Visa policy of Benin

Most visitors to Benin must obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa) online or a visa from one of the Beninese diplomatic missions prior to their arrival in Benin, unless they are a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries.

Visa policy map

Visa policy of Benin

  Benin

  Visa not required

  eVisa

Visa exemption

Citizens of the following countries and territories can visit Benin without a visa for the period listed below: ^{[1] [2] [3]}

90 days All African Union member states (except SADR) Bahamas [4] Belize Dominica Grenada 1 [5] [6] Haiti 30 days China 14 days Hong Kong Singapore [7]

_{1 - 90 days within any 180-day period}

• Cruise ship passengers of any nationality can visit Benin without a visa for up to 72 hours. ^{[8] [9]}
• Visa-waiver agreements were signed with Dominica, Sri Lanka and Venezuela, however they have yet to come into force. ^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}

• In addition, holders of a passport endorsed for "public affairs" issued by China do not require a visa for up to 30 days. ^[2]

• In addition to countries whose citizens are already visa-exempt, holders of diplomatic or official / service passports of Angola (30 days), Brazil (30 days), China (30 days), Macau (30 days), Cuba (30 days), France, India, Iran (30 days), Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland & Turkey do not require a visa for up to 90 days (unless otherwise stated).

Date of visa changes [1]
30 April 1980: ECOWAS [14] (Economic Community of West African States): Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo 28 May 1980: Algeria (diplomatic and service passports) 10 December 1981: Cuba (diplomatic and service passports) 27 May 1992: China (travelling on duty, diplomatic and service passports) [1] 1 June 1992: South Korea (diplomatic passports) 17 February 1993: South Africa 3-5 June 1993: Tunisia 28 February 1997: Hong Kong 21 June 2001: Russia (diplomatic and service passports) 2 April 2002: Chad 15 June 2004: Morocco (diplomatic and service passports) 11 August 2005: Brazil (diplomatic and service passports) 23 March 2007: Republic of the Congo 28 November 2007: France (biometric diplomatic passports) 19 February 2008: Haiti 30 September 2009: Mexico (diplomatic passports) 5 April 2010: Gabon (diplomatic and service passports) 22 October 2010: Switzerland (biometric diplomatic passports) 6 August 2011: Iran (diplomatic and service passports) 2 August 2013: Central African Republic 11 December 2013: Turkey (diplomatic passports) 30 August 2016: All African countries [15] 31 August 2016: Rwanda 23 September 2016: Italy (diplomatic and service passports) May 2017: Kenya 29 July 2019: India (diplomatic and service passports) 22 September 2020: Singapore 22 September 2020: [16] Indonesia, Israel, Macau (unilateral) [17] 20 September 2023: China [18] [19] 24 January 2024: Bahamas [20] [21] [22] 16 April 2025: Grenada [5] Cancelled: March 2023: Indonesia, Israel, Macau

Electronic Visa (e-Visa)

Nationals of countries that require a visa can obtain an e-Visa. ^[23] E-Visas are available for stays up to 30 days (single and multiple) and 90 days (multiple). ^{[24] [25]}

See also

• Africa portal

• Visa requirements for Beninese citizens

References

1. "Pays signataires des accords de suppression de visa avec le Bénin | Ministère des Affaires Étrangères et de la Coopération de la République du Bénin". Ministère des Affaires Étrangères et de la Coopération (in French). Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation . Retrieved 11 June 2021.
2. "Visa and passport". Timatic . International Air Transport Association through Emirates . Retrieved 4 August 2024.
3. "Compare Destinations".
4. "Benin, Bahamas establish diplomatic ties, scrap visa requirements – the North Africa Post".
5. "Grenada signs visa-free waiver agreements with Ghana and Benin". caribbeanfocus.com. 16 April 2025.
6. "Grenadians Access Ghana & Benin Visa-Free - My Grenada Solutions Inc". mygrenadasolutions.com. 19 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
7. "Benin - Travel Page". www.mfa.gov.sg. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore) . Retrieved 1 July 2022.
8. https://visasnews.com/en/benin-free-72-hour-visa-for-cruise-passengers/
9. https://www.guidafrica.com/en/blog/welcome-to-benin-72-hour-visa-free-entry-for-cruise-tourists/
10. "Timor-Leste and Angola sign Visa Free Agreement for Diplomatic Service Passport - TATOLI Agência Noticiosa de Timor-Leste". en.tatoli.tl. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
11. "Venezuela y Benín firman acuerdos en el marco de cooperación sur-sur". Archived from the original on 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
12. MoU on Visa Exemption for Holders of Diplomatic, Official and Service Passports between Sri Lanka and Benin signed in Kampala
13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2024-09-25.
14. "Treaty Establishing the Economic Community of West African States - Protocol A/P1/5/79 on Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Establishment". Archived from the original on 14 June 2018 – via United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
15. Kuo, Lily (31 August 2016). "Benin will no longer require visas from other Africans". Quartz. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
16. Rédaction, La (21 September 2020). "Liste des pays où les Béninois peuvent voyager sans visa". L-FRII (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
17. There was no formal visa agreement behind the visa agreement for Indonesia, Israel and Macau prior to their termination in March 2023.
18. "Benin scraps visa requirements for Chinese tourists, investors".
19. "China and Benin".
20. "Benin Bahamas Abolish Visa Requirements for Each Other Citizens".
21. "Benin, Bahamas establish diplomatic ties, scrap visa requirements – the North Africa Post".
22. "Benin & Bahamas Abolish Visa Requirements for Each Other's Citizens". 25 January 2024.
23. "eVisa Benin".
24. "Formalités : Bénin : Le e-Visa est désormais disponible".
25. "Bénin : La plateforme en ligne de demande de visas disponible".

External links

• eVisa Benin