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Gabon e-visa: how to apply, processing times and delays
The Gabon e-visa is applied for online with the DGDI: €70 for one to three months, with a reply announced in 72 hours, but delays are common. The visa is stuck in your passport at Libreville airport. Apply two to three weeks before you leave.
The Gabon e-visa is applied for online, before you travel, on the portal of the Directorate General of Documentation and Immigration (DGDI). It costs €70 for a stay of one to three months, and the reply is announced within 72 hours. But that timeline only holds if your file is perfect: delays are common, and the visa itself is only stuck in your passport when you land at Libreville airport.
Never leave without the entry authorization you receive by email. Apply two to three weeks before departure, and first check whether your passport needs a visa with our Gabon visa tool.
Who needs a Gabon e-visa?
Whether you need a visa depends on the country that issued your passport. For most travelers, the answer is yes. The British government puts it plainly: you need a visa to enter Gabon, and you must apply before you travel. France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry's travel advice), the Government of Canada and the Spanish foreign ministry say the same for their citizens.
The Spanish foreign ministry points out something that still surprises people: citizens of European Union countries are no longer exempt from the visa requirement.
| Your passport | Visa for Gabon | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea (CEMAC) | No, for a stay of up to three months | CEMAC free movement since October 2017, with a valid passport |
| Morocco (ordinary passport) | No, for a tourist stay | Bilateral agreement signed in 2013, work excluded |
| France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain and most other countries | Yes | E-visa before departure, or a visa from a Gabonese embassy |
| United States | Check with an embassy | In December 2025, Gabon announced it was suspending visas for U.S. citizens |
For U.S. passports, the U.S. Embassy in Libreville relayed a reciprocity measure in late December 2025: Gabon is suspending visa issuance to U.S. citizens. The embassy asks travelers to check entry requirements with a Gabonese embassy before any trip.
Exemption lists change. Check your case on our Gabon entry requirements page, then with the Gabonese embassy in your country of residence.
The official Gabon e-visa website
The Gabonese government's online services portal, mesdemarches.ga, sends you to evisa.dgdi.ga. The application is done entirely online, with no account to create. France Diplomatie, for its part, links to edgdi.dgdi.ga, the DGDI's other online platform, used in 2025 for the free summer tourist e-visa.
Keep one simple rule in mind: both official addresses end in dgdi.ga. Middleman websites offer to apply on your behalf, for more money and with your personal data. Type the address yourself rather than clicking on an ad.
Watch out
The acknowledgment of receipt is not the entry authorization. The Spanish foreign ministry insists: without the authorization received by email, entry is not guaranteed.
How to apply, step by step
The process has two stages: online before departure, then at the visa office of Léon-Mba International Airport in Libreville.
1. Fill in the form and upload your documents
The government portal asks for four documents:
- the identity page of your passport;
- a color passport photo, 35 x 45 mm;
- proof of travel, such as your plane ticket;
- your yellow fever vaccination certificate.
Make sure every field matches your passport exactly. A typo in your name or passport number can hold up the file.
2. Choose the right length
There are two options, according to mesdemarches.ga. Pick the right one on the form: only the shorter visas can be extended in Gabon.
| E-visa | Cost | Extension in Gabon |
|---|---|---|
| One to three months, single entry | €70 or 45,000 CFA francs | One-month visa: two more months. Two-month visa: one more month |
| Six months, multiple entries | €185 or 120,000 CFA francs | None |
Extensions are requested at the DGDI visa office in Libreville. The Spanish foreign ministry also mentions a €15 procedure fee on top of the €70. Budget for it.
3. Wait for the entry authorization
Processing is announced at 72 hours minimum, and the portal states that no application can be processed faster. You first get an acknowledgment of receipt, then, if all goes well, the "authorization to enter Gabon" by email. Print it.
4. Pay and get the visa stuck in at the airport
When you arrive at Léon-Mba, the visa (a sticker) is placed in your passport, so you need a blank page. The government portal and the Spanish foreign ministry describe payment in cash at that point, in euros or CFA francs. The Embassy of Japan in Gabon specifies that the counter does not accept bank cards.
Our advice
Carry the visa fee in small bills: €70, plus the €15 fee mentioned by the Spanish foreign ministry, or €185 for six months. If the portal offers online payment before you leave, keep a printed proof of payment.
Online payment: announced, not yet widespread
In November 2025, Gabon's Ministry of the Digital Economy announced online payment on the portal for December 2025, through Airtel Money, Moov Money or Clikpay Money, according to Gabonreview. Yet in October 2026, the government portal and the Spanish foreign ministry still describe cash payment at the airport. We could not confirm that online payment works for all travelers.
Why the Gabon e-visa is often delayed
The 72-hour timeline assumes a complete, error-free file. In practice, several official sources describe much longer delays.
Applying for a visa online through the e-visa can lead to delays and complications.
In two consular notices, the Embassy of Japan in Gabon lists the most common causes:
- A missing document. The one most often forgotten is proof of accommodation, especially the hotel booking.
- Requests for missing documents that never arrive. The authorities are supposed to ask for missing documents by email, but these messages often don't arrive. The file then stays stuck without you knowing.
- The connection and the system. Internet conditions in Gabon and the state of the platform can make the wait much longer.
The Embassy of Japan also reports that several of its citizens were refused entry to Gabon. They had left before receiving their e-visa.
What to do if the reply doesn't come
If you have received neither an acknowledgment nor an authorization after a few days, don't wait in silence. The Embassy of Japan advises contacting the Gabonese authorities directly, by email or phone. If they can't be reached, contact the nearest Gabonese embassy.
Check your spam folder too: messages from the platform can end up there. And reread your file: a missing hotel booking is the first cause of blockage cited.
Finally, keep a fallback option. The British government considers that the most reliable way to get a visa is through the Gabon High Commission in London. The Spanish foreign ministry also strongly recommends going through the Gabonese embassy in your country of residence. If your departure is getting close with no reply, call the embassy in your country.
Our advice
Apply for your Gabon e-visa two to three weeks before departure. If nothing has arrived a week before your flight, contact the DGDI and the Gabonese embassy, and move your flight if needed rather than leaving without an authorization.
When to apply for a Gabon e-visa
For any visa, we always advise applying one to two weeks before departure. For Gabon, allow more time: the official portal already asks for at least a week, and the delays reported by embassies often go beyond the announced timeline. Aim for two to three weeks.
Don't apply months ahead without checking how long the authorization is valid, either. Read it as soon as it arrives and compare it with your flight dates.
What you'll show on arrival in Libreville
At the airport counter, the government portal asks for four things: your passport, the printed e-visa, the yellow fever certificate and proof of travel, such as accommodation and a return ticket. Have everything on paper, not just on your phone.
| Document | What to know |
|---|---|
| Passport | Valid for more than six months according to France Diplomatie. Canada counts those six months from the date you leave Gabon: that is the most cautious rule |
| Printed e-visa | The entry authorization received by email, not the acknowledgment of receipt |
| Accommodation | A hotel booking or a letter from the hotel, according to the British government. Spain warns that you may be asked for bookings covering your whole stay, unless you are staying with family |
| Return ticket | Printed as well |
| Yellow fever card | Checked systematically on entry |
Our article on the hotel booking for the Ivory Coast visa explains which document to request from a hotel: the principle is the same for Gabon.
Yellow fever and health: the check is systematic
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required to enter Gabon. The Institut Pasteur requires it for travelers aged 9 months and older, whatever country they come from. France Diplomatie specifies that the card is checked systematically on entry.
Get vaccinated at least 10 days before departure, at an approved center. According to the WHO, a single dose has been enough for life since 2016. A second dose is only useful if you were vaccinated before age 2, during pregnancy, or if you have HIV or a weakened immune system.
Watch out
The yellow fever certificate is part of the e-visa file and will be checked on arrival. Keep the yellow card with your passport, never in checked luggage.
Malaria is present year-round throughout the country. See a doctor before departure about preventive treatment, and seek care immediately if you develop a fever during your stay or in the three months after you return.
Arriving by road, staying longer
The sources we consulted only describe the e-visa being issued at Léon-Mba airport in Libreville. If you are entering Gabon by road, from Cameroon or the Republic of the Congo for example, have the visa put in your passport by a Gabonese embassy before the trip. That is the most cautious rule.
For a stay of more than three months, France Diplomatie says you must apply for an entry authorization of indefinite duration. Ask a Gabonese embassy before you leave.
Before you go: safety on the ground
The French foreign ministry does not advise against travel to any region of Gabon. It calls for extra vigilance at night throughout the country, on some beaches and in several Libreville neighborhoods. The Government of Canada recommends a high degree of caution and reports many roadblocks, especially outside Libreville: keep your passport and visa on you.
Watch out
France Diplomatie formally advises against driving at night outside the capital, and strongly advises against recreational boating in the Gulf of Guinea because of piracy.
Also check your own government's travel advice. Our Gabon page covers Libreville, Lopé, Loango and the national parks, along with health, money and safety on the ground. If you are combining the trip with a neighboring country, read our guide to the Cameroon visa: the online process follows a similar logic.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Gabon e-visa cost?
€70 or 45,000 CFA francs for one to three months with a single entry, and €185 or 120,000 CFA francs for six months with multiple entries, according to the Gabonese government portal in October 2026. The Spanish foreign ministry adds a €15 procedure fee. Payment is made in cash at the airport.
Can I get a visa on arrival in Libreville without applying online?
No. The visa is stuck in at the airport, but only with the entry authorization received after the online application. Travelers who left without it have been turned back.
How long does it take to get a Gabon e-visa?
At least 72 hours if the file is complete. Embassies report longer delays. Apply two to three weeks before departure.
Is the tourist e-visa free?
It was during a limited campaign, from July 1 to September 30, 2025, according to the Embassy of Gabon in France. Outside that kind of campaign, the e-visa is paid.