Nauru

🇳🇷

Phone Code

+674

Capital

Yaren

Population

12,500

Native Name

Nauru

Region

Oceania

Micronesia

Timezone

Nauru Time

UTC+12:00

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Money & CurrencyVisa OverviewVisa TypesImportant NotesEmbassies abroadEmbassies in country

Nauru is the world's smallest island nation (and third-smallest country after Vatican City and Monaco) at just 21 km² (8.1 sq mi) - you can drive around the entire island in 30 minutes. Located in Micronesia in the central Pacific Ocean, Nauru is one of the world's most isolated countries, 300km from nearest neighbor (Banaba Island, Kiribati). Nauru has no official capital but government offices are in Yaren district. Once the richest country per capita in the world (1970s-1980s) due to phosphate mining from bird guano deposits, Nauru's wealth collapsed after phosphate reserves were depleted, leaving 80% of the island an uninhabitable lunar-like landscape of limestone pinnacles. Post-phosphate, Nauru economy relies on Australian offshore asylum seeker detention center (controversial), phosphate trust fund remnants, and fishing licenses. Nauru gained independence from Australia in 1968. Visitors (extremely few - approximately 200 tourists annually) are drawn to curiosity factor of world's smallest island nation, phosphate mining moonscape, WWII Japanese ruins, Buada Lagoon (freshwater lake), and extreme remoteness. Nauru is not a typical tourist destination - minimal infrastructure, expensive, difficult to reach, environmentally devastated - but offers unique insight into resource curse and Pacific island life.

Visa Requirements for Nauru

Nauru requires visas for ALL nationalities with NO visa-free access. Tourist visas must be obtained on arrival at Nauru International Airport - no advance e-visa or embassy visa system exists (Nauru has essentially no diplomatic missions abroad). Visa on arrival costs vary dramatically: $200-1,000 AUD depending on nationality and visa officer's discretion. Australians typically pay $200 AUD, while other nationalities may pay $500-1,000 AUD. IMPORTANT: Must have confirmed return flight ticket and hotel reservation to be granted visa on arrival - immigration can deny entry if lacking proper documentation. Passport must be valid for 6 months beyond intended stay. Maximum stay typically 30 days. Nauru's visa policies are arbitrary and unpredictable due to limited government capacity. Tourism is not priority - most visitors are asylum seeker detention center contractors, Australian government officials, or aid workers. Very few pleasure tourists. Getting to Nauru is challenging: only one airline (Nauru Airlines) with flights from Brisbane (Australia) once weekly (5 hours, $1,000+ return). No other international connections. Advance planning essential. Expect bureaucratic delays and confusion at immigration.

Common Visa Types

Visa on Arrival (All Nationalities)

Typically 30 days; granted at Nauru International Airport upon arrival; costs $200-1,000 AUD depending on nationality (Australians $200, others $500-1,000); requires passport (valid 6 months), confirmed return flight, hotel booking, visa fee in AUD cash (no credit cards); immigration officer discretion high - can deny entry; unpredictable system; plan for delays.

Required for ALL visitors - no visa-free access or advance visa system exists.

Business/Work Visa

Varies 30 days to 12 months; arranged through sponsoring organization (Australian government, NGOs, contractors); separate category from tourism; stricter requirements; most foreign nationals in Nauru are business/work visa holders; tourism visa holders restricted from detention center access.

For contractors working at Australian detention center, aid workers, or business visitors.

Transit (No Formal Transit Visa)

If transiting Nauru (rare - only happens if taking unusual Pacific routing), must obtain visa on arrival even for few hours. Nauru Airlines occasionally uses Nauru as transit hub for Pacific islands. No airside transit - must clear immigration. Bring cash for visa fee.

Nauru has no formal transit visa - layovers treated as entry requiring full visa on arrival.

Important Travel Information

Extremely limited access: Nauru is one of world's hardest countries to visit. ONE weekly flight: Brisbane-Nauru via Nauru Airlines (5 hours, $1,000-1,500 AUD return). No other airlines serve Nauru. No cruise ships dock. If flight cancelled (happens), stuck for week. Book far in advance. Only practical access route is via Australia. Requires Australian visa for most nationalities to transit Brisbane. Nauru Airlines website often offline - book through travel agent.

World's smallest island nation: Nauru is 21 km² (8.1 sq mi) - smaller than Manhattan. Population 12,500 (500 people/km² - densely populated for Pacific). Can drive around entire island on one coastal road in 30 minutes (19km circuit). No rivers, one brackish lake (Buada Lagoon). Fresh water mostly imported. No natural harbor. One small airstrip. Entire country visible from airplane on approach. Smallest republic in world.

Phosphate mining devastation: Nauru was covered in rich phosphate deposits from millennia of bird guano. Strip mining (1900s-2000s) extracted phosphate for fertilizer, making Nauru richest country per capita (1970s-1980s). Today 80% of island is barren limestone pinnacles 'moonscape' - sharp coral rock formations up to 15m high, completely uninhabitable. Ecological disaster. Coastal strip (300m wide) only livable area. Interior dead zone. Cautionary tale of resource exploitation. Rehabilitation attempts failed. Mining legacy visible everywhere.

States & Regions in Nauru

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Hosted missions

Embassies in Nauru

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