Where to get Nigerian visas?
 

Hi Everyone, after being refused the Ghana visas we are now stuck on where
to get the Nigerian visas, we are currently in Ouaga and have managed to get the multiple 5 country visas for Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Niger, Bukina Faso in the Immigration office in Ouaga for 25,000 CFA same day, problem now is we had planned to get the Nigerian visas in Ghana, no longer possible and we have spoken to the Nigerian embassy here and were told that it´s only available for Bukina residents. We were told to try in Benin, but after reading peoples blogs isn´t looking promising, anyone outthere with any suggestions, Thanks again for your replies. P.S we are british passport holders.

Bamako is easy.

Niamey is difficult, you may only get 15 days.

Ghana can be funny about visas, last year they went strange for a month when it came to issuing visas also. Try again, dress better, shave etc or get somebody else to take your passports in etc.

(Bamako is also easy enough for Ghana etc)

New regulations for Ghana/ Nigerian visas
 

All the visas regulations have changed since January 2011, they won´t give them to anyone in Bamako(Mali) or Ouaga (Bukina Faso) who aren´t residents or the Nigerian one either, real pain at the moment. Thanks for the reply we´ll keep everyone posted.

Good old West Coast!! Make life difficult for travellers forever ;-p

Well, you may need to get inventive:

1. Go and apply for residency in Burkina - most of the West African countries give this away for very little money - 100,000CFA buys you ten years in some countries. Then go and get your Ghana visas and Nigerian ones.

Even if you only go and apply for it without paying the fee, take a photocopy of the application form with a stamp on it and say you are in the process of applying, but it will take a long time and they may accept that with a good story and the offer to pay a little extra for 'express' service.

If Burkina is difficult about it, just be honest saying you only need it to get these two visas etc etc. They might be helpful....

Or pay somebody to get it for you - a couple who couldn't get a Ghana visa in Ivory Coast last year for the same reasons last year had a residency sticker within an hour of asking at their hotel. Ghana embassy accepted it next day with no problems.

etc etc etc etc etc.......

Or don't take no for an answer in the first place. Quite a few embassies along the way said the same thing to me last year, but there is usually a way of talking round it - you left before the rule change so you are stuck, please help me, your country and there country have very close bonds so it would be nice if they could assist you in this small matter, you are on a long trip and these guidelines are more aimed at business travellers or undesirable visitors whereas their country is very welcoming to visitors with forex from your country etc etc etc

Extremely polite, smiling, slightly stupid and very very persistent often gets your through. Or luck.

Good luck!!

This is not good news :thumbdown:

Please let us know how you get on. Not keen on applying for a visa in London before we leave on our trans-africa trip.

Hope you come right!

***EDIT**
Noticed on a blog , that some spanish travellers got their Nigerian visa in Bamaki in Feb for 75euro. / 44 000CFA

Transáfrica 2011

confusion reigns :)

Bamako was quite easy before, as a Kiwi I got a very warm welcome from the Ambassador who had been to NZ. Had a visa in 20 mins, but Dutch friends had to wait 3 days.

Accra was just plain corrupt. Surprised they have stopped creaming off the money. Anybody could get a visa there before for no more than $200 (slding scale for different countries).

Maybe the Ambassadors or Consulates or whatever have changed as per Ethiopia.....

There will be a way..... getting residency probably isn't as hard as you think if you get somebody to help you...

Ghana visa in Sierra Leone, Nigerian in Bamako
 

I asked for a Ghana visa in Conakry, Guinee in the second part of January 2011. They asked me if I was a Guinian resident and I explained that I was travelling by car. I was allowed to apply but had to wait over the week-end, so I did not. Same story in Freetown where I got my visa for 100 dollars within 48 hours. I applied for my Nigerian visa in Bamako in mid February and got it the following day.

Well following these developments I decided to get the visa in London.

All done, the procedure is simple and not as expensive as I thought it would be.

NO letter of invitation needed. Unfortunately that leaves most overlanders 3 months to get t NIgeria, although the expiration date can be extended at a Nigerian embassy on the way.

more info here

"although the expiration date can be extended at a Nigerian embassy on the way"

Not true at all in Accra. Mine from Bamako was going to expire and they wouldn't extend it, made me buy a new one. Repeat: Accra embassy is very corrupt!! ;-)