Polynesia · UN member
Samoa: Travel Guide & Requirements
Independent State of Samoa · Malo Saʻoloto Tutoʻatasi o Sāmoa
Samoa is a country in Polynesia with its capital in Apia. It has a population of 219,306 (#182 in the world) and covers 2,831 km². The official languages are English and Samoan. The currency is the Samoan tālā (WST, T).
Where is Samoa? Map of Samoa
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.
- Region
- Polynesia
- Coordinates
- 13.5833° S, 172.3333° W
- Neighbours
- none (no land borders)
- Coastline
- 403 km
- Samoa
- Capital
Travel requirements
What you need to travel to Samoa
- Passport
Samoa Immigration says the passenger must possess a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months after the intended date of departure from Samoa.
- Visa or eTA
Depends on your passport: of 198 passports, 198 need no visa. Check yours or see Samoa entry requirements for every passport.
- Return or onward ticket
Samoa Immigration says the grant of a Visitors permit is subject to its entry requirements, including that the passenger must have a return or onward ticket, a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months after the intended…
- Proof of funds
Samoa Immigration says the passenger must have documented evidence of sufficient funds for self-support (typically a copy of a bank statement) and state their accommodation arrangements.
- Travel insurance
No official requirement. The UK government says that if you have a medical emergency, evacuation to Australia, New Zealand or Hawaii is likely to be the only option for treatment, and to make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and a…
- Vaccinations
The UK government says you must have a certificate to prove you have had a yellow fever vaccination if you are coming from a country listed as a transmission risk.
- Arrival card
Samoa Immigration says arrival and declaration cards are provided by the airline or shipping agent, or by immigration officers at the arrival booths.
- Customs allowance
The UK government says to declare cash or travellers cheques if the value is 20,000 tala or more, and that you will get a certified declaration to show you brought it with you.
- 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
10 things to know before you travel to Samoa
- Safety: Yes — Samoa is generally safe to visit: the US State Department rates Samoa Level 1 (“Exercise Normal Precautions”), and the UK Foreign Office has no warnings against travel there.
- Best time to go: June to September — when daytime highs in Apia are around 28°C.
- Money: the Samoan tālā (WST) — 1 US dollar is about 2.7368 WST.
- Plugs: type I, 230 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 999, Ambulance 999, Fire 999.
- Language: English and Samoan are official.
- Driving: on the left — speed limits are 25 mph in built-up areas and 35 mph outside built-up areas.
- Time zone: UTC+13 in Apia.
- Capital: Apia. About 219,306 people live in Samoa.
- Outdoors: 2 national parks.
Key facts
Samoa at a glance
Languages spoken: Samoan (Polynesian) (official) 91.1%, Samoan/English 6.7%, English (official) 0.5%, other 0.2%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 est.)
Geography & history
About Samoa
The first Austronesian settlers arrived in Samoa around 1000 B.C., and early Samoans traded and intermarried with Fijian and Tongan nobility. The fa’amatai system of titles and nobility developed, which dominates Samoan politics to this day; all but two seats in the legislature are reserved for matai, or heads of families. A Dutch explorer was the first European to spot the islands in 1722. Christian missionaries arrived in the 1830s and were followed by an influx of American and European settlers and influence. By the 1880s, Germany, the UK, and the US had trading posts and claimed parts of the kingdom. In 1886, an eight-year civil war broke out, with rival matai factions fighting over roy…
Read the full history
The first Austronesian settlers arrived in Samoa around 1000 B.C., and early Samoans traded and intermarried with Fijian and Tongan nobility. The fa’amatai system of titles and nobility developed, which dominates Samoan politics to this day; all but two seats in the legislature are reserved for matai, or heads of families. A Dutch explorer was the first European to spot the islands in 1722. Christian missionaries arrived in the 1830s and were followed by an influx of American and European settlers and influence. By the 1880s, Germany, the UK, and the US had trading posts and claimed parts of the kingdom. In 1886, an eight-year civil war broke out, with rival matai factions fighting over royal succession and the three foreign powers providing support to the factions. Germany, the UK, and the US all sent warships to Apia in 1889 and came close to conflict, but a cyclone damaged or destroyed the ships of all three navies. At the end of the civil war in 1894, Malietoa LAUPEPA was installed as king, but upon his death in 1898, a second civil war over succession broke out. When the war ended in 1899, the Western powers abolished the monarchy, giving the western Samoan islands to Germany and the eastern Samoan islands to the US. The UK abandoned claims in Samoa and received former German territory in the Solomon Islands. New Zealand occupied Samoa during World War I but was accused of negligence and opposed by many Samoans, particularly an organized political movement called the Mau (“Strongly Held View”) that advocated for independence. During the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, about 20% of the population died. In 1929, New Zealand police shot into a crowd of peaceful Mau protestors, killing 11, in an event known as Black Sunday. In 1962, Samoa became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish its independence as Western Samoa but dropped the “Western” from its name in 1997. The Human Rights Protection Party dominated politics from 1982 until Prime Minister FIAME Naomi Mata'afa's Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party gained a majority in elections in 2021.
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
Climate
tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)
Terrain
two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rugged mountains in interior
Highest point
Mount Silisili 1,857 m
Natural resources
hardwood forests, fish, hydropower
Natural hazards
occasional cyclones; active volcanism volcanism: Savai'I Island (1,858 m) is historically active
National symbols
Southern Cross constellation (five five-pointed stars)
Driving
Speed limits & road rules in Samoa
The default speed limits in Samoa are 25 mph in built-up areas and 35 mph outside built-up areas. The legal alcohol limit for drivers is 0.8‰. Posted signs always take priority over these defaults.
- SPEED
LIMIT2525 mphBuilt-up areasTowns and cities - SPEED
LIMIT3535 mphOutside 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
- Alcohol limit0.8‰ blood alcohol (0.08% BAC)
- Seat beltsRequired by law
- Child seatsNo national child-restraint law
- Motorcycle helmetsRequired for riders
- Road deaths (2021)9.6 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 Samoa safe to visit?
Yes — Samoa is generally safe to visit: the US State Department rates Samoa 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 Samoa
The best time to visit Samoa is June to September, when daytime highs in Apia are around 28°C. March to May and October are also a good time to go. April is the warmest month (29°C by day), August the coldest (26°C at night), and January the wettest with about 258 mm of rain.
- Jan28°C27°C
- Feb28°C27°C
- Mar28°C27°C
- Apr29°C27°C
- May28°C27°C
- Jun28°C27°C
- Jul28°C26°C
- Aug28°C26°C
- Sep28°C26°C
- Oct28°C26°C
- Nov28°C27°C
- Dec28°C27°C
Best time Good Less ideal
Before you go
Plugs, voltage & emergency numbers in Samoa
Plugs & sockets
230 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
Save the local numbers before you travel — 112 or 911 may not connect here. All countries →
Sources: Wikipedia — Mains electricity by country and List of emergency telephone numbers (CC BY-SA 4.0).
National parks
2 national parks in Samoa
- 55 km² protected
- oldest from 2003
Largest: O Le Pupu-Puʿe National Park · Lake Lanoto'o National Park
Currency · 26 October 2026
Samoan tālā exchange rates today
Samoa uses the Samoan tālā (WST, T). One US dollar buys 2.7368 WST; over the last 30 days the WST has gained 0.3% against the dollar.
What other currencies cost in WST
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 Samoa ranks
How Samoa compares with the rest of the world — open any card for the full ranking.
Airports
Airports in Samoa
4 airports and airfields — 1 large, 0 medium and 3 small, plus 0 heliports. 1 have scheduled passenger flights.
Borders
No land borders
Samoa has no land borders with other countries. Coastline: 403 km.
People
Population & society
Religion
Largest cities: Apia (36,000)
Economy
Economy
Main industries
food processing, building materials, auto parts
Export partners
India 26%, NZ 14%, USA 12%, American Samoa 10%, Australia 9% (2023)
Top exports
refined petroleum, integrated circuits, coconut oil, fish, insulated wire (2023)
Travel tools
Handy before every trip to Samoa
Next public holiday
Christmas Day — Friday, 25 December 2026. Then St. Stephen's Day (26 Dec).
Samoan passport
Ranked #76: 81 countries visa-free, 30 with visa on arrival, 5 with an eTA and 39 with an eVisa.
Samoan passport photo
Exact size, head position and background for Samoa's passport and visa photos — make one free with AI checks.
Calling Samoa
Dial +685 before the local number. Internet domain .ws.
Climate footprint
0.2 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2024 — 1.13 t per person.
Entry requirements
Visa rules for every passport visiting Samoa: visa-free stays, eVisas, visas on arrival and documents to bring.
News
Latest travel news about Samoa
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Frequently asked questions about Samoa
What do I need to travel to Samoa?
How long must my passport be valid for Samoa?
Where is Samoa?
What is Samoa known for?
What is the capital of Samoa?
What language is spoken in Samoa?
What currency does Samoa use?
What is the calling code of Samoa?
Does Samoa have land borders?
How strong is the Samoan passport?
What is the speed limit in Samoa?
Is Samoa safe to visit?
When is the best time to visit Samoa?
What plug type does Samoa use?
How many airports does Samoa 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.