American Samoa Visa and Residence Options in 2026

American Samoa is a U.S. territory, but it does not use the ordinary U.S. immigration system for entry and residence in the Territory. The American Samoa Government Department of Legal Affairs states that American Samoa retains control of its own borders, and its current Travel & Entry portal separates visitor permission from residency petitions. That distinction matters: a U.S. visa, ESTA eligibility, a U.S. green card, or even U.S. citizenship does not automatically answer every American Samoa entry-document question.

For people planning to live in the Territory, the current government residency page describes two mainstream petition tracks: employment-based immigration using Form P-45 and family-based immigration using Form P-12. Separate statutes also create a foreign-investor entry-permit regime, a narrow guest-worker program for certain Samoa-born workers, and routes to permanent resident status after long qualifying residence or specified family relationships.

Main American Samoa immigration routes

| Goal | Current route | Key rule | |---|---|---| | Visit for up to 30 days | Visitor permit / entry authorization | Rules depend on citizenship; many travelers must obtain approval before boarding | | Move for a local job | Employment-based residence | P-45 petition, eligible sponsor, prior approval, bond, $75 application + $30 ID card | | Join qualifying family | Family-based residence | P-12 petition, qualifying relationship/sponsor, bond, $75 application + $30 ID card | | Manage a qualifying large foreign investment | Foreign investor permit | Statutory foreign-investment certificate plus separate investor entry permit; one-year permit, renewable while qualified | | Work in the special Samoa-born cannery/call-center program | Guest worker permit | Narrow eligibility: Samoan ancestry, born in the Independent State of Samoa, qualifying sponsor/employer | | Seek permanent resident status | Permanent residence | Multiple statutory bases, including 20 years' continuous legal presence or certain 10-year family/residence cases |

American Samoa does not publish a digital nomad visa

There is no dedicated American Samoa digital nomad visa or remote-worker residence category on the current Department of Legal Affairs immigration portal. The government page says residency petitions are generally employment-based or family-based, while visitor permission is a separate short-stay process.

That means a 30-day visitor permit or Entry Permit Waiver Program authorization should not be marketed as a remote-work visa. Territorial law separately says an alien may not seek or take employment without prior written approval of the Immigration Board. The published rules do not provide a special exemption labeled “digital nomad,” “remote worker,” or “work from anywhere.” A person who intends to perform ongoing remote work while physically in American Samoa should confirm the correct status directly with the Immigration Office before relying on visitor permission.

For purpose-built remote-worker programs elsewhere, compare the /visa-types/digital-nomad-visas directory.

There is no ordinary startup or freelancer visa

American Samoa also does not publish a general startup visa, founder visa, freelancer visa, or self-employment visa comparable with programs in some independent countries. The territorial rules are more sponsor- and status-based.

A foreign entrepreneur may need to deal with several separate systems:

• territorial immigration permission;
• business registration and licensing;
• Immigration Board review where an alien is involved in a business license;
• and, for very large qualifying investments, the statutory foreign-investment certificate and foreign-investor entry-permit regime.

The Immigration Board's published regulation states that alien business-license applications are reviewed by the Board and that aliens are not approved for sole proprietorships under that rule, though they may participate as partners, founders or stockholders in partnerships or corporations. The Department of Commerce separately explains that businesses operating in American Samoa need the applicable business license and that licenses renew annually.

Explore broader founder pathways in the /visa-types/entrepreneur-visas directory, but do not assume those programs exist locally.

Visitor permits and the Entry Permit Waiver Program

The Department of Legal Affairs visitor portal currently separates short-stay visitors into categories including Samoa 10-day visitors, travelers using a U.S.-visa/waiver-related 30-day process, and other 30-day visitors.

For many non-waiver-country foreign nationals, the local sponsor submits the visitor-permit request. The government states that the ordinary 30-day permit has a $40 non-refundable permit fee, and a one-time additional 30-day extension can be requested for $50. The current visitor page says applications should generally be submitted 3–5 business days before travel; the main Travel & Entry page says at least 72 hours in advance, excluding weekends and holidays.

The Entry Permit Waiver Program (EPWP) also requires advance authorization rather than simply appearing at the airport. Eligible passport holders apply for an OK Board, and the government currently lists a $40 processing fee for the EPWP.

See the American Samoa visitor permit guide for the distinctions among visitor categories.

U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals

U.S. citizens and nationals are treated differently from foreign nationals, but they still need appropriate travel documents. A.S.C.A. § 41.0502 says a U.S. national must show a valid passport, travel document or certified birth certificate establishing status, plus either round-trip/onward travel or proof of employment and assignment to American Samoa. The Department of Legal Affairs also operates an OK Board process for certain U.S. citizens/nationals who lack the normal document at boarding.

The practical point is that “U.S. territory” does not mean domestic-airport-style entry formalities.

Employment-based residency: P-45

The current Department of Legal Affairs residency page says foreign nationals immigrating based on employment use Form P-45. It lists a $75 application fee plus a $30 immigration ID-card fee. A repatriation/security bond also applies and varies by the applicant's country of origin; the bond is paid after the residency petition is approved.

The government page makes another unusually important point: the employment-based residency petition must be submitted and approved before the petitioner enters American Samoa for that residency purpose.

Territorial law adds the sponsorship and labor-market framework. A person seeking permission to remain must generally have an eligible sponsor. For employment, the Board must be satisfied that the worker is needed and that permanent residents are not available for the work. Separately, A.S.C.A. § 41.0410 prohibits an alien from seeking or taking employment without prior written Board approval.

The current government residency page does not publish a universal P-45 processing-time guarantee or a universal income threshold. Those figures should not be invented from private immigration sites.

Read the full employment-based residence guide.

Temporary or seasonal work

American Samoa's published immigration regulations include Form P-50, Petition for Temporary or Seasonal Worker. Older administrative regulations also distinguish P-45 employment petitions from P-50 temporary/seasonal petitions. Because the current Department of Legal Affairs public-facing residency page prominently describes P-45 and P-12 but does not publish a current online P-50 service card with modern fees and processing standards, temporary workers should confirm the present procedure directly with Immigration.

This is covered in the employment guide rather than as a separate thin route page.

Family-based residency: P-12

For qualifying family immigration, the current government page directs applicants to Form P-12. It lists the same $75 application fee and $30 ID-card fee, plus a country-dependent bond after approval.

Territorial law contains family preference classes and numerical-limit exceptions. For example, immediate relatives of an American Samoan—defined for the quota rule as children, spouses and parents, with the American Samoan child at least 21 for a parent case—are excluded from the general numerical limitation in A.S.C.A. § 41.0301. Spouses and unmarried children of permanent residents also appear in the statutory preference structure.

Family residence does not automatically erase separate employment rules. A foreign national who plans to work should verify whether written employment approval is required for the person's exact status.

See the family residence guide.

Foreign investor permit: a real route, but not a small-business startup visa

American Samoa has an unusually specific statutory foreign-investor entry permit. This is not a generic “buy a business and get residency” program.

Under the foreign-investment statute, a qualifying foreign investment is generally at least $1,000,000 per investor for an individual enterprise, or $250,000 per investor in a group enterprise capitalized at no less than $5,000,000. The certificate-of-foreign-investment application fee is $2,500. After the required investment approval/certificate steps, the immigration statute sets a separate $500 investor entry-permit application fee, including the investor's spouse and up to two dependent children under the permit definition.

The investor entry permit is valid for one year and renewable annually while the approved enterprise continues and the requirements remain satisfied. The Attorney General must issue or deny a complete investor-permit application within 15 days under A.S.C.A. § 41.0803.

The route has major limitations. The investor permit itself does not confer permanent residence, U.S. nationality/citizenship, voting rights or land-ownership rights. A person holding the investor permit is also excluded from applying for permanent residence or another preference while the investor permit remains in force.

Read the foreign investor permit guide.

Special guest worker permit

The guest worker permit is not a general work visa. The statute defines a guest worker as a person of Samoan ancestry born in the Independent State of Samoa who enters to work for the specified fish canneries or call center.

Eligibility includes being 19 through 45 years old at application, satisfying health and background requirements, and having the qualifying sponsor/employer. The first permit costs $50, lasts one year, and may be renewed annually for up to ten consecutive renewals at $30 per renewal.

Immediate relatives are not included in the guest-worker permit, and time spent in guest-worker status does not count toward permanent residence if the person later changes to another residence category.

Permanent residence

American Samoa permanent resident status is different from U.S. lawful permanent residence (a federal green card). The territorial statute gives several bases to apply.

One major route is at least 20 years of continuous physical and legal presence in American Samoa plus good moral character. “Continuous” allows absences not exceeding three consecutive months under the statute. Another route covers a person legally married to an American Samoan or U.S. citizen who has also resided in American Samoa for at least 10 years. Other statutory categories address qualifying adopted persons and specified family-preference residents.

For the ordinary 20-year category, the statute caps grants at 50 per fiscal year; the statutory adoption, marriage and certain family categories are excluded from that specific 50-person cap.

See the permanent residence guide.

Registration cards and status dependence

Most registered aliens receive an alien registration receipt card for a period not exceeding 12 months under A.S.C.A. § 41.0309. Permanent residents and certain children of U.S. nationals can receive cards for up to three years.

Status is also tied to the basis for remaining in the Territory. A.S.C.A. § 41.0407 says that when a person loses the professional, business, employment, matrimonial or other status that supported entry/stay, the person is treated as seeking entry from that date and must notify the Attorney General within 15 days. Sponsorship rules separately address the short period allowed after sponsorship or employment ends.

Business licensing is separate from immigration

The American Samoa Department of Commerce says all businesses operating in the Territory are subject to licensing requirements, with licenses generally expiring at the end of each calendar year. A foreign corporation can also face separate corporate-permit requirements.

A business license, corporation registration or foreign-investment approval does not by itself substitute for the individual's immigration permission. Founders should plan corporate, immigration, tax, labor and land-use questions as separate workstreams.

Frequently asked questions

Does American Samoa have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital-nomad or remote-worker visa appears in the current Department of Legal Affairs residence system. The government currently describes residence petitions primarily as employment-based or family-based, with separate statutory investor and guest-worker regimes.

Can I use a U.S. visa to live in American Samoa?

Do not assume so. American Samoa controls its own borders. The visitor portal has a category for certain travelers with U.S. visas/waiver-related status, but long-term territorial residence uses American Samoa's own immigration process.

How much is an American Samoa employment-residence application?

The current Department of Legal Affairs page lists $75 for the application and $30 for the immigration ID card, plus a country-dependent bond paid after approval.

Is there an American Samoa startup visa?

There is no general startup visa published by the current immigration portal. A large qualifying foreign investment can use the statutory foreign-investment and investor-entry-permit framework, but its capital thresholds are much higher than a typical startup program.

Can a visitor work in American Samoa?

Visitor permission should not be treated as work authorization. Territorial law requires prior written approval before an alien seeks or takes employment, subject to specific statutory exceptions such as the guest-worker chapter.

How do I become a permanent resident?

The statute provides several bases, including 20 years of continuous legal presence and certain 10-year marriage/residence cases. Territorial permanent residence is not the same thing as a U.S. green card.

Explore related pathways

Compare the Oceania immigration hub, the /visa-types directory, digital nomad programs, and entrepreneur pathways.

Verified against current American Samoa Government material and territorial immigration statutes on 15 September 2026. This page has not been legally reviewed.

Published pathways