Summary
- We advise you to exercise normal safety precautions in Palau.
- Exercise common sense and look out for suspicious behaviour, as you would in Australia.
- Australia does not have an Embassy or Consulate in Palau. The Australian Embassy in the Federated States of Micronesia provides consular assistance to Australians in Palau.
- Be a smart traveller. Before heading overseas:
- organise comprehensive travel insurance and check what circumstances and activities are not covered by your policy
- register your travel and contact details, so we can contact you in an emergency
- subscribe to this travel advice to receive free email updates each time it's reissued.
Entry and exit
Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) change regularly. Contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate of Palau for the most up-to-date information.
Palau does not have an Embassy or Consulate in Australia. For up-to-date visa information, Australians should contact the:
Bureau of Foreign Affairs
PO Box 100
Ngerulmud, PW 96940
PALAU
Telephone: +680 767 2490
Fax: +680 767 3680 / 8092
E-mail: state@palaugov.net
A departure tax of US$35 per person is payable in cash at the airport on departure from Palau.
If you are travelling to Palau through the United States of America (USA), or if you are transiting in Guam or other USA points of entry, you are required to meet USA entry/transit requirements. Make sure you check with your nearest US Embassy or Consulate your visa requirements well in advance of your travel. You should also read our travel advice for the United States of America.
Make sure your passport has at least six months' validity from your planned date of return to Australia. You should carry copies of a recent passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas.
Safety and security
Terrorism
Terrorism is a threat throughout the world. You can find more information about this threat in our General Advice to Australian Travellers.
Crime
The crime rate in Palau is low, although, there is occasional petty crime.
Money and valuables
Before you go, organise a variety of ways to access your money overseas, such as credit cards, travellers' cheques, cash, debit cards or cash cards. Australian currency and travellers' cheques are not accepted in many countries. Consult with your bank to find out which is the most appropriate currency to carry and whether your ATM card will work overseas. US dollars are the official currency of Palau.
Make two photocopies of valuables such as your passport, tickets, visas and travellers' cheques. Keep one copy with you in a separate place to the original and leave another copy with someone at home.
While travelling, don't carry too much cash and remember that expensive watches, jewellery and cameras may be tempting targets for thieves.
As a sensible precaution against luggage tampering, including theft, lock your luggage. Information on luggage safety is available from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
Your passport is a valuable document that is attractive to criminals who may try to use your identity to commit crimes. It should always be kept in a safe place. You are required by Australian law to report a lost or stolen passport. If your passport is lost or stolen overseas, report it online or contact the nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate as soon as possible.
You are required to pay an additional fee to have a lost or stolen passport replaced. In some cases, the Government may also restrict the length of validity or type of replacement passports.
Local travel
The safety standards you might expect of tour operators are not always met, especially for adventure sports such as diving and yachting. Sufficient life jackets and adequate safety equipment may not be provided. Recommended maintenance standards and safety precautions may not be observed. Check operators' credentials and safety equipment beforehand and ensure your travel insurance policy covers your planned activities.
There is still unexploded ordnance in Palau left over from World War II, particularly in Peleliu and Angaur. Particular care should be taken when diving or exploring caves.
There are saltwater crocodiles in parts of Palau and no warning signs to indicate their presence. Check with local authorities before considering water activities in mangrove areas.
Airline safety
Please refer to our travel bulletin for information about Aviation Safety and Security.
Laws
When you are in Palau, be aware that local laws and penalties, including ones that appear harsh by Australian standards, do apply to you. If you are arrested or jailed, the Australian Government will do what it can to help you but we can't get you out of trouble or out of jail.
Information on what Australian consular officers can and cannot do to help Australians in trouble overseas is available from the Consular Services Charter.
Penalties for drug offences are strict. Possession of any amount of illegal 'hard drugs' (such as heroin and cocaine) carries a mandatory sentence of 25 years imprisonment.
Drinking in public places is not allowed. The legal drinking age is 21.
It is illegal to disturb or take historical items (including from sunken vessels).
Some Australian criminal laws, such as those relating to money, laundering, bribery of foreign public officials, terrorism, child pornography, and child sex tourism, apply to Australian overseas. Australians who commit these offences while overseas may be prosecuted in Australia.
Australian authorities are committed to combating sexual exploitation of children by Australians overseas. Australians may be prosecuted at home under Australian child sex tourism and child pornography laws. These laws provide severe penalties of up to 25 years’ imprisonment for Australians who engage in child sexual exploitation while outside of Australia.
Local customs
There are conservative standards of dress and behaviour in Palau and you should take care not to offend.
Health
We strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive travel insurance that will cover any overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation, before you depart. Confirm that your insurance covers you for the whole time you'll be away and check what circumstances and activities are not included in your policy. Divers visiting Palau should have travel and health insurance that includes coverage for deep sea diving, hyperbaric chamber and evacuation costs. Remember, regardless of how healthy and fit you are, if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel. The Australian Government will not pay for a traveller's medical expenses overseas or medical evacuation costs.
Your doctor or travel clinic is the best source of information about preventive measures, immunisations (including booster doses of childhood vaccinations) and disease outbreaks overseas. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides information for travellers and our 'Travelling Well' brochure also provides useful tips for travelling with medicines and staying healthy while overseas.
Hospital and medical facilities are limited throughout Palau and evacuation may be required in cases of serious illness or accident. Initial medivac would normally be to Guam, which is an expensive destination. If medical travel to Australia is required, the extremely limited flights out of Palau and Guam could cause difficulties. Costs for a medical evacuation could be considerable (in the tens of thousands of dollars).
Many of the popular dive sites are located away from the capital, Koror. The hospital in Koror has one hyperbaric chamber.
Dengue fever outbreaks can occur in Palau. We recommend you monitor local media for health announcements and take precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes, including using insect repellent at all times, wearing long, loose-fitting, light coloured clothing and ensuring your accommodation is mosquito proof. For further information see the WHO factsheet on dengue fever.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has confirmed cases of avian influenza in birds in a number of countries throughout the world. For a list of these countries, visit the OIE website. For information on our advice to Australians on how to reduce the risk of infection and on Australian Government precautions see our travel bulletin on avian influenza.
Where to get help
Australia does not have an Embassy or Consulate in Palau. You can obtain consular assistance from the nearest Australian Embassy which is in Micronesia:
Australian Embassy, Pohnpei
H & E Building
Kolonia, Pohnpei
PO Box S
FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA
Telephone: (691) 320 5448
Facsimile: (691) 320 5449
E-mail: phpi.mail@dfat.gov.au
Website: http://www.fsm.embassy.gov.au.
If you are travelling to Palau, whatever the reason and however long you'll be there, we encourage you to register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. You can register online or in person at any Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate. The information you provide will help us to contact you in an emergency - whether it is a natural disaster, civil disturbance or a family issue.
In a consular emergency if you are unable to contact the Embassy you can contact the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 or 1300 555 135 within Australia.
In Australia, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra may be contacted on (02) 6261 3305.
Additional information
Natural disasters, severe weather and climate
Palau is outside the typhoon belt but is periodically affected by tropical storms which may disrupt services, including in December 2012 with Tropical Cyclone Bopha. Typhoon and storm information for the Western Pacific Ocean region is available from the USA Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the USA National Weather Service Forecast Office or Humanitarian Early Warning Service.
All oceanic regions of the world can experience tsunamis, but in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, there is a more frequent occurrence of large, destructive tsunamis because of the many large earthquakes along major tectonic plate boundaries and ocean trenches. See the Tsunami Awareness brochure.
If a natural disaster occurs, follow the advice of local authorities.
Wildlife
Australians are advised to respect wildlife laws and to maintain a safe and legal distance when observing wildlife, including marine animals and birds. You should only use reputable and professional guides or tour operators and closely follow park regulations and wardens' advice.
For parents
For general information and tips on travelling with children see our Travelling with Children brochure.
If you are planning on placing your children in schools or childcare facilities overseas we encourage you to research the standards of security, care and staff training within those establishments. You should exercise the same precautions you would take before placing children into schools or childcare facilities in Australia.
Ideas on how to select childcare providers are available from the smartraveller Children's Issues page, Child Wise and the National Childcare Accreditation Council.