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.
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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.
This blog is for those who wish to apply for Sierra Leone Visa in Dakar, Senegal
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.
Read more: Where to Stay in Freetown Sierra Leone.
What you will need to get Sierra Leone Visa in Dakar:
- 2 passport photos
- A completed application form provided by the embassy for Sierra Leone Visa
- A fee of 60,000 CFA($103) paid to nearby bank CBAO
- Hotel booking and Letter of invitation for your Sierra Leone Visa
- Copy of yellow fever certificate
- Copy of your passport
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 & Café on the corniche.
Here, you will find some delicious food, great coffee, and fast wifi.
Have you recently applied for a Sierra Leone Visa? Let us know in the comments so other travellers can be kept up to date with any changes.
Travel Tips for Africa
We have many travel guides and tips for Africa – what a massive continent!
Have you ever wondered how many countries in Africa there are? 54 or 55? We cover them in depth in our ultimate Africa bucket list.
There is some delicious cuisine to be enjoyed across Africa, and these ten best African countries for food will inspire your food journey.
Check out how many of these 15 most popular foods you can taste.
If you’re wondering what they eat for breakfast in Africa, check out these 20 popular breakfast foods.
For food lovers, our Food Map of AFRICA lists the quintessential dish you need to eat in every nation!
It’s worth reading these 17 ESSENTIAL Things to know before travelling to West Africa, and our packing list for Africa may be helpful to you.
Don’t miss our recap of our travels across West Africa for even more helpful tips, and try these popular West African dishes; they’re fantastic!
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If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour. Check out our Group Tours first for any upcoming departures in Africa, or view Tourradar for deals on group tours in Africa.
Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.
Travel Planning Resources
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4 Comments. Leave new
Always interesting to read about how to get African visas 🙂 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. Don’t rely on Google maps or you will be like me, running around Dakar on a wild goose chase 🙂 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 “pay” 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.