Nauru - Facts

NAURU FAQs

Pre-Arrival - Boat:  Permission must be obtained from the Nauru Port Authority BEFORE arriving at Nauru. See Clearance for more details.
Pre-Arrival - Crew: All visitors travelling to Nauru need to obtain a Visa prior to arrival. See Immigration for more details.
Where can I enter?  There is only one port of entry - Aiwo which is the island’s main settlement on the western side of the island.
Are fees high to enter by yacht?  There is a visa application fee of AUD$50 per applicant (except for visa fee exempt countries and visa waiver agreement countries.
What security concerns should I know about?  The Australian Government still operates an offshore asylum processing centre on Nauru but there are no current security concerns for visitors travelling to the island.

NAURU FACTS FOR SAILORS

• The Republic of Nauru is one of the smallest countries in the world, an eight square mile coral island, lying just south of the equator, west of Kiribati.
• A stark island with little vegetation, but once a very wealthy state due to its phosphate resources. Now, with the mine nearing exhaustion, the country's future is very uncertain.
• Nauru is a pleasant enough island and can be a useful stop, especially in an emergency, for boats bound for the Solomons or Papua New Guinea, however, during periods of bad weather Nauru does not have a safe or suitable anchorage and all moorings are exposed to the open water.
• There is only an open roadstead in the lee of the island, very deep for anchoring, where some mooring buoys have been laid for large ships. If there is not too much surge and there is space available, it may be preferable, if draft permits, to try and enter the small boat basin, however, this is not possible in bad weather.
• Assistance and services for yachts is very limited, but provisions and fuel can be obtained at island prices.
• Australia maintains a detention facility on the island for asylum seekers.  Due to the presence of this facility, Nauru is not recommended as a cruising destination.