Visas

Summary – Visas for Africa 2013-2014 – West Coast countries

Here is a summary of my visa applications per country (as a EU (France) passport holder), mentioning place of application, cost, waiting time, and validity.

It is worth remembering that visa application requirements, and chances of success, depend on the embassy. It obviously depends on the applicant’s nationality and prices can vary a lot. It depends who processes it and can feel like a lottery. I also often got confused by the validity date: it’s not always clear, and different immigration officials at different location would interpret it differently: eventually, the official at a tiny border post has the authority to send you back, regardless of the pretty paper in your passport. Is a 30-day visa valid from day of issue or day of entry? When a date window is mentioned on the visa, does it apply to the entire stay or just the day of entry?

Some things aren’t always logical. For example, I got refused the Nigerian visa once, but obtained it for cheaper, and with less paperwork at the next embassy. My expensive Liberian visa, supposedly valid for 3 months, was stamped with a 2-week validity only when entering Liberia. And finally, the Angolan visa was surprisingly easy to get, despite having read of so many refusal stories. That allowed me to discover Angola, and avoided a detour via DR Congo (which, in hindsight, would have been another level of adventure, with a significantly higher amount of bad and non-existent roads than Angola).

  • No visa needed for Morocco, Senegal, Namibia and South Africa, 90 days allowed in each country.
  • Visa for Mauritania:
    • applied 14.01.2013 Rabat,
    • 340dirhams = 34EUR,
    • same day,
    • valid 30 days from day of entry, between 28.02.2013 and 29.03.2013
  • Visa for Gambia:
    • at the border 29.05.2013 Karang-Amdalai,
    • 1000D = 20EUR,
    • valid 1 month starting 30.05.2013 to 29.05.2013
  • Visa for Guinea Bissau:
    • applied 31.05.2013 Banjul,
    • 1300D = 25EUR,
    • wait 3 days,
    • valid 1 month starting 03.06.2013 to 02.07.2013
  • Visa for Guinea Conakry:
    • applied 03.06.2013 Banjul,
    • 35000CFA = 50EUR,
    • same day,
    • valid 2 months from 08.06.2013 to 07.08.2013
  • Visa for Sierra Leone:
    • applied 15.05.2013 Dakar,
    • 80EUR,
    • same day,
    • 2 months valid from 15.05.2013 to 15.07.2013
  • Visa for Liberia:
    • applied 15.05.2013 Dakar,
    • 90000CFA = 135EUR,
    • same day,
    • 3 months valid from 31.05.2013 to 31.08.2013
  • Extension Visa for Liberia (entry stamp said 2 weeks, despite visa saying 3 months):
    • applied 12.08.2013 Monrovia,
    • 20 USD,
    • on the spot,
    • extends stamp for 60 days
  • Visa for Ivory Coast:
    • applied 02.05.2013 Dakar,
    • 70000CFA = 100EUR,
    • wait 1 day,
    • 3 months valid from 15.06.2013 to 15.09.2013
  • Visa for Ghana:
    • applied 17.07.2013 Monrovia,
    • 70USD,
    • wait 2 days,
    • 1 month valid within 3 months from 18.07.2013
  • Visa for Togo:
    • at the border 23.09.2013 Honuta/Kpadapé,
    • 10000CFA = 15EUR,
    • valid 7 days
  • Visa for Benin:
    • applied 13.09.2013 Accra,
    • 80GHC = 30EUR,
    • same day,
    • 1 month from 22.09.2013 multiple entries
  • Visa for Nigeria (fail):
    • applied 16.09.2013 Accra,
    • 76USD,
    • wait 2 days,
    • need letter of introduction from French Embassy, refused, so money lost and no visa
  • Visa for Nigeria (2nd attempt, success):
    • applied 03.10.2013 Cotonou,
    • 36000CFA = 55EUR,
    • wait 2 days,
    • 3 months multiple entries from day of entry
  • Visa for Cameroon:
    • applied 31.10.2013 Calabar,
    • 18000naira = 80EUR,
    • issued on the spot,
    • 2 months single entry from day of entry
  • Visa for Equatorial Guinea:
    • Yaoundé = Not for non-residents
    • Skipping it as not blocking for the journey
  • Visa for Gabon:
    • applied 05.12.2013 Yaoundé,
    • express 70000CFA = 105EUR,
    • wait 1 day,
    • 1 month from 10.12.2013 to 10.01.2014 (same prices at Bitam immigration post)
  • Visa for Congo:
    • applied 27.12.2013 Franceville,
    • 30000CFA = 45EUR,
    • on the spot,
    • 45 days from day of entry
  • Visa for Angola:
    • applied 14.01.2014 Pointe-Noire,
    • 52000CFA = 78EUR,
    • wait 1 week,
    • 30 days multiple entry to use between 17.01.2014 and 18.03.2014
  • Extension Visa for Angola:
    • applied 19.02.2014 Sumbe,
    • 2000kwanza = 15EUR,
    • on the spot,
    • 30 days extra valid until 02.04.2014
  • Extension Visa for Namibia:
    • applied 19.06.2014 Windhoek,
    • wait 3 days,
    • 390N$ = 26EUR,
    • 2 months extra on the top of 3 free ones valid until 21.09.2014

List linked from How much did it cost?

Disclaimer: Visa procedures often change and are not consistent anyway.

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