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Sierra Leone Visa Policy

Browse the visa policy of Sierra Leone and learn if you need a visa to visit the country for your nationality.

Visa Policy for Sierra Leone

The Republic of Sierra Leone visa policy determines if foreign citizens need a visa for Sierra Leone and who may enter the country in West Africa without a visa.

Regardless of whether you require a Sierra Leonean visa or not, all foreign travelers need to have a passport with a minimum validity of 6 months from the date of entry. You may also be asked to present border authorities with an International Certificate of Vaccination against yellow fever to enter the country.

At the moment, there are only a few nationalities who do not need a visit visa for Sierra Leone, citizens of other West African countries. All other passport holders need a visa for Sierra Leone no matter the amount of time they wish to spend in the Republic or the purpose of the visit.

A visa on arrival for Sierra Leone is available for under 5 nationalities for short-term stays in the country. However, this visa application method involves waiting in long lines at border checkpoints and the need to supply varying paper supporting documents.

Over 200 nationalities are now able to apply for a Sierra Leone visa online through a simplified electronic application program. The eVisa for Sierra Leone, also known as the Visit Sierra Leone visa (VSL), allows a stay of 30 days for tourism purposes. It is valid for a total of 90 days from the date of approval.

Those not eligible for the eVisa wish to visit the country for long-term stays or purposes other than tourism need to apply for a visa from a Sierra Leonean embassy or consulate. Additionally, an embassy visa for Sierra Leone is a mandatory requirement for up to 40 nationalities regardless of the period of intended stay or purpose of travel.

Discover further information about these different types of entry to Sierra Leone below.

Tourist Visa Policy for Sierra Leone

Sierra Leonean rules and regulations for tourism currently identify over 240 countries whose citizens need a tourist visa for Sierra Leone. Depending on nationality, this may be either an eVisa through an online application, a visa or arrival, or a visa for tourism obtained from an embassy.

Over 200 nationalities can now apply for a Sierra Leone tourist visa online and remove the need for inconvenient long waits at the border to submit a visa on arrival application. Eligible tourist travelers can complete the online visa application for Sierra Leone in just a few minutes to receive an approved VSL visa for tourism sent by email.

An approved tourist eVisa for Sierra Leone is a single entry online visa that allows the holder a stay of 30 days in the country. It is valid to enter the country for 90 days from the date of approval.

Citizens of roughly 40 countries are not eligible for an eVisa for tourism and are required to apply for an embassy tourist visa from their nearest diplomatic government office of Sierra Leone.

These different types of tourist visa for Sierra Leone are outlined in greater detail below.

EVISA

In 2019, the government of Sierra Leone announced that it was developing a simplified electronic visa protocol to facilitate tourist entry and remove the need to wait in long lines at the border to apply for a visa on arrival.

The eVisa for Sierra Leone, also known as the Visit Sierra Leone visa (VSL), was implemented for tourist travelers from over 200 countries in 2020. It also removes the need to visit an embassy in person to collect a paper document, as online applicants receive a copy of their approved eVisa sent by email.

An approved Sierra Leone visa online allows the holder a single entry stay of up to 30 days in the country for tourism and leisure purposes. It allows the traveler to enter the Republic at any time during its 90-day validity.

To apply for the VSL visa for Sierra Leone, it is simply necessary to complete an online form with basic personal, passport, and travel information. You can then upload supporting documents in digital form and pay the eVisa fee in order to submit your application.

A Sierra Leone eVIsa is usually processed within 2-3 business days. Nevertheless, you should submit your application at least 5 business days in advance of your intended arrival date to allow for enough processing time in the rare case of delays.

Find a comprehensive list of nationalities eligible for the Sierra Leone eVisa below.

EVISA: Country list

  • Afghanistan
  • Aland Islands
  • Albania
  • American Samoa
  • Andorra
  • Anguilla
  • Antarctica
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Barbados
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bermuda
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bonaire
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bulgaria
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • Cape Verde
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile
  • China
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos Islands
  • Colombia
  • Cook Islands
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Curacao
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Estonia
  • Falkland Islands
  • Faroe Islands
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • French Guiana
  • French Polynesia
  • Gambia
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Grenada
  • Guadeloupe
  • Guam
  • Guatemala
  • Guernsey
  • Guinea
  • Guinea Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Ivory Coast
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kiribati
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Liberia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macau
  • Macedonia
  • Malaysia
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Martinique
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Mongolia
  • Montenegro
  • Montserrat
  • Myanmar
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • New Caledonia
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Niue
  • Norfolk Island
  • North Korea
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Norway
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palau
  • Palestinian Territory
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Pitcairn Islands
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Republic of Cyprus
  • Romania
  • Russian Federation
  • Saint Barthelemy
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Martin
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
  • Singapore
  • Sint Maarten
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Suriname
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Syrian Arab Republic
  • Taiwan
  • Tajikistan
  • Thailand
  • Timor Leste
  • Togo
  • Tokelau
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Tuvalu
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • United States Virgin Islands
  • Uruguay
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vanuatu
  • Vatican City
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Yemen
Sierra Leone VSL Visa Info

or

Apply Online

Visa On Arrival

A visa on arrival for Sierra Leone is a type of entry permit issued to eligible travelers at select border checkpoints of the country. At present, there are under 5 nationalities that can obtain this type of visa on arrival.

A Sierra Leone visa on arrival allows the holder a single-entry short-term stay in the country. The application protocol requires the traveler to go directly to immigration control upon arrival and wait in line to be given a form to complete by border authorities.

You will then need to complete this form with a variety of personal data, travel information, and passport details. It will also be necessary to supply the immigration officer with supporting documents in paper form and to pay the visa on arrival fee before the application can be processed.

Passport holders who are also eligible for the eVisa for Sierra Leone are advised to use this application method. This is because it eliminates any long waits at the border and grants expedited entry at immigration control.

You can find out if you are eligible to apply for a visa on arrival for Sierra Leone by browsing the list below.

Visa On Arrival: Country list

  • Kenya
  • Uganda
Get Embassy Info

Embassy or Consular Visa Required

Sierra Leone’s immigration policy currently identifies approximately 40 nationalities who need to obtain a consular or embassy visa to travel to the country. This is a mandatory requirement for these citizens no matter the expected duration or their stay or the reason for visiting Sierra Leone.

An embassy visa for Sierra Leone may be issued as a variety of visa types, as either a tourist visa, business visa, transit visa, work visa, student visa, or other visa option. It may be issued as either a single entry visa or for multiple entries, and for a range of periods of permitted stay and validity depending on the purpose of the intended stay.

To apply for a Sierra Leone embassy visa, it is first necessary to make an appointment at the nearest diplomatic government office. You will then need to complete a visa application form to bring to the confirmed consular interview alongside a variety of supporting documents depending on the type of visa you require.

As it may take several weeks for a visa from a Sierra Leone embassy to be processed and approved, applicants are advised to apply well in advance of the intended arrival date to allow for sufficient processing time.

Discover a full list of nationalities who need a visa for Sierra Lene from an embassy below.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required: Country list

  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Botswana
  • Burundi
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Comoros
  • Congo
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Lesotho
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Mauritius
  • Mayotte
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Reunion
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Helena
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Seychelles
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Swaziland
  • Tanzania
  • Tunisia
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
Get Embassy Info

Visa Not Required

Sierra Leone immigration requirements state that citizens of only a select few countries, nationals of a few other West African countries, do not need a visa for Sierra Leone for short-term stays up to 90 days.

Additionally, holders of a diplomatic or service passport issued by Iran, or a diplomatic, service, or public affairs passport issued by China are permitted a visa-free stay of up to 1 month in Sierra Leone.

Visa exemption is granted to nationals of these countries if they present a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival to immigration authorities at the border. If the passport does not meet this minimum validity requirement, the traveler is advised to first renew the document before planning their visit.

To visit Sierra Leone for longer periods than those permitted visa-free, or to undertake employment or study in the country, these same travelers will need to apply for a Sierra Leonean visa from an embassy or consulate.

Browse the list below to discover the visa-free countries for Sierra Leone.

Visa Not Required: Country list

  • Mauritania
Get Embassy Info

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