Planning your trip — formalities, health, money
Entering Senegal
Since 1 May 2015 Senegal has abolished its paid biometric visa: nationals of a long list of countries — most of West Africa, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Brazil and others — are admitted without a visa for stays under three months, with a passport valid for at least six months on entry. This is what the official pages of Senegal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of the Senegalese consulate in Paris state.
Check your own situation before booking. Visa reciprocity measures were announced in 2025 for some previously exempt nationalities, and public sources do not allow us to establish exactly how they are being applied at the time of writing. The only safe reflex: confirm the regime applying to your nationality with the Senegalese consulate or embassy in your country of residence before booking anything.
Health
Since the official notice of 9 March 2026, presenting a vaccination certificate is not required to enter Senegal (for travellers from countries with no declared outbreak) — yellow fever vaccination remains recommended. This rule changed twice in a fortnight in early 2026: check it again shortly before departure. Note also the international rule, which has not changed: if you arrive from (or transited through) a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, the certificate may be required.
Malaria is present year-round across the whole country. Senegal's health authorities report remarkable progress — 73 of 79 health districts are in the pre-elimination phase — but no traveller should skip individual precautions: see a travel health clinic before departure for prophylaxis suited to your profile, and protect yourself from mosquito bites (repellent, bed net).
Money and phone
The currency is the CFA franc (XOF), pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of 655.957 FCFA to €1. ATMs are common in the main cities, scarcer in rural areas. Day to day, mobile money (Wave, Orange Money) is everywhere — you will need a Senegalese number to use it: prepaid SIM cards are sold at AIBD airport and in official shops, passport in hand (registration is mandatory). Three operators cover the country: Orange, Free and Expresso.
Also in this guide
When to go — seasons and climate
Dry season November to May, rainy season June to October, harmattan in winter: pick your dates by region and programme.
Read more →Getting around — trains, roads, domestic flights and the ferry
TER and BRT in Dakar, toll motorways, flights to Casamance, the Ziguinchor ferry, taxis and car hire: moving around Senegal.
Read more →Dakar and around — Gorée, Ngor and remembrance
Gorée Island and its House of Slaves, the African Renaissance Monument, Ngor and Madeleine islands, the Pink Lake: the peninsula at its best.
Read more →The Petite Côte — Saly, Somone and Joal-Fadiouth
Beach resorts, the Somone lagoon, Popenguine cliffs and the shell island of Fadiouth: Senegal’s holiday coast.
Read more →Saint-Louis and the North — heritage and river birdlife
The UNESCO-listed island, the jazz festival, Djoudj bird sanctuary and the Langue de Barbarie: the North between history and ornithology.
Read more →Sine-Saloum — mangrove channels and islands
A UNESCO-listed delta where pirogues, shell mounds and island villages compose one of the country’s most beautiful landscapes.
Read more →Casamance — Cap Skirring, Ziguinchor and Diola culture
Some of West Africa’s finest beaches, a majestic river, Diola culture: the lush South is welcoming visitors back.
Read more →Eastern Senegal — Niokolo-Koba and Bassari country
The great national park freshly off the danger list, the Bassari cultural landscapes and the Dindéfélo waterfall: adventure lies east.
Read more →Culture and food — Teranga, mbalax and Ceebu Jën
Teranga, Youssou Ndour’s mbalax, wrestling, the Dakar Biennale, the great pilgrimages — and a national dish on the UNESCO list.
Read more →