Cote d'Ivoire border technology

How the biometric e-visa works

An information note issued under the Ministry of Economy and Finance for the Ease of Doing Business conference of 26 to 28 November 2018 sets out the e-visa steps ¹. The applicant pre-enrols online with the passport identity page, a flight booking and an invitation letter or proof of lodging, and then pays ¹. The authority sends approval or refusal by email within 48 working hours, with a barcode ¹.

The traveller then enrols biometrically at the Visa aéroport area of Félix-Houphouët-Boigny airport in Abidjan, and the visa is printed and handed over on the spot ¹. The note says these counters are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ¹. Fingerprints and a photo are required for each application, except for children under 12, who must still be present ¹.

On arrival the traveller shows the original payment receipt, the approval from the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST), a passport valid for at least six months and a yellow fever vaccination certificate ¹. The note says ECOWAS nationals and nationals of several other countries are exempt from the visa ¹. It gives www.snedai.ci as the website for the application and does not describe SNEDAI's role ¹.

Launch in 2013 and airport visas from 2014

The APA news agency reported that the biometric visa was launched at a ceremony at Félix-Houphouët-Boigny airport on 22 November 2013 ². It reported that the DST checks each file and that the visa is issued in under three minutes after enrolment ². Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko said the system lets travellers who could not get a visa before departure obtain one on arrival, as reported ².

APA described SNEDAI as the company that makes the e-visas and the Ivorian biometric passports ². AFP reported on 9 January 2014 that issuing visas on arrival at the Abidjan airport began on 2 January ³. AFP reported an aim of raising the number of visas issued from 180,000 to 300,000 in one year ³.

Fees over time

The 2018 note says an online application does not guarantee a visa and fees are not refunded after a refusal ¹. This page did not open a current official fee schedule, so the latest fee read is the 2018 figure ¹.

ePassports and the ICAO PKD

The ICAO PKD participant list shows Côte d'Ivoire with a joining date of 19 July 2018 ⁴. Rwanda's immigration directorate lists Cote d'Ivoire among the countries whose citizens get a free visa on arrival for 90 days ⁶.

API and PNR assessment

The UN Counter-Terrorism Committee says its Executive Directorate (CTED) led a virtual deep-dive assessment in Cote d'Ivoire from 2 to 8 June 2020 on the country's capacity to put Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems in place ⁵. The mission followed up on recommendations from the Committee's 2018 visit to Cote d'Ivoire ⁵.

Partners were CTED, UNODC, ICAO, the UN Office of Information and Communication Technology and INTERPOL, under the UN Countering Terrorist Travel Programme led by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism ⁵. CTED says it uses mission findings to draw up a national API and PNR roadmap with the state ⁵. The page does not publish findings ⁵.