Guinea-Bissau Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into Guinea-Bissau.
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Guide
Guinea-Bissau, not to be confused with its larger neighbor Guinea, runs three visa tracks of its own. Travelers holding biometric ECOWAS passports, specifically named as Cabo Verde, the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, can enter without prior clearance. Most other visitors apply for an e-Visa at evisa.gov.gw, uploading a passport bio page and a yellow fever card and paying by card, with an approval PDF issued in three to five working days, and airlines are described as refusing boarding without the printed letter, a screenshot on your phone is not accepted at check-in.
A visa on arrival option exists too, requiring a permit from the Guinea-Bissau Migration Service arranged beforehand along with a valid travel document, and if you are paying for it at the airport, bring small denomination euros or CFA francs, card readers are described as often failing there. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is compulsory for anyone aged one year or older, and there is exactly one way in by air, Osvaldo Vieira International Airport in Bissau, the country's only commercial runway.
Border crossings
- Osvaldo Vieira International Airport, Bissau
The sole commercial airport in the country, meaning there is no alternate air gateway to fall back on if a flight is cancelled or rerouted.
- ECOWAS land borders
The eight named ECOWAS countries move without prior clearance, a genuinely different and simpler process than the e-Visa route.
Transit routes
- Print the e-Visa approval letter before you fly
A phone screenshot or mobile PDF is described as not passing airline check-in, so print a physical copy.
- Carry small bills if you are paying for a visa on arrival
Card readers failing at the airport is common enough that guides specifically warn about it, cash in euros or CFA francs is the safer plan.
Entry point notes
- The visa on arrival still needs advance paperwork
A permit from the Migration Service has to be arranged beforehand, it is not a walk up option despite the name.
- Yellow fever proof applies from age one
A slightly different age threshold than some neighboring countries, worth checking if you are traveling with a young child.