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Ivory Coast e-visa: how to apply, processing time and pitfalls
The Ivory Coast e-visa is applied for only on snedai.com: 73 € including bank fees, an answer in 48 working hours or more, then the visa is printed on arrival at Abidjan airport. Apply at least two weeks before you leave, and first check whether your passport needs one.
The Ivory Coast e-visa is applied for on a single website, snedai.com, and costs 73 € including bank fees (the price shown in October 2026). The answer arrives by email within 48 working hours, sometimes longer. The visa itself is printed when you arrive at Abidjan airport, after your fingerprints and a photo are taken.
Apply at least two weeks before you leave. And first of all, check that your passport actually needs one: citizens of ECOWAS countries and a few other countries enter Côte d'Ivoire without a visa.
Do you need an e-visa for Côte d'Ivoire?
It all depends on your nationality. Citizens of ECOWAS countries (Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Niger, Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, and others) travel freely. A few other passports are also exempt, such as those of Morocco, Tunisia, Chad, the Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
For other travelers, a visa is required. That includes French, Belgian, Swiss, Canadian, American, British, Spanish and Indian passports, but also Cameroonian and Algerian ones. Our Côte d'Ivoire visa tool gives the rule for 17 passports, with its sources.
Exemption lists can change. Check your own case on the official website or with the embassy of Côte d'Ivoire before you buy your tickets.
The only official Ivory Coast e-visa website: snedai.com
SNEDAI is the company that handles visas for the Ivorian state. Its website spells it out: it is “the only website officially recognized and approved by the State of Côte d'Ivoire for visa applications.” France Diplomatie, the British government and the U.S. Department of State all point to snedai.com.
Intermediary websites offer to do the paperwork for you, often for more money. They add nothing and put your data at risk. Type the address snedai.com yourself rather than clicking on an ad.
Watch out
When you pay, the SNEDAI website sends you to a payment page run by a service provider (zetesft.com). That is normal, but make sure you started from snedai.com.
How to apply, step by step
The process has two stages: online before you leave, then at the airport when you arrive.
1. Fill in the form and upload the documents
On snedai.com, open the e-visa section and fill in the form. You then upload three required documents, in JPG, PNG, GIF or PDF format, each 1 MB at most. SNEDAI warns that a single missing document leads to the application being rejected automatically.
| Document | What to know |
|---|---|
| Passport identity page | Ordinary passport, valid for at least six months after your arrival date |
| Round-trip plane ticket | A reservation is enough, but it must show the return |
| Letter of invitation or accommodation certificate | The letter must be typed, printed, signed, stamped and legalized |
If you are staying in a hotel, ask the hotel for the accommodation document before you submit your application. If a friend or relative is hosting you, allow time: their letter is legalized locally, in Côte d'Ivoire.
2. Pay 73 €
Payment is by Visa or Mastercard. The price shown is 73 €, bank fees included. Be careful: SNEDAI states that there is no refund, even if the application is refused.
3. Receive the approved pre-enrollment
The answer arrives by email within 48 working hours, Monday to Friday. SNEDAI warns that this can take longer. You then receive a document with a barcode, called the “approved pre-enrollment.” It is valid for three months from the date of approval.
4. Print and board
Print the registration receipt and the approved pre-enrollment before you fly. The U.S. Department of State warns that border officers may refuse entry to a traveler without pre-approval.
5. Have the visa printed at Abidjan airport
When you land at Abidjan international airport, go to the “Visa aéroport” (airport visa) area. Your fingerprints and photo are taken there, then the visa is printed and stuck in your passport. The counters are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Children under 12 do not have to give fingerprints, but every traveler must appear in person.
How long does the Ivory Coast e-visa take?
SNEDAI announces 48 working hours. The British government advises applying at least 10 working days before departure. Go with the more cautious advice: apply one to two weeks before you leave, and preferably two.
Don't apply too early either. The approved pre-enrollment is only valid for three months after approval. An application made five months ahead risks expiring before your trip.
Our advice
Submit your application two weeks before you leave, on a Monday or Tuesday. If the answer is slow to come, you will still have working days left to call SNEDAI.
What you will show on arrival
At the airport counter, keep these within reach: your passport, the registration receipt, the approved pre-enrollment and your international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever. This certificate is required to enter Côte d'Ivoire, according to all the official sources we consulted.
For yellow fever, a single dose lasts for life, according to the WHO. A second dose is only useful if you were vaccinated before the age of 2, during pregnancy, or if you have HIV or a weakened immune system. Get vaccinated at least 10 days before departure, at an approved center.
SNEDAI's FAQ also asks for travel insurance valid for your whole stay. It does not appear in the e-visa list, but insurance that covers repatriation remains essential in West Africa.
Pitfalls that cost you time or money
The absence of a single one of these documents leads to the automatic rejection of the visa application.
Refusals and unpleasant surprises almost always come from the same mistakes.
- A missing or unreadable document. A blurry scan, a file over 1 MB or a ticket without a return date is enough to get the application rejected, and the 73 € is not refunded.
- An invitation letter that is not legalized. A handwritten or unstamped letter will not be accepted.
- A passport that is too close to expiry. It must be valid for six months after arrival. The U.S. Department of State also asks for a blank page for the visa.
- Arriving without printed documents. Your phone can die or lose signal. Have the pre-enrollment on paper.
- Forgetting your yellow fever card. Without it, you may be refused entry.
- Arriving by road. Official sources only describe the e-visa for arrivals at Abidjan airport. If you are coming from Ghana by bus, for example, ask the embassy before you leave.
Length of stay and multiple entries
SNEDAI announces a three-month multiple-entry visa. France Diplomatie speaks of a visa “valid for 1 to 3 months.” So don't assume anything: read the duration and the number of entries printed on your visa at the airport. If you are planning a round trip to Ghana or Togo, check that you really have multiple entries.
To stay longer, SNEDAI says an extension is possible once you are in the country. Apply for it before your visa ends.
Our advice
Take a photo of the visa page as soon as it is stuck in your passport, and carry a paper copy of your passport and visa. Leave the originals in the hotel safe.
Before you go: safety and official advice
The French foreign ministry advises against all travel to the entire border with Mali and Burkina Faso, and to Comoé National Park. It also advises against travel to the border region with Liberia unless strictly necessary. Elsewhere, the U.S. Department of State recommends increased caution. Check your own government's travel advice too.
To plan the rest of your trip, our Côte d'Ivoire page covers Abidjan, Grand-Bassam, Assinie and Yamoussoukro. The festivals of Côte d'Ivoire will help you choose your dates. If you are combining the trip with Senegal, also read where to stay in Dakar.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get the visa on arrival in Abidjan without applying online?
No. The visa is printed at the airport, but only after an approved online application. Without the approved pre-enrollment, border police may refuse you entry.
How much does the Ivory Coast e-visa cost?
73 € including bank fees, according to the SNEDAI website in October 2026. Payment is by Visa or Mastercard, and it is not refunded if the application is refused.
Is a hotel booking enough as proof of accommodation?
SNEDAI asks for “the letter of invitation or the accommodation certificate.” Ask your hotel for an accommodation document in your name, with the dates of your stay, rather than a simple screenshot of your booking.
Who should you contact if there is a problem with your application?
SNEDAI runs an information line at (00225) 27 22 51 08 08, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Abidjan time. For a question about your nationality, contact the embassy or consulate of Côte d'Ivoire in your country.