Well getting the visa in Dakar fell apart. 2 weeks of work for them to finally say "no residency card, no visa". I told you that the first day I came in! But I digress...

I figured out the problem with the payment:

"Verified by Visa" and "Mastercard SecureCode" are extra security services offered by some banks issuing Visa or Mastercard, but not all. You have to check with your bank to see if you have either of these services.

IF none of your cards are "Verified" or "SecureCode" do not try to register your card to get around this. They will be registered just fine but you will get the same error.

You CAN use a friend/family's card. On the embassy website they specifically say the card must match the applicant, but if you scroll down they say it is possible to pay with a different card but you must register it first.

When you register the card: If the bank statement does not have the card number (like for debit cards), scan/photograph the front of your debit card and copy the image onto the bank statement somewhere.

They say they will email you when the card is registered, but they don't, you have to check the website to find out. There is officially a two days processing time, but if you call customer service they will 'register' the card on the spot so you can use it immediately.

Here is an explanation of the error codes as far as I could understand them.
The hilarious 'attempts processing performed' error, 'Card has been used too many times' error or the website just crashing = the card is not "verified" or "securecode".
"Authentication failed" = call the bank and tell them to allow the payment.
"Issuer declined" = your friend's card isn't authorized for international use

So if you're having trouble, maybe that will help.
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