According to a letter issued on October 14, 2013 from Palau’s Minister of Justice Antonio Bells, all passport holders from the USA, FSM and RMI no longer are required to secure Resident Visas to work in the Republic of Palau. These passport holders receive a tourist visa on arrival and simply need to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Social Security office to be able to work. In the letter, Minister Bells stated that the Bureau of immigration has been requiring FSM/RMI/USA visa holders to obtain a resident visa and that “[t]his practice has to end.”
The letter enforces existing Immigration Regulation Section 318 which states in plain language that the holder of a FSM/RMI/USA passport can work and conduct business in Palau as long as labor, tax, foreign investment and all other laws of the Republic are followed.
§ 318. Ability to Conduct Business.
Aliens holding a FSM/RMI/USA visa, Resident or Dependent Visa may work or conduct business activities in the Republic only in accordance with the labor, foreign investment, tax and any other laws and regulations of the Republic. Aliens holding Student, Temporary or Tourist Visas may not work in the Republic, unless expressly exempted in writing by the Director. Aliens holding any other Visa may work in the Republic only in accordance with the purpose for which the Visa was granted.
This recent clarification, with respect to American and Micronesian passport holders, was made by Minister Bells in response to Palau resident Tamara Hutzler’s challenge to the resident visa requirement.
