In late 2024, the Republic of Seychelles launched the Maritime Travel Authorization (TA) for all arrivals and departures via sea. Using Travizory’s Biometric Travel Authorization system, the country now has complete oversight of its borders, in real-time, connecting traveler data from air and sea. This initiative, part of the government’s broader effort to digitize border operations, streamlines the entry of travelers arriving by sea and delivers a more efficient, paperless process for passengers and authorities.
The goal was to implement a system that would digitize and automate the clearance of travelers arriving or departing by sea, complementing the system already in place for air travel.
With a maritime territory of over 1 million km sq, Seychelles’ porous maritime borders clearly needed to be addressed as a priority. Unlike air arrivals, visitors entering Seychelles by sea still had to complete paper disembarkation forms and physically return their passports to the Immigration office.
- Manual processes compromised the accuracy of the information and left significant gaps in oversight.
- Poor quality data about who arrived in the country via sea meant there was no real-time record of who was in the country at a specific time.
- Porous borders meant day-trip passengers from cruise ship passengers were largely unaccounted for, and those departing by air faced bottlenecks and delays on departure.
- Challenges unique to maritime meant there was no way of identifying or vetting people in yachts or boats that did not call in at Port Victoria.
The Solution
The solution combined the existing Biometric Travel Authorization, for traveler pre-travel enrolment, and tValidator, for mobile-based document and identity verification in-country. The on-the-go nature of the port operation meant that a new system had to be nimble and agile, reflecting the operations at the port and existing Immigration process. Prior to arrival, each passenger must apply for Travel Authorization, reflecting the process already in place for aviation. This can be completed by the cruise company, ship handlers or the passenger themselves. On arrival, each disembarking passenger must have an approved Travel Authorization which is stored securely as a Digital Travel Credential (DTC), on their smart phone. The validity of the DTC is checked using the tValidator mobile app, and the border entry is recorded in the national Border Management System, in real time.
By extending the Seychelles Electronic Border System to maritime, Immigration and law enforcement agencies have the opportunity to screen every traveler in advance of arrival. On a practical level this means better resource management and faster processing at the port. From a security perspective, this ensures 100% of foreign visitors are now accounted for and vetted, enhancing security within the islands. Crucially, the new system helps to connect Immigration teams at air and sea ports in real-time.
Driving Results
100% oversight
Seychelles authorities now have comprehensive oversight of all borders
Faster Processing
Passengers are off the ship and onto the islands in record time with new system
Enhanced security
Only approved travelers can enter the country, including maritime territory
On-the-go validation
Using a smart-phone, border officers can identify people and validate documents swiftly while on-the-move
Providing end-to-end support
Travizory uniquely provides full project management support to its customers, to ensure that new processes and systems are delivered seamlessly and on time. This new system required a new set of stakeholders, from shipping agents, cruise ship companies, and the ports authority. Working closely with the Department of Immigration, our team ensured that effective, regular communication channels were established early on.
Key stakeholders were engaged early in the process, including the Customs Division, Seychelles Police, Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), Department of Tourism, Ministry of Health, and Department for Immigration.
The complexities of the project were managed using an agile approach, allowing for flexibility and quick adjustments when issues arose. This helped maintain momentum despite setbacks. This agility, and Travizory’s longstanding relationship with the project sponsor – the Department of Immigration – was central to the successful roll-out of the new system. As the first country in the Indian Ocean to fully digitize both air and sea travel, Seychelles is paving the way for other nations to follow suit. Travizory is proud to have played a key role in this transformation and looks forward to continuing its support as the Maritime TA system evolves in the future.
