Visa Requirements
Visa and health requirements can change at any time. It is your own responsibility to ensure that you check with a professionally qualified source and comply with such requirements. UK passport holders will need visas for certain Fred. Olsen cruise holidays and will be advised at the time of booking. Your cruise booking information will also detail any requirements applicable to your holiday.
It is the responsibility of all non-British passport holders to ensure that they are in possession of a valid passport and, where necessary, entry visas or permits for their chosen cruise. If you are unsure as to whether you are required to obtain such documents, you must contact the relevant Embassy or Consulate. Failure to comply with this request may result in refusal of carriage, or the imposition of individual fines by local immigration authorities.
CIBT, Fred. Olsen’s preferred visa provider, offer advice on specific visa requirements for your cruise holiday. For your convenience, CIBT’s online portal provides detailed visa information for specific cruises and visa application packs. Please visit www.cibtvisas.co.uk/fredolsencruises for more information. Alternatively, you can contact CIBT via their visa helpline on 0207 593 6223.
Your Responsibilities
Depending on the passport you hold, there may be visa requirements for the cruise you have booked. As detailed in Your Contract with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, it is the responsibility of each guest on your booking to ensure they are in possession of all relevant travel documents for their cruise. Failure to comply with this may result in denied boarding and full loss of all monies paid, or the guest receiving any fines levied by relevant authorities. Please ensure you check your requirements before you travel to avoid unnecessary expense and inconvenience.
Please note: In certain ports of call, it may be necessary for you to arrange a visitor’s visa for going ashore independently. Please refer to your confirmation invoice for further details.
Visa Requirements for Full British Citizen Passport Holders
The following information is correct at time of publishing and applies to holders of a full British Citizen passport only. Holders of any other type of passport, including British Subjects and other British Isles passports, should check with CIBT – our recommended visa provider – for details of specific requirements for their chosen cruise.
Visas/Entry Permits Obtained on Arrival
For your convenience, where it is possible to arrange visas or entry permits on arrival, we will obtain these on your behalf. Any charges levied for visas or entry permits will be automatically charged to your on board account, except where the entry visa must be purchased on arrival at the airport. The following information regarding visas and entry permits is correct at time of publishing, and is subject to change at any time. The following information relates to British Passport holders only who have British Citizen status on their passport. All other nationalities/passport types should check visa requirements with the relevant embassies.
Country | Type | Approx. Cost |
Cape Verde Islands | Registration of visit required | No Charge |
Egypt | Entry Visa | 25 USD |
Israel | Entry Card | British passport holders are exempt |
Jordan | Entry Visa | No Charge |
Papua New Guinea | Entry Visa | No Charge |
Maldives | Entry Visa | No Charge |
Tanzania | Entry Visa | 50 USD |
Madagascar | Entry Visa | No Charge |
Mozambique | Entry Visa | 50 USD |
Ghana | Entry Visa | 50 USD |
Togo | Entry Visa | 20 USD |
Vietnam | Immigration Service Fee | 5 USD |
Algeria | Ship Collective Visa | 28 USD* |
Cambodia | Entry Visa | 30 USD |
Myanmar | Entry Visa | 40 USD |
* Please be advised that only guests on our organised shore tours are able to go ashore in Algeria. Going ashore independently is currently not permitted.
**If your cruise departs from/concludes in Dubai, holders of full British passports will be granted a free of charge visitor/tourist visa upon arrival in the UAE. No application in advance of travel is needed. Your passport will be stamped with the visa as you pass through Immigration. The visa issued at the airport for British passport holders is valid for 30 days.
Visas Obtained in Advance of Travel
For cruises that visit the following countries, all holders of a British passport are required to be in possession of the relevant entry visa prior to travel.
Country | Useful Information |
United States of America (USA) |
British Citizens are required to be in possession of an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation). This may be obtained at the official website https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/ Please note: You must print a copy for the electronic ESTA confirmation and produce it at embarkation in order to board the ship. British Subjects are required to obtain an entry visa. |
Australia |
All British passport holders are required to be in possession of an entry visa for Australia. British Citizens, excluding passports endorsed with British Subject or British National (Overseas) and most EU nationals can apply on-line for a free "e-visitor". However, guests with non-EU passports (including British National (Overseas)) will need to apply on-line for an "ETA-Electronic Travel Authority" which costs approximately GBP13 (AUD 20) per person. Some nationalities including British Subjects may be required to obtain a tourist visa. For full details visit www.eta.immi.gov.au |
Sri Lanka |
All British passport holders are required to be in possession of an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for Sri Lanka. You can obtain information on how to apply for an ETA on the Sri Lanka ETA website www.eta.gov.lk. Please be advised that all guests embarking or disembarking a cruise in Sri Lanka must be possession of the full tourist ETA valid for 30 days, which is an approximate cost of £30.00 excluding visa handling charges. The free of charge (excluding visa handling charges) transit ETA is not accepted for embarking or disembarking guests, it is only valid if Sri Lanka is a port of call within your cruise. |
India |
All British passport holders are required to be in possession of a multiple entry tourist visa for India. You can obtain information on how to apply for a visa on the Indian High Commission website at www.hcilondon.in If applying for an e-visa, please be aware that this will be valid for four months from date of issue. It is important that you do not apply too early as the validity of the visa must cover the date of the last port of call in India. Please note: the Indian port of Porbandar and Port Blair, Andaman Islands, do not accept e-visa's, so full tourist visas are required. So, if the India portion of your cruise starts in Porbandar or Port Blair, you cannot travel on an e-Visa. CIBT can assist with both e-visas and standard tourist visas. Visit www.cibtvisas.co.uk/fredolsencruises for more information. E-Visas Tourist visas Please note the above fees exclude charges from visa processing companies such as CIBT. |
New Zealand |
All British passport holders are required to be in possession of a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) for entry. The NZeTA costs NZD $9 if applying via the dedicated mobile app, or NZD $12 if completed online. |
Benin |
All British passport holders are required to be in possession of an Electronic tourist visa for Benin. You can obtain information on how to apply for a tourist visa online on the Benin evisa website https://evisa.bj.
|
Saudi Arabia |
All British passport holders are required to be in possession of a Electronic tourist visa for Saudi Arabia. You can obtain information on how to apply for a tourist visa online on the Visit Saudi website www.visitsaudi.com/en. |
Vietnam |
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY VISA EXEMPTION - British passport holders are exempt from the Vietnam entry visa providing their stay is no longer than 15 days and they are not re-entering the coutry within 30 days from their last visit. If you have previously visited Vietnam within 30 days of the ships arrival date in the country, you will not be eligible for visa exemption and will be required to obtain an entry visa prior to arrival. To obtain an entry visa go to https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/ |
Kenya |
All British passport holders aged 16 years and above require a visa to enter Kenya. Kenyan entry visas are exclusively issued electronically, with passengers required to obtain their e-visas before departure. You can obtain information on how to apply for a Kenyan e-visa on the Kenya e-visa website https://evisa.go.ke The e-visa charge for UK citizens is currently $51 and processing takes approx. 2 days. |
Visas for non-UK Guests
Schengen Visa: Non-European passport holders may require a Schengen Visa for entry into Continental Europe. The United Kingdom is not a Schengen State member*. British Citizen passport holders do not require a Schengen Visa. Please ensure you check your entry requirements for Europe prior to travel.
*Schengen State members are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
For all other countries, please contact the relevant embassy for details.