Benin student visa

Decree No. 2026-049 creates the study visa for foreigners coming to Benin for study or training. It authorises a stay of up to 12 months and can be renewed for the same length, so a student repeats the renewal for each year of a longer programme. Applicants for a study visa must also obtain a foreigner personal identification certificate (CIPE) through the identification procedure.

The DEI list for a study visa asks for one identity photo, a copy of the foreigner personal identification certificate (CIPE), a copy of a passport or travel document valid for more than six months from the application date, proof of accommodation in Benin (a hotel booking, an invitation letter from a Beninese institution or company, or an accommodation certificate from a Beninese national living in Benin or a resident foreigner), a copy of the host's identity card or resident card when the host is a private person, and the receipt for the visa fee paid through the government portal service-public.bj.

At the DEI, long-stay visas of 6 or 12 months start with a letter of request to the Director of Emigration and Immigration. Once the request is accepted, pay the fee online, bring the documents and receipt to the DEI, enrol and keep the enrolment receipt, and collect the visa three working days later. Students abroad apply to a Benin embassy or consulate, which issues visas that cannot be obtained online.

Renewal is requested before the current visa expires and early enough to respect the issuing time. The request states the reason, comes with the renewal fee receipt and, since the stay will have exceeded 90 days, a copy of the CIPE.

Refusals to issue or renew the visa are notified and cannot be appealed; the student must then leave Benin within three days. Remaining without a valid title is fined at least twice the cost of the title, and a repeat offence can lead to one to six months in prison.