What Is the Palau Entry Form?
The Palau Entry Form is a mandatory pre-arrival declaration that every visitor must submit before traveling to the Republic of Palau. It's completed online, and once submitted, it generates a QR code that you'll present at check-in and again on arrival.
Submitting the official Palau Entry Form is free — there's no government fee attached to the form itself. If you'd rather have your form reviewed and filed for you, our assisted-filing service is available for a small service fee. It's entirely optional. You're always free to complete the official form yourself at no cost.
Three Separate Requirements: Entry Form, Palau Pledge, and PPEF
Palau asks more of its visitors than most destinations, and it's easy to mix up its three requirements. Here's the short version:
The Palau Entry Form
An online pre-arrival declaration, submitted up to 72 hours before you travel. This is paperwork you complete yourself, before you fly.
The Palau Pledge
A passport stamp, styled as a short written vow, that you sign in person when you land. You can't submit this in advance — it happens at the immigration counter, not online.
The Pristine Paradise Environmental Fee (PPEF)
A $100 per-visitor environmental fee that's already built into your airline ticket. There's nothing to fill out or file — you've likely already paid it without noticing.
Nearly every visitor to Palau will deal with all three: the Entry Form before departure, the PPEF baked into their ticket, and the Pledge stamp on arrival. Keep them straight, and the rest of your trip planning gets a lot simpler.
Who Needs to Submit the Palau Entry Form
Every visitor to Palau needs to submit the Entry Form, regardless of nationality or visa status. That includes travelers from countries with visa-free access, like the United States, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Being exempt from a visa only means you don't need a visa — it doesn't exempt you from the Entry Form.
When to Submit: The 72-Hour Window
The Palau Entry Form should be submitted within 72 hours of travel. Sources describe this window slightly differently — some reference 72 hours before departure, others 72 hours before arrival — which matters if you have a long layover. The safest approach is to submit no earlier than 72 hours before your first flight departs, and to treat that same window as your outer limit before arrival too.
There's no confirmed minimum lead time. The form is quick to complete, so submitting it a day or two before you fly should give you plenty of breathing room.
Is the Palau Entry Form Free?
Let us handle the filing for you
About 7 minutes to fill in. A reviewer checks your details, then we submit on time — and retry if the portal fails.
Apply through TravelDeclaration.comYes. The official government submission carries no fee. If that's the case, you might reasonably wonder what a $100 environmental fee is doing on your airline ticket — that's the separate PPEF, covered in detail below, and it has nothing to do with the Entry Form itself.
Our assisted-filing service exists purely for travelers who'd rather have an extra set of eyes on their submission, or who want help avoiding common mistakes (see below). Using it is optional, and it doesn't replace or waive the free official form.
Language Requirement: English Only
The Palau Entry Form must be completed in English. There doesn't appear to be an alternate-language option built into the form, so if you're helping a family member or travel companion who isn't comfortable in English, plan to fill it out on their behalf.
What Information You'll Need
The form collects the standard details you'd expect for a pre-arrival declaration: your passport information, travel dates, and contact details. It's built as a mobile-friendly web form, so you can complete it from your phone shortly before you fly.
How to Fill Out the Palau Entry Form
Filling out the form is straightforward: enter your passport and travel information, review your entries, and submit. Once it's in, you'll receive your QR code and a confirmation email — both of which you'll need again shortly, so don't close that tab just yet.
Your QR Code and Confirmation Email
After you submit, you'll receive a QR code and a confirmation email. Present the QR code — either on your phone or as a printed copy — when you check in for your flight, and again when you arrive in Palau. Save both the email and the QR code somewhere easy to find, since a slow scramble through your inbox at the immigration counter is nobody's idea of a good start to a vacation.
Submitting for Your Family
Good news for families: only one Entry Form is needed per family, or per single traveler. If you're traveling with unrelated companions on the same booking, it's safest to assume each of you should submit a separate form, since that distinction isn't spelled out explicitly.
The Palau Pledge: Palau's Passport Stamp Vow
Once you've handled the Entry Form, there's a second, entirely different requirement waiting for you on arrival: the Palau Pledge.
The History of the Palau Pledge
The Palau Pledge launched on the evening of December 7, 2017, when passengers on a flight from Guam became the first travelers to receive it in place of a standard entry stamp. National Geographic covered the moment as a genuine first: Palau became the first country in the world to require this kind of eco-pledge at its border. Then-President Tommy Remengesau Jr. was one of the driving forces behind it, framing the Pledge as a way to make sure visitors understood, from the moment they landed, how seriously Palauans take their natural environment.
What the Pledge Says
Instead of a standard stamp, every arriving visitor receives a five-stanza pledge printed directly into their passport, which they sign on arrival. The text reads:
"Children of Palau, I take this pledge, as your guest, to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home. I vow to tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully."
It's a striking thing to find in your passport, and it's part of what makes Palau's approach to tourism stand out.
The In-Flight Video and Arrival Checklist
The Pledge isn't just a stamp. Inbound flights show a mandatory video educating passengers on their environmental responsibilities while visiting, and travelers receive a printed checklist of dos and don'ts on arrival. Palau has backed the initiative with real policy weight, including stepped-up enforcement of its environmental protection laws.
A Modern Take on a Traditional Idea: Bul
The Pledge draws on a much older Palauan practice called "bul" — a temporary fishing ban that village chiefs would impose to let fish stocks recover when numbers dropped. The Pledge is often described as a modern extension of that same conservation instinct, applied to visitors rather than fishing grounds.
The Pristine Paradise Environmental Fee Explained
The third piece of Palau's entry requirements is the Pristine Paradise Environmental Fee, or PPEF — a $100 per-visitor fee that's been in effect since January 1, 2018.
How and When It's Collected
Unlike the Entry Form, the PPEF isn't something you fill out. It's collected automatically as part of your airline ticket price, so by the time you're reading this guide, it's likely already baked into what you paid for your flight.
Exemptions and Refunds
Certain travelers qualify for an exemption from the PPEF, with a cash refund available on arrival for anyone who was charged the fee despite qualifying. The exact list of exemption categories isn't something we can state definitively here, so if you believe you may qualify, it's worth checking directly with Palau's Bureau of Customs and Border Protection before you travel.
Visa and Immigration Requirements
The Entry Form, Pledge, and PPEF aren't the only things worth knowing before you fly. Here's what else applies.
Passport Validity and Return Arrangements
Your passport needs at least 6 months of validity remaining, and you'll need to show proof of onward or return travel, such as an e-ticket confirmation.
Who Is Visa-Exempt
Citizens of the United States, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands don't need a visa to enter Palau. As covered above, they still need to complete the Entry Form.
Visa Waiver Countries
Palau also maintains visa-waiver arrangements with the European Union and Schengen area (up to 90 days within a 180-day period), Russia (up to 30 days), and Taiwan (subject to conditions including 6 months' passport validity and a return ticket).
Visa Categories and Fees
For nationalities that do need a visa, Palau offers a range of categories, including tourist, business, digital resident, transit, crew, dependent, government employee, resident ($200 fee), investor ($50 fee), missionary, student, and work permit visas. There's also an elite resident visa, carrying a $20,000 initial fee and a $10,000 renewal fee for a 10-year term.
Where and How to Apply for a Visa
Visas are not issued on arrival. If you need one, you'll need to apply in advance through the Division of Immigration's office in Koror, or by email.
Dual Citizenship
Palau has permitted dual citizenship since 2008.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
Palau no longer requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry.
Customs: What You Can and Can't Bring
Palau's customs rules lean into the same environmental focus you'll see in the Pledge, so it's worth reading these closely before you pack.
Cigarettes and Alcohol
Travelers 21 and older may bring one open pack of cigarettes (20 sticks) and up to 2 liters of alcohol.
Vape Products Are Prohibited
Vape products and e-cigarettes are strictly prohibited and illegal in Palau. This is a notably stricter rule than the one covering cigarettes, and it's enforced — confiscation, penalties, or prosecution are all on the table.
The Reef-Safe Sunscreen Rule
Sunscreens containing ingredients considered harmful to coral reefs are banned in Palau, and packing the wrong bottle can mean it gets confiscated at customs. Restricted ingredients include oxybenzone, octyl methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, triclosan, methylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben, benzylparaben, and phenoxyethanol. Check your sunscreen's label before you pack it, or plan to buy a reef-safe option once you land.
The Palau Entry Form Is Not a Visa
Worth repeating: the Entry Form is a pre-arrival declaration, not a visa application. If you need an actual visa, that's a separate process handled through the Division of Immigration, not something the Entry Form covers.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Treating the Entry Form and the Palau Pledge as the same requirement — they're submitted through different channels, at different times.
The Entry Form is submitted online before you travel, while the Palau Pledge is signed in person at immigration on arrival — completing one doesn't cover the other.
Assuming the $100 PPEF is something you need to pay or file yourself — it's collected through your airline ticket.
The Palau Pristine Paradise Environmental Fee is built into your airline ticket automatically — there's no separate form to file or payment to make yourself.
Submitting the Entry Form outside the 72-hour window.
Stick to the window immediately before your trip — submitting too early or too late can mean resubmitting closer to your actual arrival.
Packing sunscreen without checking it against Palau's restricted-ingredient list, or packing vape products.
Palau bans sunscreens containing certain reef-harmful chemicals, and vape products are also restricted — check both lists before you pack.
Assuming visa-exempt status removes the need to complete the Entry Form — it doesn't.
Being visa-exempt only affects your visa status — the Entry Form is a separate requirement that every visitor still needs to complete.
Filing separate Entry Forms for each family member when one form per family will do.
Palau's Entry Form covers the whole traveling family in a single submission — filing individual forms for each member is unnecessary duplicate work.
Expecting to get a visa on arrival, when one isn't available at the border.
Palau doesn't offer visa-on-arrival — check your visa requirements and arrange them ahead of time rather than expecting to sort it out at the border.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Palau Entry Form the same as the Palau Pledge?
No. The Entry Form is an online declaration submitted before you travel. The Pledge is a separate, in-person passport stamp you sign on arrival.
Do I need to pay the Pristine Paradise Environmental Fee separately?
No. It's collected automatically through your airline ticket — there's nothing for you to submit.
Is the Palau Entry Form free?
Yes, the official form carries no government fee.
Do I need to fill out one Entry Form per family member?
No, one form covers a family or a single traveler.
Do visa-exempt travelers still need to complete the Entry Form?
Yes. Visa exemption only removes the need for a visa, not the Entry Form.
Do I need a visa to visit Palau?
It depends on your nationality. Citizens of the US, FSM, and RMI are visa-exempt, and Palau has visa-waiver arrangements with the EU/Schengen area, Russia, and Taiwan. Other nationalities should check with the Division of Immigration in advance.