General Conditions of Permits

General Condition 1 (GC1) – Vessel AIS and Arrival/Departure Reporting

VESSEL AIS

The vessel’s AIS MUST be operable and in use at all times whilst approaching and within the BIOT Maritime Zone (MZ) (the 200nm (nautical mile) Economic Exclusion Zone) and within the Territory and its waters. If for any reason AIS fails or cannot be enabled, the Master of the Vessel must immediately contact, in the first instance:, email the BIOT Patrol Vessel (BPV) at sfpo@mrag.co.uk OR (if in range) via radio channel on 2.182MHz HF SSB or VHF, OR failing that: BIOTAdmin@fcdo.gov.uk and attempt ANY and ALL reasonable methods to re-establish the AIS.

ARRIVAL / DEPARTURE REPORTING

All vessels are requested to report the following to the Visiting Vessels Control Officer (VVCO) / BIOT Patrol Vessel (BPV):

• Entry into the BIOT Maritime Zone (MZ) (the 200nm Economic Exclusion Zone);
• Arrival at one of the authorised anchorages;
• Departure from the anchorages;
• Departure from the BIOT MZ.

The reporting format to use is as follows: Serial Detailed Requirement Example

Serial:	Detailed Requirement:	Example:
Alpha	Yacht Name	SY HANS HANSON
Bravo	Callsign (if applicable)	CAGH1A
Charlie	BIOT Permit Number	001/2026
Delta	Activity/Activities	Enter BIOT MZ Enter Anchorage Exit Anchorage Exit BIOT MZ Entering BIOT MZ
Echo	Date Time Group	12 / 07 / 2017
Foxtrot	Position Log / Lat	02’ 19 S 70’ 08 E
Golf	Intention	Heading for Salomon Anchorage
Hotel	Any	Stay in Salomon for 10 days

Vessels can use email or satellite enabled phones for text or voice messages to send the position reports (contact details are found below).

Please fill the report and send back to sfpo@mrag.co.uk and cc to grampian.endurance@north-star.co.uk as soon as possible.

General Condition 2 (GC2) – Adherence to BIOT Law

The Master and crew must familiarise themselves and comply with the laws of the Territory at all times. Further information can be found at: https://www.biot.gov.io/governance/legislation

No firearms or spearguns may be on board (unless a special exemption is granted in advance)

Domestic ‘household’ animals may be on board but are not permitted to leave the vessel even when permission to moor is granted – This is in order to maintain biosecurity, prevent transmission of potentially infectious diseases and ensure the safety of flora and fauna including safeguarding vulnerable and endangered species, including important populations of coconut crabs, seabirds, turtles, sharks, rays and rare reef fish.

Additionally, any diving equipment and drones must be appropriately stored and not used whilst in BIOT waters.

Relevant law includes, though is not limited to:

a. The BIOT (Immigration) Order 2004 under which a person who unlawfully enters the territory could, upon conviction, be imprisoned for three years or fined £3000 or receive both such imprisonment and such fine;

b. The Visitors and Visiting Vessels Ordinance 2018 which may carry a maximum penalty upon conviction of three years’ imprisonment or a fine of £120,000 (or both such imprisonment and fine) for mooring in the Territory without a permit;

c. The Imports and Exports Control Ordinance 2009 and the Prohibited Imports and Exports Control Order 2024 which carry a penalty upon conviction of imprisonment for one year or a fine of £100,000 for importing or attempting to import any prohibited item.

General Condition 3 (GC3) – Protection of Wildlife and Habitats

All fauna and flora (marine and terrestrial) are fully protected by BIOT law (under Revised Regulations and Ordinances of BIOT – Chapter E Legislation | British Indian Ocean Territory)

It is illegal to:

• Harm, kill, or possess ANY animal (alive or dead)
• Take, or possess any seashell
• Take, or possess any live coral or dead coral that has been taken alive
• Harm or possess crustaceans or molluscs, including crabs, lobsters, and octopus
• Destroy or take wild birds’ nests or eggs, including turtle eggs
• Disturb dependent young of wild birds
• Light a fire outside of a designated area

With exception of rod/line caught fish for personal consumption within 3 days, and not for sale, barter or other profit. Any shark or other large game fish (excluding species of tuna and wahoo caught whilst fishing) must be released alive.

Lighting of fires is only permitted at two designated areas:

• Fire Pit 1: Ile Boddam (coordinates: 5° 21.4’ S, 72° 12.4’E), 20m west of small pier and sited behind beach near old plantation building.
• Fire Pit 2: Ile de Coin (coordinates: 5° 26.911′ S, 71° 45.562′ E), within the square concrete structure adjacent to the beach, in front of the former plantation factory, a short distance from the old jetty to the north side of the island.

and only if the following conditions are met:

• All natural and flammable material is cleared within 3 metres around the fire.
• There are no turtle tracks or any indication of a turtle nest within 10 metres.
• Base does not exceed one metre, and height does not exceed 60cm.
• No petroleum, gasoline or other type of accelerant is used.
• You may only burn natural plant materials (no treated wood, plastic, or other man-made materials).
• Fire is always attended & fully extinguished prior to leaving.

If visitors are found to have carried out actions that violate BIOT rules, the BIOT Administration may:

• Share evidence to the BIOT Police for consideration of law enforcement action including issuing of fixed penalty notices and/or a view to prosecuting in the BIOT courts.
• Inform relevant domestic or international bodies of relevant activities.
• Take such actions into consideration if permits are requested by such applicants again in future.

GC 4 – RESPONSIBLE PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS: USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

BIOTA welcomes the sharing of responsible and positive public communications, including photographs, videos, and written reflections that showcase the Territory’s extraordinary natural environment and help build wider awareness of the global importance of its protection and conservation.

At the same time, because BIOT is irreplaceable, all public communications from visitors should reflect responsible stewardship and respect for this sensitive environment. The BIOT Administration views this as a shared conservation partnership and encourages visitors to uphold the environmental values that guide the Territory’s protection.

Public posts including blogs, photographs, and videos showing irresponsible activities can:

• Encourage similar behaviour by others.
• Misrepresent acceptable conduct in the Territory.
• Undermine conservation work carried out by BIOTA, scientists, and the global environmental community.

If social media or online content is found to depict actions that encourage irresponsible or illegal behaviour by others, the Administration may:

• Request immediate removal from those who publish such materials.
• Inform social media hosting sites like YouTube of the conduct, which may lead to such hosting sites applying sanctions against channels who publish such content including:
  • Strikes against content creators.
  • Demonetisation
  • Video takedowns
  • Removal from platforms

Access to BIOT is a true privilege. By adhering to these requirements, you help safeguard an irreplaceable natural sanctuary and ensure its exceptional ecosystems remain healthy and intact for the future.

GC 5 – ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF LACK OF MEDICAL FACILITIES

The BIOT Administration has no medical facilities on the Territory, and those facilities that are run by third parties on Diego Garcia are limited and access cannot be expected to be granted to any visitors.  Travelling to the Territory, especially where individuals have pre-existing medical conditions, is undertaken at individuals’ own risk.