been on the phone all day trying to get through to the ivory high commisions 'very pleasent' people who dont seem to have an idea of what i want, maybe its my irish accent.

1)They have told me that i am crazy to go by motorcycle to ghana via ivory coast. they dont know what i need for the bike and think i should leave it and go by foot?
What document do i need for the bike?

2) Am i better off waiting and arriving at the boarder and hopeing for the best?

3)get my ivory coast visa in Rabat Morocco at the same time as my Mauritania visa?

Please help im fairly lost on this one and i really want to go through ivory coast on the way to ghana!
Thanks Damien

Ive been researching for my trip, and it seems that the carnet is no good for CI, you need a laissez passez. I beleive you need to get this in adcance at an embassy, though I read one report where he entered and the officials accompanied him to the next big town to obtain it.

As for the visa, hoping that Ouattara will make life easier. As it stands, you need a letter of invitation, or a confirmed hotel reservation stamped by local police. Some people still manage to get the Visa D'Entente, but whether the Ivorians will honour it once you get to the border? Who knows.

This is all info I have guaged from researching for my trip, so if you find out anything different please let us know!

My experience in 2010:

Bamako embassy, not particularly friendly, they wanted a hotel reservation, and a fax at that, not the print out I had. Get one and cancel it afterward.
12.63503,-8.02963
N12°38.102', W8°01.778'

Conakry embassy were much nicer. Got visa and laissez-passer within two and a half working days. No reservation needed.
9.508517,-13.71535
N9°30.511', W13°42.921'

Julian

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Where is Julian?

Hi Eljulian,

Do you remember how much the Ivory Coast visa cost you in Conakry? Did they ask for a letter of invitation?

David

Hi Dave,

can't remember how much exactly, but it wasn't particularly cheap. I think something like 80 to 100 Euro. No letter of invitation needed. Pick up the second working day.

Cheers, Julian

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Where is Julian?

Thanks Eljulian, appreciate the information.

Have also read a blog recently from Global Wheeling who says he got the Ivory Coast visa in Bissau, Guinea Bissau, another option for people.

I'm in Ivory Coast right now, I've entered from Burkina Faso with a Visa Touristique d'Entente (25'000 CFA in Ouaga). No problem at the border. I even went to the customs to have the carnet stamped, showing them how to do it, but they couldn't care less. Many checkpoints on the road but they just check the basics, no problem so far.

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2- and 4-wheeled explorer and photographer
Overland Aventure

Did anyone have luck with getting the Cote d'Ivore visa in London and what was the process?

Just thought I'd post an update for anybody who was following this thread.

Basically, if you apply for a tourist visa for Ci in London, as follows.

Goto www.snedai.com

Make your online payment, which totals €120 Euros (for a 1 month or three month single entry visa, these were the only options available).

With the payment receipt code, you can book an appointment at the embassy which you have to attend in person.

Here is the catch. Visas are now biometric. They have fancy finger printing and eye scan machines at the embassy, and everybody was having this done in support of their application.

Hence, you have to attend the embassy in person, and no visa agency can therefore apply for the visa on your behalf.

Once you have submitted all your paperwork, and the scan and print is done, they visa takes 48 hours to issue.

They staff were all very friendly. Met two guys there who were applying, it seems like a smooth enough process but all in all will cause you to have to plan your application around this (if you decide to do it this way).

What is interesting is that on the www.snedai.com page they list all the embassies of CI around the world for where you can book an appointment. So I presume that all CI embassies are now going down this biometric visa route?

Would be very interesting to hear from other travellers about the visa for CI......did anybody recently obtain it in Conakry, Bissau, Monrovia, Dakar, Accra, Abidjan etc......prices, paperwork asked for etc?

Am in Accra now applying for IC visa. They want hotel reservation and 48 hours. They are not friendly but should be okay.