Applying for asylum in Senegal

Any foreign national present in Senegal may apply if they fear persecution in their country of origin or habitual residence because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a social group or political opinion, or if they were forced to leave because of external aggression, occupation, foreign domination or events seriously disturbing public order in part or all of that country, and cannot obtain its protection.

Refugee status recognised by another state does not carry over. A refugee who has just arrived in Senegal with another country's refugee card must file a fresh application with the CNE. Holders of refugee travel documents also need a visa to enter Senegal.

Applications are handled by the Commission Nationale d'Éligibilité, Immeuble Serigne Saliou Mbacké, Boulevard du Président Habib Bourguiba, Dakar (tel. +221 33 823 79 16), open Monday to Thursday 08:00-17:00 and Friday 08:00-14:00. Fill in and sign the form available at the CNE, write an individual asylum request addressed to the President of the CNE and sign it, and hand both in at the secretariat with four passport photos. Children under 14 do not sign their own request unless they have a legally responsible guardian.

On filing you receive a receipt valid for six months and renewable, which lets you move freely in Senegal while the CNE decides, together with the date of a first interview with a CNE officer. A second interview follows with a police inspector of the Interior Ministry at the Cité de la Police, Place Washington, Dakar. According to UNHCR, a decision normally takes between six months and one year.

UNHCR lists the right to seek asylum, protection against refoulement to a country where life or freedom is threatened, non-discrimination, no penalty for irregular entry or stay under Article 31 of the 1951 Convention, and the right to documents proving refugee status. Asylum seekers and refugees must respect Senegalese laws and public-order measures.

There is no temporary reception or housing system in Senegal; applicants must find their own accommodation, but they can ask UNHCR's partner Green Village Foundation for housing assistance.

A refusal is notified formally by the CNE. Because it is a first-instance decision, you may lodge an appeal with the CNE. If the appeal is also rejected, you may send a petition for clemency (recours gracieux) to the President of the Republic; on showing the receipt for that petition, the CNE secretariat issues a document valid for two months stating that you are awaiting the President's answer.

If the petition succeeds, the file returns to the same commission for a new assessment. The commission can then grant refugee status itself, or give a favourable opinion and submit the case to the President of the Republic for the grant of status.

Green Village Foundation runs the Bureau d'Orientation Sociale (BOS), Villa 7B, Point E, Dakar, opposite the Olympic swimming pool (tel. 33 825 63 66), where you can book a protection hearing for advice, family questions or resettlement enquiries. UNHCR answers calls and WhatsApp messages on +221 77 450 81 06 on Tuesdays from 09:00 to 16:00 and has a suggestion box outside its office. Resettlement to a third country is decided by resettlement states, places are very limited and refugees have no entitlement to it.