Timor-Leste Travel Guide

Citizens of all Schengen Area countries do not need a visa to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Citizens of Cape Verde, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand do not need a visa to visit for up to 30 days. Everybody else requires a visa.

The U.S. dollar is the legal tender currency in Timor-Leste and all transactions are in dollars. U.S. banknotes issued before 2000 are not accepted. $5, $10 and $20 notes are the most common and useful. They do not need to be in great condition but may be difficult to use if torn - the exception is $1 notes, which get torn and filthy within a few months of arriving in Dili and can be easily spent in that condition (small notes, or coins, are particularly useful for taxis, warungs and street sellers). Don't bring $2 notes (unless you want to bewilder the locals). Timor-Leste has issued its own…

Buses, mostly of the small variety found on remote Indonesian islands, run to most parts of the country and main cities like Dili, Baucau, Maliana, Los Palos and Suai are quite well linked. Indonesian-style bemos (vans), anggunas (light trucks with benches at the back) and mikrolets (minibuses) - legacies from its 24-year rule - run from these cities to nearby villages.

Tetum (understood by almost all Timor-Leste people) and Portuguese (understood by a minority of people, but the number is increasing) are the official languages, but Indonesian, which is widely spoken by adults, and English, which has a reasonable number of speakers in Dili but not many in the rest of the country, are working languages according to the constitution. There are also about 37 indigenous languages; Galole, Mambae and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people.

Timor-Leste continues to face sporadic internal ethnic & political tension and related violence may occur. This may not be targeted at foreigners or tourists, but follow the guidelines below. There is still a considerable international presence in Timor-Leste, including a United Nations mission and international police and military (mostly conducting capacity building and training for national security forces).

Malaria is no longer an issue in Timor-Leste. Tap water is not safe to drink. Boil it or treat it before consuming, or drink bottled water.

Hospitals and doctors

There are hospitals in main centres, and clinics in many sub-districts elsewhere but medical care is not up to dealing with sustained or complex medical emergencies. Medical evacuation is often the only option in the case of complex surgery, trauma, or major illness. Travellers are strongly advised not to enter Timor-Leste without some form of medical insurance which will cover medivac by air ambulance, be this travellers insu…

4G signal is widely available in populated areas. Local prepaid SIM cards can be picked up for as little as $1. Data plans are $1 for 24 hours of unlimited data, but since connection speeds are abysmal at all times, it's not such a bargain. Roaming with a foreign SIM card may be a viable option, especially if you have an Indonesian SIM card.

Timor-Leste was devastated by the Indonesian occupation that may have killed up to 200,000 (1 in 5 of all people in Timor-Leste) indigenous people. Speaking well of Suharto's Orde Baru or of the idea of Timor-Leste becoming part of Indonesia will not be well received. However, the two countries enjoy a positive relationship today, and Indonesia played a key role in advocating for Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN.