Senegal tourist visa and visa-free short stays

The visa-free regime introduced on 1 May 2015 covers stays of less than three months for three groups. In Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea (Conakry), Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Togo and Tunisia. In Europe: France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden. Elsewhere: Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, Djibouti, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Mauritius, India, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Exempt travellers still need a passport or a laissez-passer issued by their country and valid for at least six months. Nationals of any country not on the list, and people holding a refugee travel document, need a visa. Turkey, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, Russia and the Gulf states other than the UAE are not on the list.

Senegalese consulates explain that visa handling depends on the applicant's country of origin. Category A countries are exempt. For category B countries the visa is required but the mission can issue it without asking the Interior Ministry first. For category C countries the mission must consult the Interior Ministry before a visa can be issued; the Marseille consulate states that refugees and category C nationals need the agreement of the competent Senegalese authorities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not publish which visa-required nationalities fall into category B or C. Ask the mission handling your application, since a category C file includes a prior clearance step and therefore takes longer.

Every mission uses a short-stay application form (demande de visa de moins de trois mois) completed in French or English. It asks for passport details, the requested length of stay and number of entries, the purpose of the trip, any earlier stay in Senegal longer than three months, and your host's name, address and telephone number in Senegal.

The Marseille consulate asks for four passport photos, a passport valid for at least six months with a copy of its first three pages, a return ticket or detailed flight reservation, a hotel booking or a signed accommodation certificate legalised by the police or gendarmerie, and a legalised parental authorisation for a minor travelling alone. Bordeaux lists the passport and a copy of the photo page and warns that further documents can be requested. The Paris form adds a copy of the residence permit for non-nationals living in France.

The Paris Consulate General's form shows a visa fee of EUR 15.25. Missions in other countries set and collect the fee locally and most do not publish it online, so confirm the amount and accepted payment method with the mission. There is no fee for visa-exempt visitors.

Download and complete the form, then appear in person at the consulate with the documents. The Paris consulate takes appointments, and both the Marseille and Bordeaux consulates ask applicants to contact them before coming. The visa is issued at the consulate. Processing times are not fixed, and the Bordeaux consulate recommends checking them before buying a ticket.

Under the foreign ministry's update of 9 March 2026, travellers from countries with no epidemic or endemic situation need not show a vaccination booklet; yellow fever, DPT, measles and hepatitis A and B vaccinations are recommended. Keep your return ticket and accommodation details at hand. A short stay does not allow paid work; anyone who wants to stay to work or study must apply for the carte d'identité d'étranger.