisation (from ~€10) is required online before boarding; free Visitor’s Permit on arrival |
| Taxi to town | Victoria ~SCR 300 (~€20) · Beau Vallon ~SCR 500–600 (~€33–40); agree fare first |
| To Praslin | Air Seychelles ~15 min, or Cat Cocos ferry ~1h15 from about €56 |
| To La Digue | Cat Cocos ferry ~1h45 from about €68 (via Praslin); no airstrip on La Digue |
| Currency | Seychellois Rupee (SCR) — pay in rupees, decline home-currency ATM billing |
Before you fly
- 📊 Check what a good fare to Seychelles looks like — our price-check tool shows the typical deal range so you know a bargain when you see one.
- 🧳 Baggage checker — confirm your airline’s carry-on and checked allowance before you pack, and remember the tight limits on the small inter-island planes.
