Timor-Leste offers a visa on arrival for citizens of most nations, including US citizens, and I was immediately introduced to warm Timorese hospitality… and to the island’s poor technological infrastructure.

Customs And Immigration In Timor-Leste: Visa On Arrival And A Pesky Customs Form

Recall, I was last off the plane. I walked over to the arrivals area where I found a visa on arrival window outside the immigration area. There were some other visitors in line. A single-entry visa on arrival for tourists costs 30 USD, cash only.

That line moved slowly and as I was waiting, I engaged in a lovely conversation with a member of ground staff…he was so friendly and kind that I asked if we could take a picture together, which he warmly obliged.

He was shocked I was only staying for one night and said, “Rich, rich, rich man!” when I said I was on a quest to visit every country in the world. If only…

I received my visa, a cool old-school style full-page sticker in my passport, and headed inside, where I was stamped in.

But then came the tricky part (and a reader even warned me about this in advance and I wish I had paid more attention!). There’s also an electronics custom form you must fill out, but two problems: my mobile phone did not work and Wi-Fi did not work at the airport (there was an open network I connected to, but no internet).

There were six desktop computers, but only four were on and only three had internet…and that internet didn’t work well either. As the last person in line, I had to wait my turn and there was one guy who spent over 20 minutes filling out the form.

It finally was my turn and I filled it out in two minutes…it was a typical customs form you fill out in many countries around the world. Once submitted, it generated a QR code which I took a picture of with my mobile phone, then presented it to the customs officer on my way out of the arrivals area.

There was also a security check and baggage scan…I’m not sure what they were looking for, but maybe drugs or electronic items for resale that were not declared? Everyone had to go through it.

Outside, a gretter was waiting for me to take me to my apartment for the night. I’ll write more about that in the next installment, but I made the decision to pay more for my accommodation to ensure I had a driver waiting for me because I did not want to have additional stress haggling with a cab driver on arrival.

I’m in!

Next: my evening in Dili

I’m sharing about my whirlwind trip through Asia.