Mali residence visa and resident card

The law distinguishes non-immigrants (people in transit, tourists and other visitors, officials on mission, people working temporarily, and students) from immigrants who come to settle, work permanently or practise a profession. Every foreigner over 18 must obtain a temporary stay authorisation after three months in Mali. A non-immigrant receives a residence visa stamped in the passport, valid for up to one year and renewable. An immigrant receives a resident card valid for five years and renewable.

To settle for salaried work, you add a work contract approved by the National Labour Directorate. For self-employment or residence without paid activity, you prove your means of subsistence and provide a medical certificate from an approved doctor resident in Mali; liberal, commercial, industrial and craft professions also need prior authorisation from the competent minister. The stay authorisation is granted as of right to a foreigner married for at least three months to a Malian citizen, to the foreign child of a Malian under 18 or dependent, to dependent parents of a Malian's spouse, to a parent of a Malian child living in Mali who exercises parental authority or supports the child, and to the spouse and minor children of a resident card holder admitted for family reunification.

The Border Police lists a stamped application addressed to the Director of the Border Police, the completed application form, two recent visa-format photos, a criminal record extract less than three months old, a medical certificate less than two months old confirming the absence of contagious disease or disability, and a residence certificate issued by the competent authorities. Under the decree, documents must be accompanied by a certified French translation where needed, and the applicant must prove they can live on their own resources.

The Border Police's Residence Permits Division runs the official online portal for obtaining and renewing residence visas. After reading the legal provisions, you open an account, fill in the form and upload the documents. A case number is issued on submission. You then go to the Residence Permits Division with that number to pay the stamp duty set by the General Tax Code, and the file is processed only from that payment, which does not itself guarantee a permit. Applications move through verification and processing to a decision, with an email at each change; if one document must be redone, only that document is replaced.

The residence visa holder must leave Mali when it expires unless it is renewed, and each renewal carries the same stamp duty. A residence visa or resident card lapses if the holder leaves Mali for more than six consecutive months. A change of residence must be recorded with the administrative authority before leaving and within 48 hours of arriving at the new address.

A stay authorisation may be refused to anyone whose presence threatens public order or who has been convicted of an intentional crime or offence. A residence visa can be cancelled if its conditions are not respected or it was obtained by false statements. Working or staying without the required authorisation is punishable by three months to three years in prison and a fine of 200,000 to 500,000 CFA francs, or one of these penalties.