How to Get a Sipadan Permit (2026 Guide)

You can think of the Sipadan permit as the golden ticket of the diving world.

Access to Sipadan is strictly limited by Sabah Parks, with 254 permits per day shared across all operators. And demand almost always exceeds supply.

So yes, permits are competitive. But it’s not just luck.

Whether you actually get to dive Sipadan, and how many days you get, depends a lot on how you plan your trip. Things like where you stay, how long you stay, and which operator you book with make a much bigger difference than most people realise.

I’ve spent about five weeks in the Semporna area across two trips, diving Sipadan itself on ten days. That gave me enough time to see how the permit system actually works in practice, from structured resort rotations to last-minute allocations when plans change.

It’s not a perfect system, and it’s not always predictable. But once you understand how it works, it becomes much easier to plan around it.

How the Sipadan permit system works

Sipadan permits are issued by Sabah Parks and allocated to licensed dive operators, usually on an annual basis.

When you book a trip, you can’t book a permit directly. You’re booking access to an operator’s allocation.

Most operators hold somewhere between 6 and 12 permits per day, depending on their size and license. Those permits are then distributed among guests, and how that’s done is entirely up to the operator.

This is also why many operators sell dive-and-stay packages with minimum stays for Sipadan, as they need enough time to rotate guests through their limited permits.

At island-based resorts, especially on Mabul or Kapalai, this is often done in a fairly structured way. You’ll usually be assigned a Sipadan day in advance as part of your package.

With Semporna-based operators, it’s often more flexible. In some cases, permits are confirmed closer to the actual dive date, depending on availability and how many guests are competing for them.

Operators also often work together and trade permits. For example, an operator might give their 6 permits to another operator on one day, and then receive 6 permits back on another day. This allows them to send a larger group, sometimes 10–12 divers at once, instead of just a few each day.

This kind of sharing is very common, and it’s one of the reasons why permit allocation can feel a bit unpredictable from the outside.

Requirements for diving Sipadan

There are a few requirements you need to meet before you can dive in Sipadan.

• Certification – The Advanced Open Water (AOW) certification is mandatory. This is required by Sabah Parks and if you don’t have AOW (or equivalent), a permit won’t be issued in your name.
• Experience – Most operators also require a minimum of 20 logged dives. This is mainly because currents at Sipadan can be strong and unpredictable, especially at sites like Barracuda Point.
• Check dive – Your first dive is usually not at Sipadan. Instead, you’ll do a check dive around Mabul or a nearby reef so the dive centre can assess your buoyancy and general control. If a divemaster sees that you’re struggling with buoyancy or air consumption, they have the authority to pull you from the Sipadan list for safety and reef protection reasons.

How to book your permit

Your dive operator will book your permit in advance for you. The number of permits depends on the dive package you choose from your operator.

To get your permit, you’ll usually need to provide:

• your full name (as per passport)
• passport number
• your certification details

On the day you dive Sipadan, you’ll also need to register with the Sabah Parks office on the island where your details are checked again before you’re allowed to get in the water.

It’s a quick process, but it’s part of how access to the island is controlled.

How to increase your chances of getting a Sipadan permit

If you want to maximise your chances of actually diving Sipadan, this is what I’d focus on:

Stay longer

This is the single biggest factor.

Operators need time to rotate guests through their permits. If your stay is too short, there simply isn’t enough room in that rotation.

• 2 nights: very low chances, often depends on cancellations
• 3–4 nights: usually enough for 1 Sipadan day
• 5–6 nights+: much more flexibility, higher chance of additional days

This is also why many operators structure their packages around minimum stays. It’s not just for business reasons, it’s because they physically need those extra days to allocate permits.

Choose where you stay (and your operator)

This decision has a huge impact on how predictable your permit situation will be.

• Island resorts (Mabul / Kapalai): Permits are usually allocated in advance as part of your package. It’s more structured and predictable but comes with a higher cost.
• Semporna-based operators: More flexible allocation that is often confirmed closer to the dive date. It’s cheaper, but less certain.

Larger resorts generally have more permits and a clearer rotation system. Smaller operators tend to have fewer permits, which can make things more variable, but also sometimes more flexible.

There’s no perfect option here. It really comes down to what you prefer.

Be flexible

Flexibility is one of the easiest ways to improve your chances, and one of the most overlooked.

Permit allocation changes all the time: guests cancel, plans shift, and operators trade permits. If you’re flexible, you can take advantage of that.

You might be offered a Sipadan day at short notice, or even get an extra day if space opens up. If your schedule is fixed, you miss those opportunities.

This is especially relevant if you’re staying in Semporna, where allocation tends to be more dynamic.

Avoid peak periods

Some times of the year are significantly more competitive:

• July–August (summer holidays)
• Chinese New Year
• Golden Week (early October)
• Christmas and New Year’s period

During these periods, more divers are competing for the same number of permits, and availability gets tight quickly.

If you travel outside these windows, you’ll usually find it easier to secure a permit, and sometimes even more flexibility in how they’re allocated.

At the end of the day, getting a Sipadan permit isn’t about luck. It comes down to where you stay, how long you stay, and how flexible you are.

Things to know about your Sipadan permit

There are a few things about the permit system that aren’t always obvious when you book your trip. This is what you need to know:

Your Sipadan day is fixed

Once your permit is issued, it’s tied to a specific date and your name.

You usually can’t move it around, even if your plans change. If you get sick or can’t dive that day, in most cases the permit is simply lost. Permits are issued in your name and can’t be transferred or swapped between divers.

You’ll only do two dives at Sipadan

A typical Sipadan day includes:

• 2 dives at Sipadan
• 1 dive at Mabul or another nearby reef

You can’t stay on the island and keep diving, the permit does not include unlimited diving.

Your permit is checked on arrival

When you arrive at Sipadan, you can’t just jump in the water and start your dive.

You’ll first need to stop at the Sabah Parks ranger station to register. They want to verify your information and check:

• passport details
• certification level
• permit allocation

It’s a quick process, but it’s how they make sure only authorised divers are entering the water.

Cost of your Sipadan permit (2026)

The permit itself is split into two parts:

• Permit fee: RM 350 (€75 / $80)
• Conservation fee: RM 100 (€20 / $22)

If you want to bring a camera (GoPro counts too), you’ll need to pay a camera fee of RM 50 (€10–€11 / $11–$12) per day.

Sipadan closure in November

Each year, Sipadan is closed for the entire month of November.

This is done by Sabah Parks to allow the reef to recover. During this time, no visitors are allowed at the island at all, which means no diving is possible at Sipadan during this time.

If you’re travelling in November, you’ll still be able to dive around the Semporna area, places like Mabul, Kapalai, and other nearby reefs, but Sipadan itself won’t be an option.

My experience with Sipadan permits

I’ve spent about five weeks in the Semporna area across two trips, and ended up diving Sipadan on around ten days in total.

Both times, I was mainly staying in Semporna and diving with Uncle Chang, so my experience was very much on the more flexible, less structured side of things.

The dive centre didn’t go to Sipadan every day. It was usually every other day, depending on permits and logistics. I wouldn’t have a fixed schedule from the start. Instead, they’d let me know a few days in advance if there was a spot available, and I could decide whether to take the spot or skip it.

That meant a lot of it came down to timing and availability.

On both trips, I ended up with roughly 4–6 Sipadan days each time, which worked out well, but it wasn’t guaranteed from the start.

Sometimes I got lucky and picked up an extra day when a spot opened up. Other times, I couldn’t go because there simply wasn’t a permit available that day.

That’s just how the system works.

It’s not fully predictable, especially if you’re staying in Semporna and not on a fixed package.

The biggest takeaway for me was that flexibility makes a huge difference.

If you’re open with your schedule and can say yes when a spot becomes available, your chances improve a lot. If you’re fixed on specific dates, it gets much harder.

FAQ: Sipadan permit