The Gambia short visit (tourist) visa

ECOWAS citizens need no visa. GID lists visa exemption agreements with Belgium, Finland, Poland, Sweden, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, San Marino, Spain, Tunisia, Indonesia, Russia, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. Countries such as France, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, the United States, Brazil and Morocco need a visa only. Many others, including China, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and several African states, need both a visa and entry clearance, while others, such as South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Kenya, need clearance only.

GID issues the short visit visa, subject to local security clearance, when the applicant is a genuine businessperson or tourist and not seeking work, normally lives in the country where they apply, will stay no more than 90 days in total, and holds a return or onward ticket (or its cash equivalent) and enough money for their stay. A stay beyond 90 days is referred to the Director General of Immigration. GID stresses that a visa's validity is not the same as the period of admission granted at the border.

The Gambia High Commission in London asks for the completed application form, the passport, one passport-size photograph, the fee in cash or by postal order (cheques are not accepted) and, for postal applications, a registered self-addressed envelope. The form asks for the purpose and dates of the visit, the address in The Gambia, financial means, previous visits and two references in The Gambia. Applicants may be interviewed by the visa officer.

At the London High Commission a single-entry visa costs GBP 40 and a multiple-entry visa GBP 60, and fees are non-refundable. A single-entry visa there is valid for six months and a multiple-entry visa for one year. Processing takes two working days for applications made in person and one week by post. Fees at other missions and at ports of entry are not published by GID.

All passengers fill in a disembarkation card and are enrolled in the Integrated Immigration Control System with fingerprints, iris scan and passport data page. Travellers who need entry clearance carry a copy of the approved clearance, valid for 30 days, while the host presents the original on or before arrival. GID can refuse entry to anyone on a watch list or found by medical staff to have a communicable disease under the Immigration Act. The London High Commission notes that tourists on last-minute bookings may be admitted but must hand their passport to the Immigration Department in Banjul within 48 hours to receive a proper visa.

Anyone who remains after the first permitted period of stay must visit a designated immigration office to extend it before a residence permit is issued; overstaying is an offence. The London High Commission notes that UK passport holders, although visa-free, must extend their stay after 28 days at Immigration Headquarters in Banjul.