West Africa visas - 2011 experience

[africano]

This year I travelled London to Cape Town along the western coast of Africa . Here is my experience with getting visas (British passport). I lost my GPS, so no GPS points. I will post separately on other subjects (customs, accommodation ,etc)

It took me from 15 minutes to 4 days to get a visa. Cheap visas were GB, Mali, Togo, Benin and Angola (between 10 and 30 dollars each). The rest were close to $100 a visa. In most consulates there were no applicants other than myself except: Mauritanian visa in Rabat, Sierra Leonean visa in Banjul, Burkina Faso visa in Bamako, Angolan visa in Abuja and Gabon visa in Yaunde where I met other applicants.

Morocco – visa free

Mauritania – easy in Rabat but lots of people– 30 day single entry visa same day service. The Mali consulate is on the same street.

Senegal – visa free

Gambia – visa free – 28 day stamp on entry

Guinea Bissau – got it in Gambia – 30 day single entry visa very easy, friendly and cheap - 15 minutes from start to end. The consulate is located on the same road as the British embassy. I met later an American who got his GB visa in Dakar for $100 (it did look nicer in his passport compared to my hand written one).

Guinea – got it in Gambia -easy – same day service – 60 day double entry for the price of two single visas. It is quite difficult to find the consulate. Note that at the boarder the immigration control may reduce you stay (e.g. when I re-entered Guinea from Liberia I got only 15 day stay).

Sierra Leone –got it in Gambia - easy – next day service. German travellers thought that the consul was rude but I had no problem whatsoever.

Liberia - got it in Conakry – easy but I was not sure whether I would get the visa until I actually received my passport back. Two day service. Located not far from the American embassy. Very posh building. All guidebooks show a wrong location. There is also a Liberian embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Mali – got it in Conakry – one month single entry visa very easy, friendly and cheap. Same day service. Very close to the Ghana embassy.

Niger – got it in Bamako. Three day wait without a guarantee (two Frenchman had been killed a month before). Otherwise it was easy. One month single entry. A long walk from Sleeping Camel where I stayed but it would be easier to drive or hire a taxi.

Burkina Faso – got it in Bamako. Ninety days single entry visa. Easy. Same day service

Ghana - 3 month single entry. I got it in Sierra Leone. First time I tried to get it was in Conakry. There did not seem to be a problem even though they asked me if I was a Guinee resident. Though I was not, they still said that I could submit an application but as it was a two day process + week-end I decided to get it in Sierra Leone. In Freetown the Ghana embassy is located on the same road as the British one and (I believe) the Liberian one. No problem getting a visa, though I was again asked whether I was a Sierra Leone resident. I explained the situation and got my visa. It seems to me that with few travellers applying for Ghana visa in these part of Western Africa the embassies are more friendly. Though it may have changed. On the entry to Ghana they limited my stay to 30 days.

Togo – 7 day visa on the boarder – easy.

Benin – 2 day visa on the boarder – easy, though the officer did not seem happy to process it asking why I had not applied in a consulate. Technically it is a 48 hour visa but it is possible to enter, let’s say on Monday morning and leave the country on Wednesday afternoon.

Nigeria – got it in Bamako. Three month single entry visa. Next day service with minimum documents required. The embassy is located within a long walk from the Sleeping Camel. I tried to apply for it in Gambia and but decided not to after they told me that it would take over a week to process it. I also visited the Nigerian embassy in Bissau but the consul advised with a smile to apply in one of the countries that boarder Nigeria. No, he did not refuse. They always glad to see British tourists, BUT... I did not insist. Even though the visa I received in Bamako was valid for a three month visit, at the boarder they limited my visit to three weeks.

Cameroon – got it in Abuja. Easy. Next day service. Also, the DRC embassy in Abuja is 5 minutes walk from the Cameroon embassy.

Central African Republic – I did not go there but in Yaunde I met a Japanese traveller who got a one month visa within 2 days in the CAR embassy in Yaunde.

Equatorial Guinea – I tried to apply for a visa in Yaunde but it was only available to Cameroonian residents.

Gabon – first I tried to get one in Togo but it was refused because (I believe) I did not speak French. The consul was really mean and said that “those who do not speak French should not visit Gabon”. I got the visa in Yaunde. Submission is easy but had to wait 4 days to get the visa. Not the nicest consulate. Asked in application for 10 days and got 10 days. Moreover, the validity dates of the visa were fixed according to what I indicated in the application. After an accident in Gabon I had to extend my visa by another month in Sodec (now the office has a new name (DGDI) but everybody knows it as Sodec). There was no English speakers there and I was asked to write a letter in French explaining why I wanted to extend my holiday in that unfriendly country. It took 2 days to complete the process. Not difficult – 30 days extension. When you apply for the Gabon visa just try to ask for longest possible.

Congo Brazaville – got it in Abuja. 30 days single entry. Easy. Next day service. I paid a premium (official) to get it the same day. The visa was valid only for the next two months.

Congo Kinshasa – got it in Lome, Togo. One month single entry visa. Easy and friendly next day service. The embassy is located in the centre of the capital but was very difficult to find. It is close to a large hospital main entrance (it seems everybody knows the hospital). Note: I indicated in my application my planned entry date April 15th and actually visa was only valid for one month from 15th of April. So I could not enter DRC earlier.

Angola – got it in Abuja. Double entry five day transit visa valid within 2 months of issue. Two day service and lots of documents required (listed in HUBB in numerous posts). It takes several hours to submit an application (if you are lucky to get it) and several hours to get it. I was actually interviewed by the Angolian consul. The visa I received on 16th of March had Valid from 16/03/2011 to 21/03/2011. However, at the bottom it said in Portuguese “First entry before 15/05/2011”. Since then I heard that they stopped issuing Angolan visas in Abuja.

Namibia – visa free 90 days

Botswana – visa free

South Africa – visa free 90 days

I am sure that some visa procedures have already been changed and embassies/consulates may changed their locations but mu of the information should still be relevant. Happy travels!