Gambia, The Visa Information

Passport/Visa

	Passport Required?	Visa Required?	Return Ticket Required?
British	Yes	No	Yes
Australian	Yes	No	Yes
Canadian	Yes	Yes	Yes
USA	Yes	Yes	Yes
Other EU	Yes	Yes/1	Yes

Passport Note
(a) Nationals of some countries always require a transit visa; enquire with airline for details. (b) All visitors must hold return or onward tickets, all documents for their next destination and sufficient funds for their stay.

Passports
Passport valid for at least three months after date of return required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Visas
Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for a maximum stay of three months except the following:
(a) nationals of the USA and Canada;
(b) 1. nationals of Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain;
(c) transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft within two hours provided holding valid onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport.

Note: Tourists and others traveling on last-minute bookings will be allowed entry without a visa but will be required to submit their passport to the Department of Immigration in Banjul within 48 hours to be issued a proper visa.

Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see General Info).

Types of Visa and Cost
Tourist and Business: £20 (single-entry); £40 (multiple-entry).

Validity
Visas start from date of entry. Single-entry visas are valid for six months. Multiple-entry visas are valid for 12 months. Extensions are possible and should be applied for at the Immigration Office in The Gambia.

Applications to:
Consulate (or consular section at embassy); see General Info.

Working Days Required
48 hours in person. At least one week by post.

Warning
Visitors should not travel by road from The Gambia to Casamance in southern Senegal because of a recent increase in fighting between rebel factions involving the Senegalese armed forces.

Crime against tourists is rare, but travelers should take sensible precautions and remain vigilant in public places.

Care should be taken when driving or walking on roads, particularly at night, due to unpredictable driving standards and lack of street lighting.

Malaria is prevalent in The Gambia.

The threat from terrorism is low, but travelers should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organizations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: (0845) 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel

Health

	Special Precautions	Certificate Required?
Yellow Fever	Yes	1
Cholera	Yes	2
Typhoid and Polio	3	N/A
Malaria	4	N/A

Health Care
Visitors are advised to bring good supplies of sunscreen, insect repellent and indigestion/diarrhoea medicines; all of these may be needed and they can prove expensive or, in some cases, impossible to buy in The Gambia. The government provides both therapeutic and preventative medical and health services, and plays a dominant role in health services. Health insurance is strongly advised. Travelers in possession of prescriptive drugs should carry proof of their prescriptions preferably in labelled containers. Police have on occasion arrested travelers carrying unlabelled containers.

Note
1
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travelers over one year of age arriving from endemic or infected areas. Travelers arriving from non-endemic zones should note that vaccination is strongly recommended for travel outside the urban areas, even if an outbreak of the disease has not been reported and they would not normally require a vaccination certificate to enter the country.

2
Following WHO guidelines issued in 1973, a cholera vaccination certificate is no longer a condition of entry to The Gambia. However, cholera is a risk in this country and precautions are necessary. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination as medical opinion is divided over its effectiveness.

3
Immunization against typhoid and poliomyelitis is often advised.

4
Malaria risk, predominantly in the malignant falciparum form, exists all year throughout the country. Chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance has been reported.



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