If you are planning to visit Sierra Leone, you will most likely need a Sierra Leone Visa.
This post has some helpful information to help you obtain one in Dakar, Senegal.
We may earn affiliate commissions from websites we link to, at no cost to you. Click here for details.
Please check your visa requirements for Sierra Leone here or on your government website.
You can also obtain your Sierra Leone visa on arrival.
As many travellers do a lot of Overlanding travel across West Africa, visas can be then obtained en route, and often you are not able to get the e-visa.
There are a few embassies of Sierra Leone listed on google, so make sure you have the right address (see below for more information).
We arrived on Thursday morning and we were able to apply on the same day, before noon.
The application form was provided and we had to walk to a nearby bank, CBAO to pay for our visas.
The wait at the bank was about one hour. We were asked for what additional documents are required straight up so make sure you have everything you need.
We returned to the embassy with the payment slip and we were asked to return at midday the following day.
We arrived at 11 am the next day and our passports with visas were ready. Although we asked for a multi-entry visa, we were told it was not possible.
The visa sticker does have this option but it was crossed out for single entry only.
It might be an option to do so in Freetown, but as a result of this, we changed our plans so we would be entering Sierra Leone only once.
Location: Address: PG2H+R2, Dakar, Senegal
You can find it on google but it shows the location in the downtown area. We also asked taxi drivers, but they didn’t have a clue. Make sure you have the right address – it’s 100 metres from the Embassy of Gabon, in the same street as the Embassy of Morocco.
Simply look for the flag of Sierra Leone outside.
There is a supermarket Auchan nearby and Ecobank if you need an ATM.
NOTE: We have found that Ecobank has been the most reliable bank in West Africa to make ATM withdrawals for International Bank cards.
If you are looking for some excellent coffee & ambience or a healthy lunch, walk down to Lulu Design Shop & CafƩ on the corniche.
Here, you will find some delicious food, great coffee, and fast wifi.
Have you recently applied for Sierra Leone Visa? Let us know in the comments so other travellers can keep up to date with any changes.
Our post aboutĀ 17 Things to know before travelling to West AfricaĀ is essential information for embarking on a trip to this challenging region of Africa.
You can navigate to ourĀ AFRICA PageĀ for more blog posts relevant to each country. Don’t missĀ 8 Popular West African dishes you need to try
We’ve been travelling the world for a long time now, and we’ve learned a few things along the way. Find our best travel advice and tips here –Ā Our Best Travel Tips from 20+ Years of Travel.
We have posts about how to save money to travel the world and even a post about 20 Jobs that PAY YOU to Travel the World.
āļø Flights: We use Skyscanner to book cheap flights worldwide.
šØ Accommodation: Booking.com is our preferred platform for booking hotels and accommodation.
š„ Travel Insurance: We recommend Heymondo (Get 5% off Heymondo) & SafetyWing
š Transportation: Trainline is the best website to reserve trains. We use Omio to book transport worldwide. For travel in Asia, we use 12Go.
š Car Rental: We use DiscoverCars to book rental cars worldwide.
š« Group Tours: G Adventures OR compare multi-day tours worldwide with Tourradar.
šø Day Tours & Trips: GetYourGuide & Viator are the only two platforms you need.
š Lonely Planet: The Best Range of Travel Guides & Ebooks, and FREE Shipping! (use code RACHELDAVEY10 for a 10% discount)
š Luggage: Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack or Samsonite Luggage Range.
š What to Pack: Donāt forget your Universal charger and a good power bank. To help you pack the essentials, here is our ULTIMATE Packing List for all Travellers.
š¶ Become a House Sitter: Join Trusted Housesitters and enjoy FREE accommodation worldwide. Use our invite to receive 25% off your new membership.
š° Send Money Anywhere: WISE & Revolut are the best online accounts that let you send money, get paid, and spend money internationally. Both are so easy to use and way cheaper than any bank transfer.
š¶ Stay Connected: Airalo eSIM allows you to get connected the moment you land at your destination, and you can avoid those expensive data roaming charges. We LOVE this product! Use promo code NOMAD15 for 15% off ALL eSIMs (new Airalo users only) OR use NOMAD10 for 10% off ALL eSIMs (for existing Airalo users)
ā Check out our Travel Gear and Travel Resources for more valuable tips to save you money!
4 Comments. Leave new
Always interesting to read about how to get African visas š Just wondering, did you get the invitation letters together with the hotel reservation?
Yes we did. As we travelled this leg of our journey with an organised tour (Dragoman Overland), they provided us with hotel reservation/invitation letter to obtain our visa.
Incredible journey! Thank you very much for sharing! For those coming to Dakar and trying to get their visas, the embassy of Sierra Leone (as well as Guinea Bissau and Liberia) have all moved again. Sierra Leone is now located behind Sinotel. Best thing is to check Overlander application – it has all the most up to date locations of the embassies. Donāt rely on Google maps or you will be like me, running around Dakar on a wild goose chase š Oh, yes, keep the receipt (which means ask for it from the consulate!) for the payment for your visa. You are likely to get asked for it when you enter Sierra Leone by land and if you do not have it, the border guys will be difficult and will ask you to āpayā again. There is also a great West Africa Travellers forum on Facebook which I recommend to join. It is basically all the people who have travelled in West Africa or are planning or are travelling. Lots of up to date and sometimes real time information on border crossings, tips, etc. Happy travels!
Hi Inessa,
Thank you so much for this valuable information and updates – it will be super helpful for future travellers.