N'Djamena Hassan Djamous International Airport (NDJ) receives most international arrivals into Chad. The airport sits approximately 4 kilometers north of the city center. Air France operates direct flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle three times weekly. Ethiopian Airlines connects through Addis Ababa. Tchadia Airlines, the national carrier, maintains routes to regional destinations including Douala and Libreville. Turkish Airlines began service via Istanbul in 2018. The airport terminal expanded in 2017 with Chinese financing but retains limited facilities including one baggage carousel and minimal seating. No airport hotels exist on-site. Air-conditioning functions intermittently.
Currency in Chad is the Central African CFA franc (XAF), shared by six nations in the Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale. The fixed exchange rate pegs to the euro at 655.957 XAF per euro since January 1999. This rate replaced the previous peg to the French franc. US dollars occasionally circulate in oil industry zones but few vendors accept them. The highest denomination banknote is 10,000 XAF, worth approximately 15 euros. Coins exist in denominations from 1 to 500 francs though coins below 50 francs rarely circulate due to negligible purchasing power.
Visa requirements mandate advance approval for nearly all nationalities before arrival. Citizens of countries within the Economic Community of Central African States (CEMAC) — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon — enter without visas for stays under 90 days. All others must obtain visas from Chadian embassies or consulates. Chad does not operate visa-on-arrival systems or electronic visa programs. Processing times at embassies typically span 7 to 14 business days. Tourist visas initially grant 30-day validity. Extension applications process through the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire in N'Djamena, requiring multiple visits and 10,000 to 25,000 XAF fees. Overstaying generates fines starting at 25,000 XAF per week.
Banking infrastructure concentrates in N'Djamena with minimal presence elsewhere. Commercial Bank Tchad, Ecobank, and Banque Agricole et Commerciale operate the largest branch networks. Moundou and Sarh contain one or two branches each. Abéché has sporadic banking services. ATMs exist at perhaps 20 locations nationwide, nearly all in N'Djamena. The machines dispense only XAF in 5,000 and 10,000 franc notes. Daily withdrawal limits range from 150,000 to 300,000 XAF depending on the bank. Machines frequently run empty, particularly after civil servant paydays around month-end. Card acceptance outside major hotels approaches zero. Visa and Mastercard function at select locations in N'Djamena including Hotel Radisson Blu and Hotel Kempinski, both operating under management contracts since 2016 and 2011 respectively.
Travelers should carry substantial cash in euros. Exchange occurs at banks during business hours, typically 07:30 to 14:00 Monday through Friday with Saturday hours until noon. Private exchange bureaus operate in N'Djamena near the Grand Marché but rates vary and counterfeit notes circulate. Hotels exchange at rates approximately 5 percent below official. French embassy staff and NGO workers typically change money at banks. The process requires passport presentation and generates receipts needed for eventual reconversion, though reconverting XAF before departure proves difficult since few banks maintain euro stocks. Exiting Chad with more than 25,000 XAF requires central bank authorization almost never granted to tourists.
SIM cards for mobile phones sell at Orange Tchad, Airtel, and Moov offices in N'Djamena and larger towns. Orange maintains the most extensive 3G network reaching N'Djamena, Moundou, Sarh, Abéché, and major route towns. 4G service exists only in limited N'Djamena zones since 2019. A SIM card costs 1,000 to 2,000 XAF. Data packages start at 2,500 XAF for 500 megabytes valid one week. Voice credit costs approximately 125 XAF per minute for local calls. Registration requires passport copies, local address, and sometimes a Chadian sponsor signature. Internet cafes existed in N'Djamena until approximately 2017 when most closed due to mobile data availability. Hotel WiFi functions unreliably. Connection speeds rarely exceed 512 kilobits per second outside oil company compounds.
Electrical supply runs at 220 volts, 50 Hz using European two-pin round sockets (Type C and E). Power outages occur daily in N'Djamena, lasting from 30 minutes to six hours. The city's generation capacity from the Walia and Farcha plants totals approximately 60 megawatts against demand exceeding 90 megawatts. Moundou and Sarh experience similar shortfalls. Most hotels and businesses run diesel generators but switch them off during low-occupancy periods to save fuel costs.