Sierra Leone Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into Sierra Leone.
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Guide
Sierra Leone treats its ECOWAS neighbors, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, and Cabo Verde, as visa free arrivals. Everyone else applies for an e-Visa, described as the easiest and most reliable route, or gets a visa on arrival, with fees typically running 35 US dollars for African nationals and 100 dollars for non-African nationals, a pricing split worth knowing before you budget the trip.
Even ECOWAS citizens who skip the visa need to show a return ticket and proof of accommodation on arrival, this is not a completely paperwork free entry, just a visa free one. Lungi International Airport is the main gateway, and guides suggest budgeting 30 to 60 minutes in the immigration hall, with extra questions likely if this is your first Sierra Leone entry.
Border crossings
- Lungi International Airport
The country's main air gateway, where immigration processing commonly takes half an hour to an hour, longer for first time visitors who get more questions.
- ECOWAS land borders
The 14 named member states cross without a visa, though still with the return ticket and accommodation proof expected of every visa free arrival.
Transit routes
- Have your return ticket and hotel booking ready even if you are visa free
ECOWAS status removes the visa requirement, not the standard proof of onward travel and accommodation checks.
- Check the eVisa fee against the visa on arrival fee for your nationality
The roughly 35 versus 100 dollar split by African or non-African nationality is worth confirming before you commit to either route.
Entry point notes
- Extensions go through Immigration in Freetown
If your visa free or visa period is running short, that is the office to visit rather than trying to leave and re-enter.
- Confirm yellow fever requirements independently
The sources used for this guide did not spell out Sierra Leone's specific yellow fever rule, and West African countries commonly require it, so check before you travel.