Côte d'Ivoire entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): At least 6 months after the day you arrive
Visa (FCDO): You need a visa to enter Côte d'Ivoire. Official visa text
Official source: GOV.UK – Côte d'Ivoire travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 29 May 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Côte d'Ivoire, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for Côte d'Ivoire with a British passport?
In short: You need a visa to enter Côte d'Ivoire.
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 Côte d’Ivoire.
Applying for a visa
Apply and pay for an e-visa online at least 10 working days before you travel to allow time for your application to be processed. Once it is approved, you will be able to collect your visa on arrival at Abidjan airport.
If you are not an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) national, you must hold a valid visa or have had your application for an e-visa approved before you travel.
Official source: GOV.UK – Côte d'Ivoire travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 29 May 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
To enter Côte d’Ivoire, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.
Official source: GOV.UK – Côte d'Ivoire travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 29 May 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Côte d'Ivoire
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
- 29 May 2026: “Addition of information about heightened health screening measures for those entering Côte d'Ivoire from Ebola-affected regions ('Entry requirements' page).”
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 6 June 2023: “Updated information on the removal of COVID-19 testing for passengers entering or departing Côte d’Ivoire ('Entry requirements' page).”
- 25 October 2022: “Updated information on the Declaration of Travel by Air formand an increased number of dengue fever in Abidjan ('Entry requirements' and 'Health' pages).”
- 1 July 2022: “Updated information on entry requirements and a small localised outbreak of dengue fever in a part of Abidjan ('Entry requirements' and 'Health' pages)”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Côte d'Ivoire (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (6 months after arrival)
and 79 more destinations with the same rule: see all
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status