Gabon recently hasn’t been the easiest for visas with many reports online saying that the E-visa while accepted online can be rejected when arriving at the airport in Libreville. If you find yourself in Malabo however, it is possible to visit the Gabonese Embassy with relative ease and apply for one in person. Here is what you need.
What documents are required?
To apply for the visa you will need the following documents:
- Gabonese visa form;
- Passport-size photo;
- Photocopy of your passport;
- Flight ticket (we know some people just provided arrival flight and some that provided one for departure and all were accepted. We would say to be safe provide them with both arrival and departure details);
- Photocopy of your yellow fever certificate;
- Copy of your hotel reservation; and
- A copy of your Equatorial Guinea visa.
How much does it cost?
The cost of the visa is 50,000 CFA which must be paid in local currency. If you exchange cash in Malabo this will mean the cost is around $80 USD.
Where is the embassy?
You can find the Embassy of Gabon located in the Paraiso district of Malabo,. If you are dirving towards the airport on Airport road you will take a left turn at Carretera Principal de Paraiso and then take the first left that is an actual road. If you get lost people in the area will know the building and many people in the city will also know the actual location of the embassy. The embassy opens at 9am, which usually means it opens at just past 9.
What is the processing time?
You can get the visa processed in 1 day for 50,000 CFA. If you hand in all of your documents in the morning you can receive the visa back at around 3pm that same day. If you give them a local number, they can call you when the visa is ready, however be aware the staff will usually only know wither French or Spanish.
Once you hand in your documents, that’s pretty much all you need to do. It is quite an easy process and won’t take up much of your time.
How long is it valid for?
The visa will be valid for 6 months from when it is issued. The amount of time you will be able to stay in the country will be down to what you put on the visa form. If you put 3 days, then it will say 3 days on your visa. For US citizens Gabonese visas are valid for 5 years now!
What else should I know?
One thing to be aware of in Equatorial Guinea is that getting documents is very expensive and often hotels will flat out refuse to do it for you. There are numerous copy shops around Malabo which will all charge you 500 CFA per page to print a document. Our advice is if you intend to do the visa in Malabo then have your documents prepared in advance.
How does arrival work in Libreville?
Arrival into Libreville is fairly easy, just make sure you have your accommodation proof handy as they will ask for it at the airport. They may also ask about your other travel plans and you could even be pulled aside into a room. They are fairly friendly and mainly just want to know that you’re a genuine tourist and not a journalist looking to sneak into the country.
When you arrive in Gabon you can also buy a Sim card very easily at the airport as well as get a taxi for between 2000-5000 CFA depending on the time of day and how good your French is. People in Gabon are very friendly and have a great sense of humour, so if you find yourself travelling in the region , we do recommend checking it out!
If you are looking to explore Central Africa, check out our tours in both
Equatorial Guinea
and Cameroon now available on our website. To sign up or for more information send us an email to
[email protected]
.
