Photo: Muntasir du (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
You can't go to Saint Martin's without one, but you don't apply for it separately: it comes with your ship ticket. Here's how it works this season.
Short answer: yes, you need a travel pass to visit Saint Martin's Island in 2026–27. You don't apply for it on its own. It comes with your ship ticket, which you buy online through a portal approved by the Bangladesh Tourism Board, and it carries a QR code. Here's how it works, as of 29 October 2026, from the team at El Marena Eco Resort near Chera Dip.
The rules for Saint Martin's change every season. Check the latest news before you buy, or ask us on WhatsApp.
What the travel pass is
Saint Martin's is an Ecologically Critical Area, so the government limits how many people can go each day. The travel pass is how that limit is checked. It is part of your ship ticket: every ticket carries a travel pass with a QR code, and a ticket without the QR code is treated as illegal (Ministry of Environment letter of 25 October 2026, reported by bdnews24).
Last season worked the same way. A ticketing officer at Karnaphuli Cruise Line told The Daily Star that the QR-code travel pass is generated automatically with an approved ship ticket, so there's no separate pass to collect (December 2025).
The 2026–27 rules that go with it
- Season: 1 November 2026 to 15 March 2027 (Ministry of Environment, 25 October 2026).
- Where from: only approved tourist ships, only from Nuniarchhara jetty in Cox's Bazar.
- How many: on average no more than 3,500 tourists a day, up from 2,000 last season.
- Fee: Tk 100 environmental conservation fee for every tourist.
- Night stays: allowed for the whole season, November included (the ministry's correction of 27 October 2026, reported by Ittefaq and Dhaka Times).
How to get it, step by step
- Pick your dates. Weekends, holidays and full moon nights sell out first, so book those early.
- Buy the ship ticket online from the ship operator or an authorised seller that sells through the Tourism Board approved portal. The two operators' own websites take bookings by WhatsApp, phone or a form, with payment by bKash, Nagad, bank transfer or cash.
- Check the ticket. It should show the travel pass and a QR code. If it doesn't, ask before you pay anything more.
- Print it. Last season tourists were told to carry a printed ticket with the QR code. Keep a photo of it on your phone too.
- Bring photo ID and the printed ticket to Nuniarchhara jetty. The QR code is checked when you board.
How to avoid a fake ticket
- No QR code, no trip: a ticket without one is treated as illegal.
- Be careful with seats offered from Teknaf: this season tourist ships sail only from Nuniarchhara in Cox's Bazar.
- Be careful with very cheap seats on dates that are already sold out. On the operators' new list (27 October 2026, not yet final), return fares start from ৳4,200 per person.
- Pay only the ship operator, an authorised seller, or the resort you're staying with, and keep the payment receipt.
On the day
- Sleep in Cox's Bazar the night before. The ship leaves early, and the operators ask you to check in an hour before departure.
- Keep the ticket with you on the island as well, not just on the ship.
- Ships don't sail when there's a storm signal. If the weather turns, see storm warnings and your trip.
Let us book it with your stay
If you're staying at El Marena, near Chera Dip, we can book your ship seats along with your cottage or tent in one WhatsApp chat, and confirm the current fare before you pay. Our cancellation is flexible: cancel at least 24 hours before check-in for a full refund. Every ship and seat is in Saint Martin ship tickets, and the season dates are in is Saint Martin open now?.
