Côte d'Ivoire e-visa: fee, documents and airport collection

The online application is open to holders of ordinary passports that are still valid for at least six months. Diplomatic, service and official passport holders follow a separate track at embassies. Nationals of ECOWAS states and of the other countries on the government's exemption list, such as Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Chad and Singapore, do not need a visa at all.

SNEDAI presents its site as the only one recognised and approved by the Ivorian State for visa applications. Pre-enrolment in person, without the online form, is described as exceptional and handled by the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST), the security service that approves or refuses each file.

Three uploads are mandatory and a missing one leads to automatic rejection: the identity page of the passport, a return flight reservation, and an invitation letter or accommodation certificate. The letter or certificate must be typed, printed, signed, stamped and legalised before it is scanned. SNEDAI's own accommodation certificate template asks the host to state their Ivorian ID card number, profession, address down to the lot and villa number, the dates of the stay and its purpose (family, professional, school or other), and to have the signature legalised at a town hall (mairie). Files may be JPG, PNG, GIF or PDF, no larger than 1 MB each.

At the airport you present the original payment receipt, the approved pre-enrolment document, a passport valid for at least six months and the international yellow fever vaccination certificate. Print the receipt and the approval before boarding.

The e-visa costs EUR 73 including bank charges. SNEDAI's FAQ breaks this down into a EUR 70 file fee and a EUR 3 online commission. Payment is made by Visa or Mastercard during pre-enrolment, and a confirmation with a personal payment code arrives by email. Applying does not guarantee a visa, and nothing is refunded after a refusal. A family travelling together pays separately for each person and attaches each receipt to the matching application.

The DST sends its answer, approved or refused, by email with a barcode. SNEDAI warns that processing may exceed 48 working hours, counted Monday to Friday from the date of the application, so a weekend does not count. Apply well before your flight.

An approved pre-enrolment remains usable for three months from the approval date. The visa printed at the airport is valid for three months with multiple entries. SNEDAI's FAQ adds that a visa cannot be modified once issued: if you need different conditions, you file a new application.

On landing at Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, go to the area signed Visa aéroport. Enrolment booths work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your fingerprints and photo are taken and the visa is printed and handed over immediately. Biometric enrolment is required for every visa, even for travellers who have had several Ivorian visas before. Children under 12 are exempt from fingerprints but must be present.

If you want to stay longer once in the country, SNEDAI's FAQ says an extension of the stay can be granted on Ivorian territory through a residence document. Stays beyond three months fall under ONECI's resident card rules.

SNEDAI runs an info line on +225 27 22 51 08 08, Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 17:00 Abidjan time (GMT). A separate FAQ page on the biometric visa answers common questions about payment, families and refunds.