Tourist visas can be obtained at the Dili International Airport upon arrival.  A visa costs $25.  More information on work visas can be obtained at Timor-Leste’s Immigration Services website.

A government agency, TradeInvest Timor-Leste, reviews foreign investment applications and is tasked with helping applicants navigate licensing and registration procedures.  More information can be found here.

The Government of Timor-Leste offers investment incentives, including tax credits and import duty exemptions.  In general, for domestic investments over $50,000 and foreign investments over $1.5 million, investors benefit from five years of exemption from income tax, sales tax, and services tax, as well as exemptions of customs duties for goods and equipment used in the construction or management of the investment.  The period of exemption is extended to eight years for investments in Rural Zones (outside of the cities of Dili and Baucau) and to ten years for investments in Peripheral Zones (the exclave of Oecusse and the island of Atauro).  Even after these periods have expired, investors may deduct from their tax obligations up to 100 percent of the costs of constructing or repairing transportation infrastructure.

The Private Investment Law guarantees the right of investors to contract foreign workers, in accordance with relevant immigration regulations.