Côte d'Ivoire student visa and student resident card

The study and research category of the embassy visa is meant for people admitted to a university or a public institution in Côte d'Ivoire. ECOWAS nationals and nationals of the other exempt countries enter without a visa but still need the appropriate residence card for a long stay. Everyone else needs a visa first.

The government's visa information sheet distinguishes three durations: transit (up to three days), short stay (up to three months) and long stay (up to one year). SNEDAI's current embassy page describes the visa as valid for one to three months, so in practice a student enters on a visa and settles the long stay through ONECI's resident card.

For study or research, SNEDAI's embassy page asks for an enrolment or pre-enrolment certificate from a university or public institution, the latest school certificate or student card and diplomas, proof of housing, proof of funds or a scholarship award letter, and health insurance. Students without a scholarship must show FCFA 1,000,000 for each year of study. These come with the common file: payment receipt, appointment confirmation, signed form, one 5 x 7 cm photo and a passport valid for six months with a copy of its first three pages.

Applicants under 18 also provide a birth certificate extract and the original legalised parental authorisation. Yellow fever vaccination is compulsory for entry. Documents in languages other than French that are later filed with ONECI must be translated and certified, according to the government's public service portal.

Expect three separate costs: the visa (EUR 50 plus EUR 8 of charges at an embassy, or EUR 73 online), the yearly resident card fee of FCFA 300,000 for most non-ECOWAS students, and the funds you must hold, FCFA 1,000,000 per year if you have no scholarship. ONECI offers optional VIP and Premium services and card delivery for an extra charge.

Within three months of entry, a non-ECOWAS student applies to ONECI for the biometric carte de résident. The process starts with online pre-enrolment and an online sponsorship form. The first-application file contains a valid passport, the pre-enrolment and sponsorship forms, an original certificate of residence less than six months old issued by an ONECI agency, and a payment receipt from Versus Bank or BHCI. Students add an attendance certificate, a registration receipt or a student card for the current academic year.

ONECI's fee table sets the card at FCFA 300,000 per year for non-ECOWAS nationals and FCFA 150,000 for French nationals, with no separate student rate. Living in the country beyond three months without applying triggers a penalty, FCFA 60,000 in the first year for non-ECOWAS nationals. For applicants under 16, ONECI also requires a parental authorisation legalised at a town hall, a copy of the parent's ID or passport and proof of their means.