About Samoa Immigration

Samoa Immigration is a division of the Ministry of Prime Minister & Cabinet. The Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi, is the Minister responsible for immigration matters. The Ministry is headed up by CEO Auseugaefa Va'asatia Poloma Komiti and our division ACEO is Togatalima Fa'afouina T Milford.

Samoa Immigration staff conduct most of their work in our main office in Apia, but also maintain a 24 hour presence at Faleolo International Airport. We process all incoming and outgoing passengers for all international flights in accordance with our service charter and legislative requirements. Samoa Immigration staff also work at Samoa's major port at Matautu, Apia, working with Samoa Port Authority staff in processing all international sea vessel movements to and from Samoa.

Samoa Immigration focuses on three key service areas: visitor services, permit services and citizenship services. Our staffing structure is based around these areas, thus we have a Border Management team, Permit Services team and a Passports and Citizenship team. We aim to excel in the delivery of our services and strongly encourage our customers to provide feedback on how we perform. We seek to continuously improve how we work and your comments are very valuable to us. Come and see us at our main office or contact us by phone, fax or email with your comments.

Our Mandate

Samoa Immigration's mandate is derived from three key pieces of legislation. These are

  • Citizenship Act 2004 (Samoan / English)
  • Immigration Act 2004 (Samoan / English)
  • Permits and Passports Act 1978 (currently unavailable electronically)

The provisions of these Acts allow for the Minister responsible for immigration to issue Public Notices notifying the public of important changes to immigration policy and practice. Typically, information such as a change in the fee schedule, or the announcement of the quota for Permanent Resident Permits make up the content of these notices. All Samoa Immigration staff activities are also subject to the provisions of several other Acts, most notably the Public Service Act 2004.