Healthcare in Seychelles, and what it costs without cover

Seychelles runs a public health system that is genuinely good for primary care and emergencies by regional standards, anchored by Seychelles Hospital (the former Victoria Hospital) at Mont Fleuri on Mahé, the national referral centre with an accident and emergency department, surgery, maternity and imaging.

Public health centres are spread across Mahé, with smaller hospitals on Praslin (Baie Ste Anne) and La Digue (Logan Hospital). Tourists and permit holders pay for treatment rather than using it free, and most nomads on a longer stay lean on the private clinics for quick consultations: Euromedical Family Clinic on Eden Island, Nova Clinic on Ile du Port, Victoria Health Clinic at Anse Etoile and AMSA Medical Centre in Victoria are the names that come up most. Pharmacies are concentrated around Victoria and the main centres; stock is reliable for common medicines but imported drugs run pricier than in Europe, so bring a buffer of anything you take regularly.

Care tops out at intermediate

English is one of the three official languages alongside French and Creole, so language is rarely a barrier in a clinic or hospital. The emergency numbers to save are 999 for police and 151 for ambulance. The honest part nobody puts on a brochure: the highest level of care in the country is intermediate. For complex surgery, neurosurgery, cardiac intervention, serious trauma or anything needing an ICU stay, the established protocol is medical evacuation off the islands, typically to South Africa, Réunion (France), Mauritius or India. An air ambulance over those distances is commonly quoted anywhere from US$20,000 to US$80,000 or more depending on aircraft and medical team, which is exactly why evacuation cover is not optional here. If you plan to dive, island-hop by small boat or stay on an outer island, the gap between you and an ICU widens, and your policy is what closes it.

Citizens of the US, UK, Canada and Australia do not need a visa for Seychelles.

Everyone, though, must hold an approved Travel Authorization through the official electronic border system (seychelles.govtas.com) before boarding, applied for within 30 days of travel and costing EUR 10.90 per person; you will be asked for proof of onward travel, confirmed accommodation and sufficient funds (the immigration service cites a minimum equivalent of about US$150 per day). Travel insurance is not a hard tick-box for short tourist entry, but officials can ask to see that you are covered for medical costs and evacuation, and given the medevac reality it is genuinely the trip you should not take bare. Visitors are usually admitted for an initial period of up to three months, extendable.

Workcation Retreat permit

Seychelles launched a Workcation Retreat permit in 2021, allowing up to a year for employees, business owners and freelancers earning from outside the country. It is still carried by the government's own electronic border system, which sets out what a Workcation Visitor Permit application requires:

• a passport valid at least six months at the date of application
• a letter of employment or proof of business ownership stating your occupation
• proof of income or funds sufficient for the stay, in the form of bank statements
• proof of valid medical and travel insurance policies
• a provisional onward ticket or flight itinerary
• provisional proof of confirmed accommodation in Seychelles

Insurance is therefore a documented condition, and the border system has a dedicated insurance step in its application flow. Note what the official list does not say: it asks for valid medical and travel cover without naming a sum, and without the COVID-19 wording that nomad guides still attach to this permit.

One caveat you should know before planning around it. The permit's own landing page redirects to the border system's home screen, which offers only travel authorisation and the embarkation form, and the immigration division's published permit categories do not list a workcation. The programme is clearly still configured in the government platform, but whether applications are being taken today is worth confirming with the immigration division first. Most visitors simply arrive on the ordinary entry, admitted for an initial period of up to three months and extendable.

• Off-island evacuation is the real risk. The country tops out at intermediate care, so a serious illness or accident means an air ambulance abroad that can run tens of thousands of dollars.
• Chikungunya and mosquito-borne disease. The CDC raised Seychelles to a Level 2 travel health notice in February 2026 over a chikungunya outbreak; Aedes mosquitoes also carry dengue, so use repellent and screened or air-conditioned rooms.
• You pay for care upfront. Public and private treatment is charged to visitors and permit holders, so expect to settle bills and claim back, which makes a policy with direct billing or fast reimbursement worth having.
• Outer islands stretch the distances. Praslin, La Digue and the remote islands have only basic facilities, and reaching Mahé or an off-island ICU adds hours, so confirm your cover handles inter-island and air transfer.
• Sun, sea and reef hazards. Diving and snorkelling accidents, strong currents, boat injuries and reef cuts are the everyday claims here; check that watersports and any diving you plan are inside your policy, not excluded.