Micronesia · UN member
Nauru: Travel Guide & Requirements
Republic of Nauru
Nauru is a country in Micronesia with its capital in no official capital. It has a population of 12,025 (#215 in the world) and covers 21 km². The official languages are English and Nauru. The currency is the Australian dollar (AUD, $).
Where is Nauru? Map of Nauru
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands.
- Region
- Micronesia
- Coordinates
- 0.5333° S, 166.9167° E
- Neighbours
- none (no land borders)
- Coastline
- 30 km
- Nauru
Travel requirements
What you need to travel to Nauru
- Passport
The UK government says your passport must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the date you arrive in Nauru.
- Visa or eTA
Depends on your passport: of 198 passports, 2 need no visa, 14 get a visa on arrival, 182 need a visa from an embassy. Check yours or see Nauru entry requirements for every passport.
- Return or onward ticket
Under Nauru's Immigration Regulations 2014, a visitor's visa may only be granted to a person who holds a valid ticket for travel from Nauru to another country and any documents necessary for entering the country of dest…
- Proof of funds
Under Nauru's Immigration Act, a person without sufficient lawful means of support for themselves and their dependants can be declared a prohibited immigrant, and the Immigration Regulations 2014 require a visitor's vis…
- Travel insurance
No official requirement. The UK Foreign Office advises checking before you travel that you have appropriate travel insurance for local treatment or unexpected medical evacuation.
- Arrival card
Nauru's Immigration Regulations 2014 say a person arriving in Nauru shall complete an arrival card, sign a declaration on it that the information is correct and give it to an immigration officer when requested; the card…
- Customs allowance
The US Department of State lists no entry maximum for currency, and says a permit is required to take out amounts exceeding AUD 2,500 (Australian dollars).
- Travel advice
Safe to visit — US and UK advice.
Entry rules: TravelRequirements.info — Entry Requirements Dataset (CC BY 4.0), each rule cited to an official government source. Always confirm with the airline and the official source before you travel.
Before you go
9 things to know before you travel to Nauru
- Safety: Yes — Nauru is generally safe to visit: the US State Department rates Nauru Level 1 (“Exercise Normal Precautions”), and the UK Foreign Office has no warnings against travel there.
- Best time to go: April to November — when daytime highs in the capital are around 28–29°C.
- Money: the Australian dollar (AUD) — 1 US dollar is about 1.4226 AUD.
- Plugs: type I, 240 V, 50 Hz — standard 220–240 V: devices from the US or Japan (110–120 V) need a converter unless they are dual voltage (100–240 V).
- Emergency numbers: Police 110, Ambulance 111, Fire 112.
- Language: English and Nauru are official.
- Driving: on the left — speed limits are 50 km/h outside built-up areas.
- Time zone: UTC+12 in no official capital.
- Capital: no official capital. About 12,025 people live in Nauru.
Key facts
Nauru at a glance
Languages spoken: Nauruan 93% (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English 2% (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes), other 5% (includes Gilbertese 2% and Chinese 2%) (2011 est.)
Geography & history
About Nauru
By 1000 B.C., Micronesian and Polynesian settlers inhabited Nauru, and the island was divided among 12 clans. Nauru developed in relative isolation because ocean currents made landfall on the island difficult. As a result, the Nauruan language does not clearly resemble any other in the Pacific region. In 1798, a British mariner was the first European to spot the island and by 1830, European whalers used Nauru as a supply stop, trading firearms for food. A civil war in 1878 reduced the population by more than a third. Germany forcibly annexed Nauru in 1888 by holding the 12 chiefs under house arrest until they consented to the annexation. Phosphate was discovered in 1900 and was heavily mine…
Read the full history
By 1000 B.C., Micronesian and Polynesian settlers inhabited Nauru, and the island was divided among 12 clans. Nauru developed in relative isolation because ocean currents made landfall on the island difficult. As a result, the Nauruan language does not clearly resemble any other in the Pacific region. In 1798, a British mariner was the first European to spot the island and by 1830, European whalers used Nauru as a supply stop, trading firearms for food. A civil war in 1878 reduced the population by more than a third. Germany forcibly annexed Nauru in 1888 by holding the 12 chiefs under house arrest until they consented to the annexation. Phosphate was discovered in 1900 and was heavily mined, although Nauru and Nauruans earned about one tenth of one percent of the profits from the phosphate deposits. Australian forces captured Nauru from Germany during World War I, and in 1919, it was placed under a joint Australian-British-New Zealand mandate with Australian administration. Japan occupied Nauru during World War II and used its residents as forced labor elsewhere in the Pacific while destroying much of the infrastructure on the island. After the war, Nauru became a UN trust territory under Australian administration. In 1962, recognizing the phosphate stocks would eventually be depleted, Australian Prime Minister Robert MENZIES offered to resettle all Nauruans on Curtis Island in Queensland, but Nauruans rejected that plan and opted for independence, which was achieved in 1968. In 1970, Nauru purchased the phosphate mining assets, and income from the mines made Nauruans among the richest people in the world. However, a series of unwise investments led to near bankruptcy by 2000. Widespread phosphate mining officially ceased in 2006. As its economy faltered, Nauru briefly tried to rebrand itself as an offshore banking haven, an initiative that ended in 2005, and the country made a successful bid for Russian humanitarian aid in 2008. In 2001, Australia set up the Nauru Regional Processing Center (NRPC), an offshore refugee detention facility, paying Nauru per person at the center. The NRPC closed in 2008 but reopened in 2012. The number of refugees steadily declined after 2014, and in 2020, the remaining people were moved to Brisbane, Australia, effectively shuttering the NRPC. However, in 2023, Australia agreed to continue funding NRPC for two years and restarted settling asylees in the center in mid-2023. The center remains the Government of Nauru’s largest source of income.
Location
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
Climate
tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)
Terrain
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
Highest point
Command Ridge 70 m
Natural resources
phosphates, fish
Natural hazards
periodic droughts
National symbols
frigatebird, calophyllum flower
Driving
Speed limits & road rules in Nauru
The default speed limits in Nauru are 50 km/h outside built-up areas. Posted signs always take priority over these defaults.
- 5050 km/hOutside built-up areasCountry roads
- International Driving PermitNot a party to the IDP conventionsCheck with the embassy whether your licence is accepted
- Driving sideDrive on the leftOvertake on the right
- Road deaths (2021)8.0 per 100,000 peopleSafer than most countries (median 12.4)
Speed limits: OpenStreetMap wiki — Default speed limits (CC BY-SA 2.0). Road-safety laws: WHO Global Health Observatory. Compare speed limits and alcohol limits by country. Defaults for cars; local signs, weather and vehicle type can lower them.
Safety
Is Nauru safe to visit?
Yes — Nauru is generally safe to visit: the US State Department rates Nauru Level 1 (“Exercise Normal Precautions”), and the UK Foreign Office has no warnings against travel there.
US State Department
UK Foreign Office (FCDO)Latest update: Updated information about global travel impacts due to escalation in the Middle East (‘Warnings and insurance’ page).
Updated 19 Mar 2026 · Full travel advice
Sources: US Department of State travel advisories (public domain) and UK FCDO foreign travel advice (contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0). Checked daily. Advice can change quickly — always read the official page before you travel.
Weather
Best time to visit Nauru
The best time to visit Nauru is April to November, when daytime highs in the capital are around 28–29°C. December to March are also a good time to go. June is the warmest month (29°C by day), March the coldest (28°C at night), and December the wettest with about 202 mm of rain.
- Jan29°C28°C
- Feb28°C28°C
- Mar28°C28°C
- Apr28°C28°C
- May29°C28°C
- Jun29°C28°C
- Jul29°C28°C
- Aug29°C28°C
- Sep29°C28°C
- Oct29°C28°C
- Nov29°C28°C
- Dec29°C28°C
Best time Good Less ideal
Before you go
Plugs, voltage & emergency numbers in Nauru
Plugs & sockets
240 V, 50 Hz · Standard 220–240 V: devices from the US or Japan (110–120 V) need a converter unless they are dual voltage (100–240 V).
Emergency numbers
112 works from any mobile phone, even without a SIM card in most networks. All countries →
Sources: Wikipedia — Mains electricity by country and List of emergency telephone numbers (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Currency · 26 October 2026
Australian dollar exchange rates today
Nauru uses the Australian dollar (AUD, $). One US dollar buys 1.4226 AUD; over the last 30 days the AUD has gained 0.1% against the dollar.
What other currencies cost in AUD
Currency converter
Daily reference rates from the open-source currency-api (CC0), 26 Oct 2026. Banks and exchange offices add a margin.
World rankings
Where Nauru ranks
How Nauru compares with the rest of the world — open any card for the full ranking.
Airports
Airports in Nauru
1 airports and airfields — 0 large, 1 medium and 0 small, plus 0 heliports. 1 have scheduled passenger flights.
Borders
No land borders
Nauru has no land borders with other countries. Coastline: 30 km.
People
Population & society
Religion
Economy
Economy
Main industries
phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Export partners
Thailand 78%, Philippines 11%, NZ 5%, Japan 1%, Canada 1% (2023)
Top exports
fish, phosphates (2023)
Travel tools
Handy before every trip to Nauru
Next public holiday
Christmas Day — Friday, 25 December 2026. Then St. Stephen's Day (26 Dec).
Nauruan passport
Ranked #115: 43 countries visa-free, 30 with visa on arrival, 4 with an eTA and 38 with an eVisa.
Nauruan passport photo
Exact size, head position and background for Nauru's passport and visa photos — make one free with AI checks.
Calling Nauru
Dial +674 before the local number. Internet domain .nr.
Climate footprint
0.1 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2024 — 5.13 t per person.
Entry requirements
Visa rules for every passport visiting Nauru: visa-free stays, eVisas, visas on arrival and documents to bring.
News
Latest travel news about Nauru
Nauruans Applying to Study in Australia Now Pay Less for Student Visas
Australia's Department of Home Affairs has confirmed a reduced Student visa (subclass 500) application charge for eligible citizens of 23 Pacific Isl…
Nauru passport holders cut Student visa cost if they apply using their Nauru document
Australia's Department of Home Affairs says citizens of 23 Pacific Island, Timor-Leste and ASEAN countries can pay a reduced Student visa (subclass 5…
Nauru passport holders can get Thailand visa on arrival, stay up to 15 days
Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a visa on arrival list covering 19 countries and territories, including Nauru. Eligible passport…
Frequently asked questions about Nauru
What do I need to travel to Nauru?
How long must my passport be valid for Nauru?
Where is Nauru?
What is the capital of Nauru?
What language is spoken in Nauru?
What currency does Nauru use?
What is the calling code of Nauru?
Does Nauru have land borders?
How strong is the Nauruan passport?
What is the speed limit in Nauru?
Is Nauru safe to visit?
When is the best time to visit Nauru?
What plug type does Nauru use?
How many airports does Nauru have?
Sources: CIA World Factbook (public domain); World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0); names, languages and currencies: mledoze/countries (ODbL); flag: flag-icons (MIT); coat of arms: Wikimedia Commons (file page); exchange rates: Daily reference rates from the open-source currency-api (CC0); airports: OurAirports.