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North to South Visa Info
After doing some research, I've come up with the below game plan for my overland trip from Morocco down to Southern Africa. I'm American, but I think this information is useful for everyone as not much is different from what I gather.
I just wanted to run this past everyone to see if there are options that I missed or if I have some things noted incorrectly. I haven't decided on an exact route yet, so I want to have a few options for certain countries so that I am covered under most circumstances. Much appreciated, Tony Notes: Get Angola in your home country if at all possible. Get a proper invitation letter for Gabon and Nigeria before applying for a visa. Visas to get as you go: Rabat: Guinea, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast Dakar: Ivory Coast, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone Banjul: Guinea Bissau (better in Ziguinchor), Sierra Leone, Nigeria (don't bother) Bissau : Nigeria (easy) Conakry: Liberia Freetown: Liberia, Ghana Monrovia: Ghana Ouagadougou: Ghana, Nigeria Abidjan: Ghana, Togo, Cameroon Accra: Togo, Benin, Angola, DRC, Nigeria (Difficult as non resident) Lomé: RoC Abuja: Camaroon, DRC, RoC Yaounde: Gabon Country Specific: Morocco - NO Visa Western Sahara - NO Visa Mauritania - Visa - Got in RABAT, Morocco | Note: arrive before 8am to drop off Senegal - NO Visa Cape Verde - Visa - Get at airport (Fights from Dakar) Gambia - Visa - Get at border or two day allowance to acquire in BANJUL Mali - Visa - Get in CANAKRY, Guinea or NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania Burkina Faso - Visa - Got in RABAT, Morocco (available in Bamako, Mali as well) Guinea Basau - Visa - Got in Ziguinchor, Senegal Guinea - Visa - Got in RABAT, Morocco | Note: I asked for a specific start date and got from date of issue. Sierra Leone - Visa - Get in BANJUL, Gambia Liberia - Visa - Got in FREETOWN, Sierra Leone or get in CANAKRY, Guinea Ivory Coast - Visa - Got in Nouakchott or Get in RABAT or DAKAR or CONAKRY Ghana - Visa - Got in Monrovia. Or get in FREETOWN, Sierra Leone or ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast Togo - Visa - Got in ABIDJAN, or get at border or ACCRA, Ghana Benin - Visa - Get at border or ACCRA, Ghana Nigeria - Visa - Got in Bissau or Get in BAMAKO, Mali or BAKAU, Gambia or ACCRA, Ghana (need invitation letter) Camaroon - Visa - Get in ABUJA, Nigeria or MONROVIA, Liberia or ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast Gabon - Visa - Get in YAOUNDE, Camaroon (need notarized invitation letter) Sao Tome and Principe - Visa - Get Online ROCongo - Visa - Get in LOME, Togo or ABUJA, Nigeria or YAOUNDE, Camaroon DRCongo - Visa - Get in ABUJA, Nigeria or LOME or GABON Angola - Visa - Get in ACCRA, Ghana N05° 36.75' W00° 11.22' (Only issued in home country now?) Namibia - NO Visa Rest of Southern Africa - NO Visas |
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some alternatives if a plan fails. if you plan to spend more then a couple days in benin or 1 week (i think) in togo pick up your visa earlier, like accra. togo is pretty easy to extend by will cost you a day in lome. drc i got in gabon easily roc was pretty easy in younde too angola i couldn't get anywhere so be prepared for that to happen. i flew my bike from kin to lumbumbashi i got nigeria in accra for a small non resident fee (visa 50 for aussies, plus another 60 for non resident) abuja is not in ghana its in nigeria :P |
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Thanks for the tips |
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in Libreville.
it was almost too easy, like something wasn't right. but maybe that was because every other embassy didn't want to know me. i met someone who got drc in accra pretty easily too |
You can actually get your Mali visa at the border really easily as well as I did. I went to the embassy in Abidjan and they wanted 25,000. At the border it was 15,000.
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Hi,
We are currently in Cameroon, check our website for visa information. Generally, Dakar is a very good place to get visa. We got : ivory coast, guinea, guinea bissau and sierra leonne there. Next stop was freetown for liberia and ghana. Nigeria visa is difficult, they refused us in accra, but got it in benin. We heard its easy to get it in bissau. Super efficient is calabar, nigeria for the cameroon visa: takes about 2 h. Now in yaounde, we get gabon visa in 2 days. We will also try for drc in gabon as well as trying for the angola obe...fingers crossed! our website also gives costs for visa: Indlovu Shout if any more questions Team Indlovu |
Tina & Anton(indlovu)
Hi Anton & Tina
We have been trying to contact you, hope all is going well.... So sorry we missed you in Gambia, we saw you going passed 2Rays bar a couple of times but we did not have the car with us so could not come after you....... It would have been nice to have you come and stay with us, hope your trip is going to plan. We are leaving Gambia on the 4th Feb to head back to UK but we will take our time. Keep in touch & let us know how your plans go, our e-mail is chrissue1986@talktalk.net When you get to South Africa have a braai for us..... Regards Sue & Chris From the Mauritanian Embassy queue in Rabat. |
Latest update on visa:
We got refused DRC and Angola today in Libreville. New regulations (5-6months ago) do not allow to issue any visa to non residents. We got the Congo visa and will now carry on till Brazzaville to try again there... Not looking good for overlanders at the moment!! Team Indlovu |
I'll update this thread as I go along..
Got my Mauritania visa in Rabat. Got there Thursday morning and they opened the doors at 8am. There were maybe 25 people waiting, mostly Africans, although a few travelers as well. Handed out sheets, I filled it out in line, but had to leave a few blank. Wasn't a problem when I handed in the form along with two passport photos and a few photocopies of my passport. Cost was 340 dirhem for the ordinaries (30day) visa. I put in for a future date and was given exactly what I asked for. The only issue I had was that the form they gave me said that the pickup was from 3-4pm Monday to Thursday and 12-1pm on Friday. I showed up early and waited and waited, everyone around seemed to expect doors to open at 2pm. At 1:30 they opened up and handed out the passports. Easy enough, just get there early and confirm what time to be there the next day. |
Hi all,
In case it's useful, here are our west side visa experiences so far. We're currently in Libreville, so its all recent. http://capetocapeblog.wordpress.com/visas/ Edit... Meant to add, we will update the blog with our Gabon visa experiences asap, but for now, please be aware of this http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...cameroon-68931 Happy travels Sam & Catherine |
Great thread this, thanks for posting. I am just about to do the same route ( leave on the 26th) , and so I will also input my experiences as I go along. I dont actually have a car or motorbike, so all my travelling will be done via local transport.
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If you stuck in Brazzaville click below
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I was stuck in Brazzaville with DRC and Angola Visa's for 81days(june-sept 2012) I endup sending passport to my home country for drc and angola visa's "TNT" is the cheapest to send your passport. free place to stay(camp only) in hipoocampe in center of Brazzaville,jusk ask for Olivier. cross to DRC Boko-Louzi -Kimpese I paid for ferry only 1000cfa=$2usd. |
Against all odds, we got both visa en route! The DRC one in Libreville, the Angola one in Matadi. Important is to have contacts within the country who are willing to write letters of support or complete other requested documents.
For details keep checking out website: Indlovu Team Indlovu is enjoying Luanda now! |
Team Indlovu, i could not see a "tab" for Visa's on the main page of your site... is the Visa information buried within the blog entries?
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After leaving Rabat with only one visa (fortunately/unfortunately I have to go back through anyway) I realized that my original layout wasn't nearly as helpful as I wanted it to be, so I revised the first post with the cities you hit as you progress and which visas you can/should get at each stop.
Again, any further information please share so I can update! |
Nigeria visa in Accra. Any over-landers (non-Ghana-resident) with experience since late 2012?
Spoke with Embassy (High Commission) just now. Administration Fee for Residency removed since late 2012 (confirms Japanese travelers' mention) BUT according to Embassy Officer (EO) on phone (1) they are strictly adhering to not issuing visas to non-residents. The EO told me my situation is more negative than positive, because of the non-residency status (2) can submit application and write out your situation, but no guarantee (3) Visa fee must be paid in advance and is non-refundable, whether visa issued or not Any over-landers (non-Ghana-resident) with experience since late 2012? Visa cost is good (only USD 55.00, payable at Guaranty Trust Bank so it seems currency doesn't matter as bank would tell you the equivalent of USD 55 in CFA/EUR/etc) BUT this non-refundability and the EO on phone saying the non-residency is a problem suggest the outcome is not in an over-land traveler's favor ... maybe that's what they want you to think? note to AJCTraveller: why would you get the Nigeria visa in Bamako -- some person got it there but it was CFA 135,000 .. crazy price! (tho' it was 1 year). There is "getting visas" and "getting visas... efficiently" |
Hi,
We will post a detailed visa update on our website tomorrow under the blog section! Team Indlovu |
Okay, blog updated on our website with visa summmary Indlovu
We've also just posted a brief summmary of best ways to get the 'tough' visas here: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...286#post414675 Happy travels! Anton and Tina Indlovu |
Just got my Guinea visa in Rabat. Very friendly, dropped off at 0930, it was ready at 1430. For an American, a 3 month visa was $100 or 850 dirhem. Their quality control is a bit lacking, because I very clearly specified to the english speaking interviewer that I wanted a three month, two entry visa starting at a specific date. What I ended up with was a three month, single entry visa from today! I don't think I need double entry, and the three months was only to give me flexibility, which is a good thing in retrospect.
Tried to drop off at the Burkina embassy down the road at 2:30, but the woman wasn't having it. Said to come back at 9am. I'm going to see how helpful they are in the morning, otherwise I may just start heading south and deal with the Burkina visa in Dakar.. |
Got Burkina Faso in Rabat today. Dropped off at 0830 and it was ready same day at 1330. Friendly staff, 525 dirhem for a 90 day multiple entry visa. 90 day single entry was 405 dirhem.
What they needed: 2 application forms filled out 3 photos passport copy ID copy hotel reservation letter of intent or invitation. (I just put a few lines of nonsense in english and a google translation into french below that) I am now thinking that I'll go for Ivory Coast here in Rabat tomorrow so that I can avoid Dakar completely.. Anybody have coordinates for the embassy or is it in the same area as the rest? I wish I'd thought of this yesterday and stopped by today :/ |
Got my Ivory Coast visa in Nouakchott. It was expensive at 130 euro for a 3 month, multiple entry visa, but it was done in two hours without any reservation or invitation required. 2 photos, form filled out and it was completed by time I drove to the bank and had lunch.
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Cote d'Ivoire embassy in Nouakchott
Where is embassy located, I can't find it on CI webpages nor on GE maps of Nkt?
Thanks, Peter. |
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It's behind the Air France compound though. Ask for directions there, it's on a main road and people should be able to find it easily. https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=A...p=1&sz=18&z=18 |
Got my Guinea Bissau visa in Ziguinchor. Super easy, took about ten minutes and cost 20,000 francs, about $40. One picture needed, they filled out the form for me and all I had to do was sign. It almost felt too easy to be a real visa application. The visa itself is more official looking than most in my passport though.
Crossing into Bissau illicited a couple of bogus charges and the checkpoints are pretty annoying, but nothing too much. Had a passavant issued in Santo Domingo for a few dollars. The countryside is beautiful, Bissau on the other hand is a mess. If I trusted this place with my truck I might explore the islands, but at this point I'm not keen to stick around any longer than I need to to pick up a couple of more visas, hopefully.. |
Got my Nigerian visa today in Bissau. Stopped in yesterday to inquire and the ambassador seemed amiable, and chatted for a few minutes, told me to come back today at 10am.
55,000 francs for a 30 day post-dated visa one photo form filled out Dropped off at 10am, ready at 1:30! I tried the embassy in Bakau, Gambia earlier this week, but they wanted me to be a resident and tons of other information, avoid that place for sure. Thanks to team indlovu for the tip, not sure I'd have ended up at this embassy if I didn't read your tips! |
Thank you AJC. Peterbier
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West Africa really is the most amazing place..
So I walk into the Sierra Leone embassy in Conakry on Monday morning and after waiting a while I'm ushered in to the consular head and I ask for a visa. He speaks English and seems nice enough. Despite the fact that I have everything I might need to apply he asks me to come back the following day at 10am and he will take care of my visa. I didn't think much of it and decided to just do what he said and take a day to relax considering how difficult the road from Bissau had been. This morning I am there at 10am and I ask for the visa. He asks, when are you planning to go? Today. "It's not possible, it takes 72 hours" I was here yesterday, you said I could get the visa today. "Ok, you can get it at the border, can you come back at 1430?" Yes, the only reason I'm in Conakry is to get this visa. 1430 rolls around and I walk into his office for the third time. He takes out a business card and writes my details on the back along with his signature and the line "Seen at the embassy before departure", charges me $20 and says to just show that at the border and I'll be fine. I'm not sure what makes me more angry, the fact that he issued me nothing, the fact that he charged me for it or the fact that I needed to go there three times to get him to sign the back of a business card. Hopefully it works and I can be on a beach tomorrow night though.. West Africa really is a train wreck.. |
AJC, you're getting some visas (good), and seem to be trying to get them very early on geographically (not so great/efficient/paying a lot for the visas).
Supposing you're in Ghana, Getting Visa's Efficiently When Non-resident (in Country where embassy is located), ie for multi-country overland travel Efficiently means (i) embassy will actually issue the visa (ii) shorter processing time (iii) lower cost (iv) easy to navigate to find embassy (close to other embassies, low cost of transport, bank to pay/exchange money is close by) I. Documents (not all always required, buy be prepared). 1. Application Form 2. Photo (passport size) 3. Photocopy of Passport ID page and visa/stamp of the next following country (if you have obtained it) 4. Invitation Letter (IL) ... print reservation from hotel for at least a few nights [cancel after getting Visa] 5. Letter of Introduction (LOI) from your country's embassy... if they ask for it, show them email correspondence with your country's embassy that says they will not provide such LOI 6. Financial sufficiency ... bank statement from internet banking 7. Medical vaccinations ... Yellow Fever copy. 8. Forward itinerary approximate ...listing the countries and number of days in each country 9. Unique things about you/your trip ... past volunteer activities, website with a big following, etc II. Visa's for west-side of Africa (from Togo onward) 1. in Togo, get visa's for (a) Angola (US$100 for 30-day single entry visa; is cheaper than the 5 or 7 day Transit visa; yes, it's true) (b) Gabon (is cheapest country as price for Togo/benin/Ghana "residents" is lowest and there's only a Gabon embassy in Togo); CFA 35,000 for 3-day processing 2. in Benin, get visa's for (a) DRC ... they would even do it same day if submitted early in morning; they don't care about residency; CFA 50,000 (b) Angola ... within 7 minutes slow walk of DRC embassy ...they don't care about residency; same price as in Togo 3. in Nigeria (Lagos), get visa's for: (a) Cameroon ... if you didn't get it in Senegal of CI, and your traveling south & eastward, this is the next place to get it. Pay in Euro's since it's Euro 80 OR US$120 (which means exchange rate of 1 Euro = 1.50 US$ which is not true) OR or CFA 60,000 but they would not let foreigner pay in CFA (i think consulate guy being a jerk and lazy). Same price in Calabar. Abuja might be slightly less CFA 50,000....but there's no reason to go to Abuja if you got DRC and Angola visa's elsewhere 4. in Cameroon, get visa's for Chad, CAR, and bribe the Eq.Guinea border guards at a non-busy time of the day. 5. in Gabon, get visa for (a) Congo Republic (Brazzaville) ... it's next day processing; don't do it Cameroon b/c processing is 3 days for same price , and if want it faster, then price is DOUBLE |
In Monrovia I tried for Cameroon and even after an hour of looking over my documents and telling me it wouldn't be a problem and I could collect it the following day, I arrived to hear that they couldn't issue because I wasn't a resident. idiots. Fortunately they gave me my money back without any questions asked.
I did manage to get my Ghana visa here though, pretty hassle free, was ready in two days. I made the mistake of only saying I'd be in the country for two weeks, so they only issued the visa for 14 days from entry (within 3 months) cost was $70 for the single entry. Needed 4 photos, four copies of application (they only give you one, so you need to go photocopy it) and a copy of your passport. They wanted a bunch of other stuff, invitation, reservation, introduction, but after a bit of talking they didn't seem to care that I was too lazy to have any of it:innocent: |
Got my Cameroon visa in Abidjan today.
50,000 CFA for the 30 day visa, 15,000 for same day processing, ready at 1430. One photo and form filled out. Sandrine was even willing to make a photocopy of my passport for me! Obviously I had one, but it goes to show how easy the process was. The only thing I almost screwed up was not bringing my vehicle document which she wanted. Fortunately they had wifi and I had copies on my phone that I emailed and she accepted. It's valid from 3 months of issue for 30 days. |
Cote D'Ivoire Visas
Monrovia $75US, 1 entry, 30 days. Very very easy. Come back the next day and all ready. |
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Did you just get it? I'm in Abidjan now if you're coming through and want to grab a drink. Also just made a thread about the southern crossing. |
Got my Togo visa in Abidjan today.
25,000 CFA, 30 days, valid for a few months. Super easy process, the guy filled out the form, asked for two pictures and told me to come back at 2pm to collect. Why can't they all be this easy?? Called on a few other embassies in Abidjan without my passport today. Angola said it was impossible for non-residents. Benin takes three days and DRC paperwork asks for a few things I don't have, but the people were friendly, so I'll head back tomorrow and try my luck.. |
DRC embassy here in Abidjan wanted me to go get residence and then pay someone he knew to give a flight itinerary and hotel reservation for 50,000 CFA on top of the visa fee. I wasn't willing to deal with it and I'll just go in Lomé where people say it's easier.
Went to the Gabon embassy just to see what the story was afterwards since I had some time. Gatekeeper wouldn't let me in without closed shoes and pants, so I left. Will be in Accra early next week and hopefully get Angola and Benin there.. |
wouldn't let you in if you had on flip flops? and shorts? that's a new one! haven't heard of that before.
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Benin embassy in Accra was very easy, 25,000 CFA, ready same day.
Angola embassy in Accra was only a few minutes away and also wasn't too much of a challenge; $160 for the visa and the same again if you want it in two days, otherwise it's about a week. Strangely they told me if I wanted a regular tourist visa then I would need reservations for my entire stay, instead I made a two night reservation and told them I'd take a transit visa. They ended up giving me a 30 day visa anyway. The woman that works there is very helpful and it was a pretty easy process. Sign says they only accept applications Monday or Tuesday morning, which worked fine for me, but it's worth noting. Also, they didn't actually keep my passport, just stamped it when I returned two days later, so if I had it to do again, I'd have gone to the Angolan embassy first and then to Benin embassy after and I could have saved myself a day. In Lome now for my DRC visa |
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DRC Visa in Lome was really easy.
RoC Visa in Lome was even easier, except that the embassy is in the middle of nowhere. I'll try to dig up the coordinates when I have my hard drive plugged in. Crossed into Nigeria at Lagos which wasn't as bad as you might expect. Only one immigration guy gave me a hard time for money and he settled pretty cheap after the other guys in the office made it clear that he was being unreasonable. Driving through Nigeria was surprisingly easy and I had almost zero problems with roadblocks. Cameroon was surprisingly easy to drive through also. Get your Gabon visa at the border, it's super easy. Gabon is absolutely beautiful to drive through. Great roads and amazing scenery all around. RoC is absolutely miserable to drive through because the chinese road isn't finished yet and the path next to it is destroyed. Bring a 24 pack of coke with you and bribe the guys who guard the paved sections and use as much of it as you can. Seriously, the road next to it is horrific. Under no circumstances should anyone ever try the border crossing from Mindouli to Luozi. I still don't know how I ever got through it without breaking every part of my suspension and resolve. Cross at Brazzaville/Kinshasha. Trust me. Also never try the "road" that goes directly south from Kinshasa to Angola. It's not a road. I got to within about 15km of the border before I turned back. Trust me, go to Matadi, it's a great drive and reasonable border crossing. Except the customs guy is a complete dick, so be ready for that. Driving through Angola is surprisingly easy. For some reason I was given a police escort at first, but I ditched them because they were slowing me down and I figured they'd want a lot of money at the end to boot. It was strange. Anyway, most of the roads are great and there are very few checkpoints. Crossing into Namibia was one of the most amazing feelings I think I've ever had. |
Great to hear ajc.
Do you know if the RoC visa is available at the border ? |
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Hi, Could you please inform the address of ROC in Lome? Highly appreciated! Tian |
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N 06.10.092 E 01.12.444 |
we crossed Mindouli to Luozi. ina Bedford 4x4.....if we can do it anyone can...just as long as its DRY.......if it rains....WAIT
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best places for visa?
After changing my plans, I am now travelling down the road mentioned above. But I didn't get any visa in advance...
Based on this topic I will get the next few visa in these places: - Cameroon in Abidjan - Angola in Accra - DRC in Lomé - RoC in Lomé (or maybe at the border) - Nigeria in Bénin Any latest info on these? In Ouagadougou I would like to get the 'visa touristique de l'entente'. Anybody with (the latest) info on this? Grtz from Nouakchott ! |
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IMG_2822 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! :thumbup1: |
We got our Guinea Conakry visa very easily at the consulate in Bissau. It's located just one street of Praca Che Guevara. Had to fill out one form, bring one passport photo and they needed to copy our yellow fever certificates. Collection of the visas was at 14:00 on the same day.
Costs were 30.000CFA for one, 60.000CFA for two and 90.000CFA for three months all multiple entry. They also predated the visas for us which was nice. :thumbup1: Cheers from Bissau Fabian |
UPDATE: I met 9-001-SEB in Windhoek, Namibia last week. Apparently getting your GABON visa at the border is NOT something they're keen to do anymore. He had to wait something like 5 hours before they would give him one, and they tried getting him to turn back. Hopefully he chimes in. So I would suggest anyone using this thread as a guide try to get their Gabon visa before the border.
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Just shortly our Freetown experiences:
Ghana visa: The embassy of Ghana has recently moved from the city centre up the hill and is easiest reached by taking a poda poda up to Wilberforce Roundabout. The usually only issue visas to residents so it took us a couple of hours of explaining and waiting until our application was accepted. Having the Nigeria visa already in our passports helped as it proved our intentions to travel to South Africa. It took 6 days to process our applications as everything had to go through Accra and had to be done perfectly. Even the smallest mistakes on the application form needed to be fixed with correction fluid and rewritten. You get one form from the embassy and need to copy it three times. The four identically filled out forms together with another form provided by the embassy and 4 passport photos should do the trick. We paid 100US$ (no notes smaller than 50US$ accepted) for a 1 month single entry visa with entry within 1 month. Liberia visa: The Liberia embassy is situated close to the Ghana embassy and just opposite the British high commission. You supposedly need an invitation letter and reference but they did not care. We needed to fill out one form and bring one passport photo. The process usually takes 2 days but we said that we were in a hurry and could pick it up the next day. For 50US$ extra you can get an emergency visa the same day. We paid 100US$ (Leone also accepted) for a 1 month single entry visa with 3 months time to enter the country. A 3 month multiple entry visa costs 150US$. Cheers Fabian |
We have also posted our experiences from W. Africa about visas, maps, routes, waypoints, repair shops and others at:
ΒΔ Αφρική - mad nomad We'll keep posting throughout our way around the continent! |
Guinea Bissau visa in Zinguichor
Just went to the Bissau consulate in Zinguichor. Met the consul near the entrance. He filled out the form himself, and I left after 10 (!) minutes with a visa for one month (22.500 cfa). I congratulated him on what must be the quickest visa process in the whole of Africa!:thumbup1:
Cheers, Gee |
Some of you mentioned being turned away from embassies for wearing shorts and flip flops.
With all due respect, why would you turn up at an embassy in West Africa in shorts and flip flops? We have developed good relations with most of the embassies in West Africa over the years, and a number of officials have told me that they can't stand foreign travellers turning up like they've just come in from the beach! Sandals ok, but flip flops? You all know how these embassy officials are, doesn't take much effort to put some trousers on and decent shoes for visiting to create a good impression. |
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Cheers, Gee |
Nigeria visa in Bissau
Hi,
Got my Nigerian visa in Bissau today. Took less than an hour - "tomorrow is Saturday and you cannot move without your passport", the man said - postdated 6 weeks, 3-month visa for 50.000 cfa. Very, very easy. Highly recommended! And if you have to stay somewhere, try restaurant Almagie. It's owned by a German, Andreas, you can camp, use a kitchen and toilets (clean), secure, guarded parking, has good free wifi and a restaurant. They also have rooms. Nigerian embassy 5 minutes walk. Coordinates: 11.87839 15.63887 Happy travels, Gee |
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Ivory Coast visa in Monrovia, Liberia: The Ivory Coast embassy (N6 17.397 W10 46.712) is located near Congo Town together with diplomatic institutions of several other countries. The secretary was a very kind woman and we only had to fill out one form, hand in 2 passport photos and pay 69US$/person for a 1 month single entry visa valid from desired date. We could pick up our visas on the next day in the afternoon. Theoretically the price is the same for a 3 day till 3 month visa. Visas in Accra, Ghana: Benin visa: The embassy (N5 37.005 W0 11.195) is a bit hidden but still in the main area of diplomatic representations. A 14 day single entry visa costs 40Cedi (11,60€) and a one month multiple entry visa 80Cedi (23,20€). They tried to extract an extra fee for same day processing but gave up quickly so we could pick up our passports at 14:00. We had to fill out two times the same form and provide 2 passport photos. Togo visa: The embassy (N5 34.559 W0 10.698) is located away from other diplomatic representations but easily reached via the Ring Road. A one month single entry visa costs 35.000CFA (53,30€) and we were told that it is not possible to pay in another currency. We arrived late in the afternoon and bargained hard to pay an extra 10Cedi/person (2,90€) to get the visas issued immediately. Two identical forms had to be filled out and 2 passports photos handed over. Angola visa: The embassy (N5 36.736 W0 11.219) is located in the main area of diplomatic representations but not signposted. The staffs were friendly and professional but also strict on requirements to obtain a visa. Applications are only accepted on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:00-12:00 and visas can be picked up on Fridays. You actually keep your passport until Thursday when you have to come in to register fingerprints and pay the visa fee and thereby finish your application. The following is needed to obtain a one month single entry tourist visa: 3 passport photos with white (!) background Filled out form provided by embassy Passport copy International driver license copy Vehicle paper copy Yellow fever certificate copy Bank statement or copy of credit card (front suffices) Letter of introduction explaining your situation and listing all the countries you will travel through Itinerary describing your date of entry into Angola and places/sights you want to visit Equivalent of 160US$ (116,80€) in Cedi (recently changed from US$ to Cedi) Note that we were not allowed to place several copies on the same paper (e.g. driver license and yellow fewer certificate). The visa is valid for 2 months from date of issue which means you have to enter Angola before the expiry date and are then allowed to spend one month in the country. We tried everything to extend these 2 months or let them write down a later date of issue but to no avail. They were also not allowed to issue us with multiple entry visas which not long ago was still possible. On both matters several phone calls from different staff members were made with Luanda without results. As we want to enter into the Angolan enclave Cabinda first and do not want to use up our one month visa they provided us with a stamped and signed letter explaining our situation addressed to the Angolan consulates in Pointe Noire and Matadi. We will update later on the success or failure of us obtaining a transit visa for Cabinda. For more information also on campings, fuel prices and so on feel free to visit our country info page. There you can also download a regularly updated PDF for quick offline access on the road. Regards from Chez Alice in Lomé, Togo Fabian |
Very helpful!
Hi Fabian,
Thanks for all the information you've put together. I'm in Bissau right now, leaving for the Fouta Djalon and Siera Leone tomorrow, so it's very helpful! Happy travels! Gee |
Angola visa in Ghana
Hi,
quick update to the ANGOLA visa letter from Fabian. We tried on 24 Feb and they told us rules had changed. Now the paperwork must be translated into Portuguese, they will accept google translations. Must pay in cedi, they prefer you pay into their bank. The main difference to last letter is that now you have to wait 8 days after putting in on Monday or Tuesday. They assure me they will be open on the Wednesday for me to collect. Otherwise as per above letter. I am still waiting for the visa, go in tomorrow to hand in passport and collect on Wednesday. Mike |
More on Angolan visa
Hi once more,
just to finish my account I went to collect the visa and was told that they needed a copy of the Ghana visa and so I should come back in another week. It was partly my fault as they would have contacted me by phone but I do not have one. In the end I advised my Ghana visa expired on the Monday and they told me to return then. At that point I did collect the visa. The only problem I have, which I did not notice at the time is that they have put my wife's visa in my passport and mine in hers!! Just hoping they will accept at the border. Mike |
Ghana and Ivory Coast visa in Monrovia
Hi all,
Just to update the thread: Got my Ivory Coast visa in Monrovia today. Took 2 hours, mainly spent with the consul who is a very nice, talkative man in need of a conversation. Cost 69 use for one month. Also got my Ghana visa here. Easy: 4 photos, 4 copies of application form, copy of entry stamp, copy of passport, letter of introduction (in which you explain the reason for traveling, etc). Pick up next day, 70 usd. Boy, I'm glad I can scan, copy and print in the car! Safe travels from Monrovia! Gee |
Just a little update from us. We are happy to announce that we are through with the visa business for West and Central Africa.bier
Togo Gabon visa: The embassy (N6 10.832 E1 14.087) is located in the north of Lomé. A one month single entry visa costs 50.000CFA (76,20€) and can be picked up the following afternoon. For an extra 15.000CFA (23€) they issue it on the same day. Applications have to be handed in between 8 and 11:30 on weekdays. 2 passport photos (white background), passport copy, Togo visa copy, yellow fever certificate copy and hotel reservation (e.g. booking.com, can usually be cancelled free of charge) are necessary and you have to fill out one application form. Date of entry can be chosen freely. Republic of Congo visa: The embassy (N6 10.105 E1 12.460) is reached over a very rough track in an area where you would not expect a diplomatic representation to be located. They issue visas while you wait and the date of entry can be chosen freely. A 15 day single entry visa costs 60.000CFA (91,50€) and a 3 month multiple entry visa 80.000CFA (122€). Two passport photos, passport copy and copies of at least 3 African visas are necessary as well as completing one application form. DRC visa: The embassy (N6 08.764 E1 12.677) was a bit tricky to find and is located near the hospital. It is run by a lovely family and the husband speaks English. A one month single entry visa costs 40.000CFA (61€), can be picked up the following day and you state the approximate date of entry but it is supposedly valid from any date of entry. To be able to apply you need to become a Togolese resident and their son usually sorts that out for you. Costs are 12.500CFA per person (19€). It might be a bit cheaper to organize yourself at a police office. Apart from that you need two passport photos, passport copy and yellow fever certificate copy as well as one filled out application form. Nigeria Cameroon visa: The embassy (N9 04.267 E7 29.389) is located in the city centre and easy to reach. A one month single entry visa costs either 50.000CFA West (76,20€), 120US$ (only large notes from 2005 onwards, 87,60€) or 18.500Naira (84€). Passport copy, 2 passport photos, yellow fever certificate copy, vehicle paper copy and copies of the Nigeria visa as well as Gabon visa (if already in the passport) are needed as well as one filled out application form. Pickup is the following day at 14:00. Alternatively you can also acquire the Cameroon visa in Calabar (N4 59.777 E8 19.429) on the same day without any hassle. All waypoints as .gpx as well as more info also as .pdf on our blog! Cheers from Limbé, Cameroon! Fabian |
Angola visa in Accra
Quote:
1. Your letter of introduction / itinerary has to be in Portuguese. They read it very critically, and when they find any spelling or grammatical errors, the letter will be refused. They are also very helpful however, and with minor corrections they will correct them for you if you have a flash drive. 2. You need a sort of declaration that you will be good girl/boy when you're in Angola. They have a template for you that you can use. Mind you: it has to be in the same sort of Portuguese as the LOI, or it will be refused. In my case, they were very land, and typed it for me! 3. You need a copy of your Ghana visa. 4. Make a copy of your bank statement AND your creditcard I have the impression that they work under very strict orders from Angola, which they have to comply with. They are also very helpful: they called me on Wednesday (at Big Milly's) that my visa was ready! Thank you ladies! Cheers from Chez Alice, Lomé Gee |
In Point-Noire for Cabinda
Hey Fellows,
At the moment in Point-Noire to arrange a transit visa at the Angola consulate. A warning: be sure you have enough time to wait. So far I'm here a week and no result yet. Filling in was easy but now I have to wait for a phonecall. It's now Friday and I'm afraid that I will be here another Weekend. The consulate is located on the Avenue Fayetta Tchitembo, no GPS Coordinates yet. It is the same street as the Adolphe Cisse Hospital, the biggest in town. The town is great to hang out but after a week I want to continue. Fabian, if you read this let me know when your are in town maybe we can have a beer again :-) Cheers Richard |
When I was in Pointe Noire, they didn´t even bother to let us in.
There is a big hotel/restaurant/club on the beach next to "club de petrollieres" where they have ridiculously huge swimmingpool, I guess the only one in town. Normally its for members only but ( as there are virtually NO tourists ) if you are well dressed, look european and act like you belong there nobody will approach you to show or pay anything ! :Beach: Cheers, Chris |
Ok here are the GPS coordinates for the consulate of Angola in Point-Noire in the Republic of Congo.
S 04 .47 .516 E 011.51.552 Applying only on Monday and Tuesday pickup on Friday. Transit visa = 13500 CFA photocopy passport photocopy congo visa passport size photo application form I brought someone with me who spoke the local language and English. Cheers Richard |
Senegal Visa
Senegal Visa £100 or £75
Came in late 2013 or early 2014 |
Senegal visa is now €50 Euros online, and something like €2.50 Euros admin fee via SNEDAI. All has to be done online.
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Since we are in Namibia since about two weeks ago here the last updates about our visa experiences.
Republic of Congo Angola visa: We went to the consulate (S4 47.510 E11 51.553) in Pointe Noire to try to apply for a transit visa for Cabinda so we would not use up our tourist visa. They were not unhelpful but told us that you are only allowed to have one active visa at a time. However an other traveller who got his tourist visa together with us in Accra was able to get a transit visa here just two weeks before. We also heard from other travellers who got a tourist visa issued here without invitation letters so if you do not want to go through the hassle of driving from Ghana to Angola in 2 months (visa validity) then Pointe Noire and Matadi would be your best bets. Democratic Republic of Congo Angola visa: As we had used up our tourist visa with the visit to Cabinda we applied for an other one at the Angolan consulate (S5 49.707 E13 27.698) in Matadi. The staff here can be quite a piece of work but in the end we were successful. The one month single entry visa costs 101US$ (73€) and takes a week to process. However if you don’t want to wait they can issue an express visa. Fees for that are not really fixed as the regulations only say that “an express fee has to be charged”. We were quoted 200US$ (146€) instead of 101US$. Marc had an ace up his sleeves though and argued that his broken wrist needed immediate looking after in Luanda. We ended up paying 150US$ (109,50€) per person and could pick up the visas about two hours later. Necessary for the application are copies of every single passport page with a visa or stamp on it as well as the main page, yellow fever certificate copy, carnet copy, car paper copy, 2 passport photos and an introduction letter stating the reason why you apply for the visa in Matadi and your intended itinerary in Angola. Note that if you are a couple you will still have to write individual cover letters! Angola Visa extension: We ended up enjoying Angola so much that we decided to extend our visas. This can be done to our knowledge in Luanda, Lubango and Benguela. We chose the latter. You will have to locate the SME office (S12 34.930 E13 23.813) and state your request. We had to fill out one Portuguese form, hand in 2 passport photos and copies of our current visa and the passport main page. The cost for the extension was the equivalent of 90US$ in kwanza. We were first told that they could only give us another month from the date of issue so if you are only two weeks in you would only gain another two. Surprisingly we ended up with a full month on top anyway. Passport pickup was the day after. And just to repeat myself, we would never get the Angola visa in Accra again as the two months validity absolutely did not harmonize with our usual speed of traveling and exploring the countries on the way. Pointe Noire or Matadi might not be as reliable but for us even posting the passports from Brazza sounds better than rushing through 7 countries. But then again, if you are traveling faster anyway Accra might still be the choice. :thumbup1: More details and updated pdf again in our info section. For whoever comes down that way, enjoy! It's been great! Cheers Fabian |
Woo hoo for wootan...:D
Another page saved to my home screen...thanks guys. Kevin and Heike... |
Update
Mauretania Visa: Rabatt, 340 Dirhams, 1 Month
Senegal : Internet, 50 Euros, 3 Months- got in Nouakshott Bissau : Ziguinchor, 20000cfa, 1 Months- took 10min Conakry. : Dakar, 100000cfa, 3 Months multiple- most expensiv Mali. : Swiss, 100Chf, 3 Months -ext 1 Month in Bamako 15000cfa Burkina Faso. : Bamako, 31000cfa, 3 Months multiple Ghana. : Ouagadougou, 25000cfa, 60 Days Togo. : Bamako, 25000cfa, 1 Month multiple Benin. : Accra, 80cedi, 1 Month multiple Nigeria. : Bissau, 55000cfa, 3 Months multiple Cameroon. : Calabar, 17000NGN/51000cfa, 45 Days ROC. : Lome, 80000cfa, 3 Months DRC. : Lome, 72000cfa, 2 Months- 10000cfa Resident Permisson Togo Visa Entent is still possible, go to Immigration and not a Embassy. Found out about that to late....:scooter: Btw: no Problems for any of the visas. Maybe Ghana because i had to write an letter of excuse. But thats it... sometimes 2 or 3 days waiting... |
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