Senegal operates a visa policy administered through the Direction Générale de la Police Nationale under the Ministry of Interior. The official government visa information portal is https://www.servicepublic.gouv. Citizens of all Economic Community of West African States member nations enter Senegal without visa requirements for stays up to 90 days under ECOWAS free movement protocols established in 1975. This encompasses Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
European Union passport holders received visa-free access in 2013 under a reciprocal agreement between Senegal and the Schengen Area. Citizens of all 27 EU member states may enter Senegal without advance visa authorization for stays not exceeding 90 days within any 180-day period. This applies to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. The United Kingdom maintained visa-free access following its departure from the European Union under a separate bilateral arrangement.
Additional countries granted visa-free entry for stays up to 90 days include Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Gabon, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Uruguay. This list expanded significantly in 2013 and 2015 as Senegal pursued increased tourism and business investment from emerging markets. Morocco and Tunisia received reciprocal visa exemptions under intra-African agreements predating the broader African Union visa liberalization initiatives.
Senegal introduced electronic visa authorization in 2015 through a government-contracted platform. Eligible nationalities requiring visas may apply at https://www.visasenegal.sn before travel. The e-visa system requires passport biographical data, travel dates, accommodation confirmation, and a digital passport photograph meeting International Civil Aviation Organization standards. Processing typically requires 3 to 7 business days from application submission. The electronic authorization letter must be printed and presented at entry along with the passport. E-visas are available for tourism, business, and family visit purposes with validity periods of 30 or 90 days.
Travelers from countries without visa exemption or e-visa eligibility must obtain visas through Senegalese embassies or consulates before departure. These include most African nations outside ECOWAS and most Asian countries except those specifically listed for visa-free entry. Embassy visa applications require original passport with minimum six months validity beyond intended stay, completed application forms, two passport photographs, confirmed return air ticket, proof of accommodation, and bank statements demonstrating financial means. Processing times vary from 5 to 15 business days depending on diplomatic mission workload and applicant nationality.
All arriving passengers must complete a paper embarkation card distributed on aircraft or available at Blaise Diagne International Airport immigration counters. The form requires passport number, flight details, accommodation address in Senegal, and purpose of visit. Immigration officers at Dakar's airport and land border crossings stamp passports with entry date and authorized stay duration. Overstaying the permitted period incurs fines of 50000 CFA francs per month beyond authorized stay, payable at Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire offices before departure. Repeat overstay offenses may result in denial of future entry.
Passport validity requirements state that travel documents must remain valid for at least six months beyond the intended departure date from Senegal. This applies regardless of visa-free status or visa type. Immigration authorities routinely deny boarding and entry to travelers with passports expiring within six months of arrival. Children must possess individual passports; Senegal does not recognize children listed on parent passports for immigration purposes. This requirement took effect in 2010 following adoption of machine-readable passport standards under ICAO recommendations.
Yellow fever vaccination certification is mandatory for all travelers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission as designated by the World Health Organization. The list includes most sub-Saharan African nations and several South American countries. Travelers arriving from these areas without valid yellow fever vaccination cards face quarantine at the airport medical facility or denial of entry. The vaccination must have been administered at least 10 days before arrival and remains valid for life as of 2016 WHO revisions, though Senegal's implementation of lifetime validity rather than the previous 10-year requirement was not uniformly enforced as of 2023. Travelers transiting through yellow fever risk countries for more than 12 hours require vaccination regardless of leaving the airport.
Border crossing points into Senegal include Blaise Diagne International Airport located 43 kilometers east of Dakar, which opened December 7, 2017, replacing Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport. Land borders operate with Mauritania at Rosso and Diama on the Senegal River, with Mali at Kidira and Moussala, with Guinea at Koundara and Tambacounda region crossings, with Guinea-Bissau at São Domingos and Kolda region crossings, and surrounding The Gambia at multiple points including Karang, Giboro, and Farafenni roads. The Mauritania border at Rosso operates a vehicle ferry across the Senegal River operating daylight hours only. Mali border crossings experience periodic closures during rainy season flooding of access roads from July through September.
Entry through The Gambia presents particular requirements as travelers often cross Senegalese territory, enter The Gambia, then re-enter Senegal when traveling between Dakar and Casamance region. This requires valid authorization for both countries. The Trans-Gambia Highway from northern Senegal to Casamance crosses approximately 30 kilometers of Gambian territory. Both countries operate immigration posts at their respective borders on this route. Travelers must clear exit procedures leaving Senegal, complete Gambian entry and exit procedures, then re-enter Senegal with valid remaining authorization. The narrow geography of The Gambia means these four immigration stops occur within two hours of driving.
Casamance region entry from The Gambia or Guinea-Bissau requires standard Senegalese immigration procedures despite the region's geographic separation from northern Senegal and its history of conflict. The Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance and the Senegalese government signed a peace agreement in 2014, though sporadic tensions continued through 2022. Immigration authorities do not impose additional entry requirements for Casamance beyond standard national policies. The main crossing from The Gambia into Casamance operates at Giboro-Sénoba on the road to Ziguinchor.
Travelers entering Senegal by private vehicle must present vehicle registration documents, proof of insurance valid in Senegal, and international driving permit alongside their national license. West African Economic and Monetary Union member states recognize each other's insurance through the Inter-African Conference on Insurance Markets brown card system. Drivers from countries outside this zone must purchase temporary Senegalese insurance at border crossings. Vehicle import documentation requires carnet de passage for vehicles not registered in West African nations. Border officials record vehicle details in passports to ensure the vehicle departs with the same person who imported it.
Airport arrival procedures at Blaise Diagne International Airport direct passengers through health screening, then immigration counters, then baggage claim, then customs inspection, then final exit. Health screening as of 2023 involved temperature checks for passengers arriving from countries with active disease outbreaks as designated by WHO and African Centers for Disease Control. Immigration counters separate into multiple lines for ECOWAS nationals, other African Union members, and non-African visitors. Wait times vary from 20 minutes during off-peak hours to 90 minutes when multiple long-haul flights arrive simultaneously.
Customs regulations allow travelers over 18 years to import duty-free 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco, 1 liter of spirits over 22 percent alcohol or 2 liters under 22 percent alcohol, 50 grams of perfume, and personal effects appropriate to the trip length. Currency import and export is unlimited but amounts exceeding 500000 CFA francs must be declared on customs forms. The CFA franc operates under a fixed exchange rate to the euro at 655.957 CFA francs per euro, managed by the Central Bank of West African States. Foreign currency may be exchanged at airport banks and authorized exchange offices; street money changing is prohibited under banking regulations.