Vodundays · Preparing your visit
Africans enter Benin without a visa for 90 days. Other nationalities apply online for an e-Visa, 30 or 90 days, at least a week before arrival. The rest comes down to four things: health, money, dress, luggage.
Verified on 28 July 2026
All visa information on this page was taken directly from the official platform of the Beninese government, evisa.bj, to which evisa.gouv.bj now redirects. We copy no third-party site on this subject. Next check in October 2026, when the application window opens.
African passport
The official platform states it without ambiguity: Africans may visit Benin without a visa for 90 days. If you travel on an African passport, this page concerns you only from the health section onwards.
For other nationalities, the application is made online only, on the official platform. It runs in four stages.
Durations
30 days or 90 days, your choice. Validity starts on the date of entry you declare, not on the date of issue.
Timing
At least 7 days before entry, and never more than 90 days ahead. Processing stated as one hour to 96 hours.
Irreversible
No modification after issue, no refund. Read every field before paying, above all the passport number.
On site
If the visa expires during the stay, extension is handled by the Directorate of Emigration and Immigration. We will point you there.
We publish no price: the official schedule varies by duration and nationality, and is shown on the platform at the moment of application. We would rather send you there than display an amount that could be out of date by the time you read it.
Health
Yellow fever vaccination is required to enter Benin, with the corresponding international certificate. Malaria is present all year round: prophylaxis is discussed with a doctor, never with a website.
Consult a travel medicine centre six to eight weeks before departure. It is the only legitimate authority on this subject, and we will not stand in for it.
Money
The currency is the CFA franc, pegged to the euro at a fixed rate. Bring cash for markets, customary offerings and site contributions: card payment remains rare outside the larger establishments.
One point we document because it surprises everyone: during the Vodun Days, accommodation prices in Ouidah are multiplied by four to five, and serious establishments are full three to six months ahead. That is not a sales argument, it is the reality of the market in January.
This list does not come from a general guidebook. It follows from the real protocols of the places you will pass through, which we established fiche by fiche with the guarantor collectivities.
Shoes that come off quickly
Shoes are removed at the entrance to the sacred enclosure of the Python Temple. Complicated laces will cost you time and composure.
Decent, covering dress
Required at the Sacred Forest of Kpassè, appreciated everywhere else. Shoulders and legs covered.
Something white
If you approach the sanctuaries of Mami Wata or the shore during a ritual, immaculate white is the customary colour.
The means to make an offering
Strong drink, kola nut, sometimes palm oil. A blessing given by a guardian comes with an offering. Your guides will tell you what and when.
A hat you will agree to remove
Before the sacred iroko of Kpassèzoun, hats, caps and sunglasses come off.
Light clothing, and one warm layer for the evening
January is the dry season. Days are hot; the harmattan can make evenings cool and dusty.
Sun protection and water
Ceremonies take place largely outdoors, often standing, often for a long time.
A camera you know how to put away
Photography is free in some spaces, supervised in others, forbidden in several. The rule is never negotiable and it changes from one place to the next.
The detailed rules, place by place, are in The Gates of Ouidah.
It depends on your passport. According to the official e-Visa platform of the Beninese government, Africans may visit Benin without a visa for 90 days. Other nationalities apply online for an e-Visa at evisa.bj, valid for 30 or 90 days.
The official platform recommends applying at least 7 days before the date of entry, and it is not possible to apply more than 90 days in advance. Processing is stated as taking from one hour to 96 hours. For January 2027, the window therefore opens in early October 2026.
No, in both cases. Because issuance is automated, the e-Visa cannot be modified once issued, and no refund is possible. That is why every field must be checked before payment, in particular the passport number and the date of entry.
The platform only accepts cards with 3DS.2 security, Visa or Mastercard. A card without that protocol will be refused at payment, which blocks the application.
The official platform states that you should approach the Directorate of Emigration and Immigration to extend it. Our teams will point you there on site if the case arises.
Someone from the team answers from Ouidah, not a robot. On the visa, health or organisation, simply tell us your situation.