Benin entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): Valid for the whole stay (until the day you leave)
Visa (FCDO): You need a visa to enter or travel through Benin. Official visa text
Official source: GOV.UK – Benin travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 15 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Benin, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Australian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for Benin with a British passport?
In short: You need a visa to enter or travel through Benin.
Our one-line summary of the first FCDO sentence below, which matches a wording we recognise. It applies to British citizen passport holders; read the full official text, which may add conditions.
You must have a visa to enter or travel through Benin.
For further information on entry requirements, contact the Beninese Embassy in France (in French).
Applying for a visa
Apply for a Benin visa online at least 7 days before your arrival date. You will get your visa when you arrive at Cotonou airport.
More from the FCDO visa section (extensions, border checks and other cases)
Visas for Nigeria, Ghana and Togo
You cannot get entry visas for Nigeria, Ghana or Togo in Benin. For onward travel you must apply for visas before travelling to Benin.
Official source: GOV.UK – Benin travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 15 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
Your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay.
Official source: GOV.UK – Benin travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 15 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Benin
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 17 March 2023: “Removal of outdated information (‘Coronavirus’ page), updated information on curfews (‘Safety and security’ page) and updated information on visas to neighbouring Togo (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 6 July 2022: “Updated information on the lifting of COVID testing requirements for entry and departure (‘Entry requirements’ page)”
- 19 May 2022: “Factual update about the re-opening of the land border with Togo to fully vaccinated travellers (‘Entry requirements’ page ‘If you are transiting Benin’ section)”
- 25 January 2022: “New information on COVID-19 testing/screening requirements for travellers arriving and departing from Benin ('Entry requirements' page)”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Benin (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (Valid for the whole stay)
and 19 more destinations with the same rule: see all
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status