Gabon residence card (carte de séjour)

The DGDI form names the main situations: employees in the private sector, contract staff in the public service, technical assistance personnel, self-employed workers, people living on property income or a pension, ministers of religion and members of approved congregations, foreigners married to a Gabonese citizen who have not acquired Gabonese nationality, and family members of a resident.

The same form serves for a first application and for a renewal, and asks for your arrival date, the reason for your stay and details of any previous card.

Private-sector employees add a legalised employment certificate, the carte de séjour application form, a copy of the employer's identity document and a copy of the company's patente (business licence) with the payment receipt for the current year. Public-service contract staff add the appointment decision and a certificate of taking up duty. Technical assistance staff add the mission order from their home country's foreign ministry (for newcomers), an original certificate from the cooperation service or supervising body in Gabon and a recent employment certificate.

Self-employed workers add their trade approval (agrément de commerce) and proof that all formalities with the relevant administrations are completed. People living on property income add a land title or proof of an annuity or pension paid by a Gabonese body. Ministers of religion add a certificate from an officially recognised leader stating their duties and full support by the congregation, plus an authorisation to practise from the Ministry of the Interior.

In all cases the DGDI asks for a legalised accommodation certificate on the DGDI's own printed form, a copy of the host's identity document, a copy of the latest SEEG utility bill, the card fee of 150,000 FCFA and the deposit for your nationality.

The form itself records your identity document, physical description, marital status, spouse (or first spouse), children under 16, address and telephone in Gabon, profession and employer.

The DGDI registers the file, records the deposit number, checks its archives and collects the opinions of the head of service and of the immigration directorate before the Director General of the DGDI decides. On the form you certify that the information is accurate; false statements can lead to prosecution and refusal of the card.

Once you hold the card you can also request a certificat de résidence (residence certificate) from the DGDI. It costs 10,000 FCFA and needs the form, a copy of the valid carte de séjour, the latest SEEG bill and two recent colour photos.

A foreigner married to a Gabonese citizen who has not acquired Gabonese nationality provides copies of the civil status documents and of the Gabonese spouse's identity document. A family member of a foreign resident provides a copy of the marriage certificate or family book and a copy of the resident spouse's valid carte de séjour.