🇸🇳Senegal Visa for Swiss Citizens2026 Requirements, Fees & Documents

Prior Authorisation Visa (Visa avec autorisation préalable)

Pre-travel visa authorisation required for Category C (restricted) nationals and holders of refugee travel documents (1951 Convention). Approval is granted by Dakar Central Visa Office or Ministry of Interior; the actual visa stamp is issued on arrival at DSS airport.

Two application routes: (1) Apply via a Senegalese embassy abroad - minimum 4 months processing. (2) Have a Senegal-resident contact apply at Dakar Central Visa Office on your behalf - 1 to 2 weeks minimum; requires phone interview with Ministry of Interior. Required documents: copy of travel document, letter of invitation with full contact details of inviter, passport photo. Upon approval, a short-stay visa is stamped in the passport at DSS airport. Applies to Category C nationals and refugee travel document holders. Free of charge.

Diplomatic / Official Passport Visa Exemption

Visa-free entry for holders of diplomatic, service, or official passports from countries with bilateral visa-abolition agreements with Senegal, even where the country's ordinary passport holders fall under Category B or C.

Countries with split treatment (ordinary = Category B or C, diplomatic/service = Category A visa-free) include: Algeria (diplomatic/service), China (diplomatic/service/official), Gabon (diplomatic/service), Iran (diplomatic - 30-day limit), Kenya (diplomatic/service), Libya (diplomatic/service), Pakistan (diplomatic/official/service), South Africa (diplomatic/service), Tanzania (diplomatic/service), Turkey (diplomatic), Uganda (diplomatic/service). Entry is granted directly without a stamp or prior application for diplomatic passport holders.

Carte d'Identité d'Étranger (Foreigner Residence Permit)

Mandatory residence/identity card for any foreign national residing in Senegal for more than three months (long-stay residents, employees, students, and family members). Issued by the Foreign Police (DPETV) under the Ministry of the Interior.

Card is valid 5 years and renewable. A foreigner must apply within 3 months of settling in Senegal. Required documents: handwritten application to the Minister of the Interior, copy of the first 5 passport pages, criminal-record extract (<3 months), birth certificate (<6 months), medical certificate, 3 photos, a 15,000 FCFA fiscal stamp (timbre fiscal), and a refundable repatriation bond (caution de rapatriement, amount varies by nationality). Issuing timeline exceeds 1 year; in the meantime a récépissé de dépôt valid 6 months is issued as a temporary permit. Purpose-specific documents are added on top of this common file (employment contract for workers, enrollment certificate for students). Processed via DPETV, DGPN, and final ministerial decision.

Carte d'Identité d'Étranger - Étudiant (Student Residence Permit)

Residence permit variant for foreign students enrolled at a Senegalese school or university who reside in the country for more than three months.

Same carte d'identité d'étranger issued by the Ministry of the Interior (DPETV), granted on the basis of study. In addition to the common residence-permit file it requires a school/university enrollment certificate (certificat d'inscription) and, for sponsored students, a sponsorship/scholarship confirmation from the student's embassy. Same 15,000 FCFA fiscal stamp and repatriation bond apply. Card valid 5 years, renewable; a 6-month récépissé is issued while the card is produced.

Visa d'Approbation du Contrat de Travail d'Expatrié (Expatriate Work Contract Approval)

Mandatory government approval (endorsement) of a foreign/expatriate worker's employment contract before the worker may lawfully start work in Senegal. This is the core work authorisation, obtained by the employer in addition to the foreigner's residence permit.

Issued by the Direction Générale du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale (DGTSS, Ministry of Labour). Employer-initiated: the employer must submit the contract for approval before it takes effect, and an unapproved contract is null and void. An expatriate contract must be a fixed-term contract (CDD). The DGTSS approves with a stamp (visa d'approbation) or rejects with justification within 15 days; the approval must be renewed every 2 years. Contract filing/processing is dematerialised via the teledac.sec.gouv.sn portal. A separate carte d'identité d'étranger (residence permit) is also required to reside in Senegal.