Every way into Senegal.

A special arrangement at Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS) in Dakar allows certain nationalities that are not visa-exempt to be issued an entry visa on arrival, at no charge, for a short stay (commonly up to 30 days). It is available only at the Dakar airport and not at land or sea borders. Travellers should present a passport valid at least six months, a return or onward ticket, and proof of accommodation or an invitation. The facility is discretionary and depends on nationality; travellers should confirm eligibility before departure, as carriers and border officers may otherwise require a consular visa. The visa on arrival does not authorise employment or study and does not lead to residence.

Government fee

F CFA 0

Processing time

0 days

Max stay

30 days

Validity

30 days

Senegal abolished its mandatory biometric entry visa on 1 May 2015 (it had been introduced 1 July 2013), and nationals of a large list of countries may enter for tourism, family visits or short business for up to 90 days without any visa. The exemption covers all ECOWAS member states (under regional free movement), all European Union states, the UK, USA, Canada, Brazil, India, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, the UAE and many others. Travellers must hold a passport valid at least six months and may be asked for proof of onward or return travel and accommodation. The stay does not authorise paid employment or enrolled study, and does not by itself lead to residence. A foreigner intending to remain beyond three months must obtain a carte d'identite d'etranger.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Nationals of countries that are neither visa-exempt nor eligible for visa on arrival (the embassies' Category C, covering roughly seventy nationalities) must obtain a short-stay visa in advance from a Senegalese diplomatic mission before travelling. The visa is issued for tourism, family visits and similar short stays, typically single-entry for up to one or two months; multiple-entry conversion may be arranged on arrival. Applicants lodge a completed application with a passport, photographs and supporting documents at the consulate. Consular fees vary by nationality and reciprocity and are not published in a single national schedule, so the government fee is recorded as unknown. The visa does not authorise paid work or enrolled study and does not lead to residence.

Processing time

14 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Travellers whose nationality requires a visa for Senegal and who need to pass through the country en route to a third destination may apply for a transit visa at a Senegalese diplomatic mission. Visa-exempt nationals do not need it and may transit on their normal entry rights; passengers remaining airside on connecting flights generally do not require a Senegalese visa. The transit visa is short-validity and intended only for the brief passage through Senegal, requiring evidence of onward travel and any visa for the next country. Consular fees vary by nationality and are not published in a single national schedule. The visa does not authorise work, study or settlement.

Processing time

14 days

Max stay

5 days

Validity

90 days

Foreign nationals travelling to Senegal for meetings, negotiations, conferences, trade fairs and market prospecting use either visa-free entry (for exempt nationalities) or a short-stay visa obtained from a Senegalese mission (for Category C nationalities). Permitted activities are non-remunerated business activities; any paid work for a Senegalese entity requires a contract approved by the labour authority and a residence card. Stays are up to 90 days. Applicants from visa-required countries provide a business invitation from the Senegalese host alongside the standard short-stay documents. Consular fees vary by nationality, so the government fee is recorded as unknown.

Processing time

14 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Foreign students admitted to a Senegalese university or higher-education institution who will stay longer than three months must regularise their stay by obtaining a carte d'identite d'etranger in the student category through the Direction de la Police des Etrangers et des Titres de Voyage (DPETV) and the Ministry of the Interior. The application requires proof of enrolment, a fiscal stamp of XOF 15,200, identity photographs, a recent birth certificate and police clearance, and a medical certificate issued in Senegal. The card is generally valid one year and renewable for the duration of studies. ECOWAS students benefit from regional free movement. The card authorises study; limited or vacation work follows the general rules for foreign workers and may require labour authorisation.

• Study: Full enrolment at the admitting institution.

Government fee

F CFA 15,200

Validity

365 days

A foreign national who wishes to run a business or carry on an independent professional activity in Senegal registers the activity (for companies, typically through the APIX single window) and then regularises residence beyond three months with a carte d'identite d'etranger. There is no separate freelancer or self-employment visa; lawful presence rests on the residence card supported by evidence of the registered activity and means of subsistence. The application is made via the Direction de la Police des Etrangers et des Titres de Voyage and the Ministry of the Interior, with a fiscal stamp of XOF 15,200 and a repatriation deposit of at least XOF 75,000. The card is generally valid one year and renewable. ECOWAS nationals benefit from regional establishment rights.

• Work: Authorises the declared independent/business activity; not employment for a third party.

Government fee

F CFA 15,200

Validity

365 days

A foreign national taking up employment in Senegal must have an employment contract approved (visa du contrat de travail) by the Direction Generale du Travail et de la Securite Sociale (DGTSS); the procedure is employer-sponsored, with the employer demonstrating that the role cannot be filled locally. The employer submits four signed copies of the contract, the employee's passport copy, a court-issued criminal record extract under three months old, and a medical certificate; the labour authority's decision is typically issued within about fifteen days. Once the contract is approved, the worker regularises residence with a carte d'identite d'etranger (XOF 15,200 fiscal stamp plus a repatriation deposit of at least XOF 75,000). Contracts and the resulting authorisation generally run up to 24 months and are renewable. ECOWAS nationals are exempt from the work permit. In oil, gas, mining and maritime sectors local-content rules require a majority of national staff.

• Work: Work is authorised only for the specific employer and role in the approved contract; changing employer requires a fresh approval.

Government fee

F CFA 15,200

Processing time

15 days

Validity

365 days

Senegal has no distinct statutory intra-company-transfer permit; an employee seconded or assigned from a foreign group entity to a Senegalese affiliate is treated under the same regime as any foreign worker. The local entity must have the assignment or employment contract approved (visa du contrat de travail) by the Direction Generale du Travail et de la Securite Sociale, and the assignee then obtains a carte d'identite d'etranger to regularise residence beyond three months. Standard documents apply, including a court criminal record under three months old and a medical certificate, with the labour decision typically within fifteen days. ECOWAS nationals are exempt from work authorisation. Sectoral local-content rules in extractives and maritime may constrain expatriate headcount.

• Work: Work authorised for the assignment with the host entity once the contract is approved.

Government fee

F CFA 15,200

Processing time

15 days

Validity

365 days

Senegal does not operate a passive golden-visa or citizenship-by-investment scheme; investor migration runs through genuine business establishment under the Investment Code, administered by the Agence Nationale chargee de la Promotion de l'Investissement et des Grands Travaux (APIX). An investor submits an approval (agrement) file to the APIX single window; a written decision is issued within ten working days, and the approval is valid for three years, granting customs, tax and social advantages plus facilitation of administrative and land procedures. The investor and any expatriate staff then regularise residence through the carte d'identite d'etranger regime, and foreign staff employment contracts must still be approved by the labour authority. Foreign investors provide a criminal record from their country of origin. Specific minimum-investment thresholds depend on the incentive regime and are not published as a single figure here.

• Work: Authorises the investor's own business activity; employed expatriate staff still need approved contracts.

Processing time

10 days

Validity

1,095 days

Senegal does not operate a separate family-reunification visa; family members of a lawful foreign resident or of a Senegalese national enter under the general visa rules and then regularise their stay beyond three months with a carte d'identite d'etranger. Under Article 4 of Law No. 71-10 the recognised relationships are the spouse (by marriage), ascendants, and unmarried minor descendants living under the same roof. The foreign spouse of a Senegalese citizen may, after the conditions set by nationality law are met, also pursue naturalisation; the residence card itself is the route to lawful settled presence. Applications go through the Ministry of the Interior and the DPETV with proof of the family relationship and the standard documents, a XOF 15,200 fiscal stamp and a repatriation deposit (which may be reduced or waived for spouses of nationals depending on circumstances). A dependent's card does not by itself grant work rights.

• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Spouses of Senegalese nationals may pursue naturalisation under nationality law; otherwise residence is renewable rather than automatically permanent.
• Family: Recognised members are the spouse, ascendants and unmarried minor descendants under the same roof (Article 4, Law 71-10).

Government fee

F CFA 15,200

Validity

365 days

Foreign clergy, missionaries and members of religious organisations who stay in Senegal beyond three months regularise their residence under the general foreign-identity-card regime; there is no dedicated religious-worker visa in Senegalese law. Lawful presence rests on the carte d'identite d'etranger supported by a letter from the sponsoring religious organisation confirming the role and means of support. Applications are made to the Ministry of the Interior through the Direction de la Police des Etrangers et des Titres de Voyage, with identity photographs, a birth certificate and criminal record under three months old, a medical certificate, a fiscal stamp of XOF 15,200 and a repatriation deposit of at least XOF 75,000. The card is generally valid one year and renewable.

• Work: Authorises the declared religious/missionary activity for the sponsoring organisation.

Government fee

F CFA 15,200

Validity

365 days

Under Law No. 71-10 of 25 January 1971 on the admission, stay and establishment of foreigners, any foreigner intending to remain in Senegal for more than three months must hold a carte d'identite d'etranger (foreign identity card). The temporary form, the autorisation de sejour, is the general residence authorisation for non-immigrants, usually valid one year and renewable annually. Applications are made to the Ministry of the Interior through the Direction de la Police des Etrangers et des Titres de Voyage (DPETV) in Dakar or a local police commissariat, with identity photographs, a birth certificate and criminal record under three months old, a medical certificate issued in Senegal, a fiscal stamp of XOF 15,200, and a repatriation deposit of at least XOF 75,000 (the amount varies by nationality). Children under fifteen are not required to hold the card. The receipt is valid six months pending issue of the card.

• Study: Lawful residence permits enrolment; students typically hold the student-category card.
• Residency: Long lawful residence may support an autorisation d'etablissement (settlement) but there is no fixed statutory waiting period or automatic permanent status.
• Family: Each adult holds their own card; children under fifteen are exempt from holding one.

Government fee

F CFA 15,200

Validity

365 days

For foreigners settling in Senegal long-term, Law No. 71-10 provides the autorisation d'etablissement, the immigrant form of the carte d'identite d'etranger, typically issued with five-year validity and renewable. Senegal does not have an unconditional permanent-residence status: the establishment authorisation grants extended residence rights but remains conditional on lawful activity, means of subsistence and the repatriation guarantee. It is obtained through the Ministry of the Interior and the Direction de la Police des Etrangers et des Titres de Voyage after a period of lawful residence, with the standard documents (photographs, recent birth certificate and criminal record, medical certificate), a fiscal stamp of XOF 15,200 and a repatriation deposit of at least XOF 75,000. The card serves as the foreigner's official identity document in Senegal.

• Work: Extended residence rights; employment for an employer still follows the contract-approval rules.
• Study: Lawful long-term residence permits study.
• Residency: Closest status to long-term residence; conditional and renewable rather than unconditional permanent residence.
• Family: Each adult holds their own card; children under fifteen are exempt.

Government fee

F CFA 15,200

Validity

1,825 days