The problem with getting many visas in Madrid, is that I do not have residence in Spain. Several embassies with more complex entrance requirements will not accept an application from a foreign national without residence. We could try to get around this by sending my applications to the U.S., but sometimes this wouldn't even work. Some of these countries have the added complication of a very short validity for their visas. If a visa is only valid for entry 3 months after it is given and it will take longer to drive there, we couldn't apply for it in Spain OR the U.S.
There are a few countries where the only option is to get our visas in neighboring countries. This seems impossible when first exploring the option, but by reading blogs we realize there is hope. Several other travelers have been able to get visas for those most complicated countries in neighboring countries. The only sad thing is that they seem to have accomplished this mostly due to luck.
Below I will explain, as well as I can, the requirements and process of applying for various visas. As we get these visas I will write additional posts to give more solid information about how it goes.
Morocco
There is nothing to be concerned about with Morocco. For Americans and EU citizens there is no visa required to enter. We also do not need to worry about a carnet de passage for our car. We will enter the border with little trouble.
Mauritania
This embassy is one of the first that requests my residence, but they will also accept a letter of permission from my own embassy. The application also requests a specified date of arrival, which will be the starting date of our 30 day visa. If we arrive late, we will have less than 30 days to be in the country. This is not too big an issue, because we do not plan to spend a lot of time in Mauritania. We are more interested in getting across quickly to Mali or Senegal.
- 2 photos, application, and passport
- reason, date, length of trip
- 120 € for a 30 day visa
Mali
The embassy of Mali has no problem giving visas to non-nationals without residence. The proof of departure requirement can be fulfilled by a visa for Burkina Faso, and it is easy to make a hotel reservation - even if we do not plan to use it.
- 2 photos, application, and passport
- Invitation/reservation from hotel etc., and proof of departure
- 70 € for a 30 day visa
Conveniently, Senegal will no longer require visas for entry by U.S. and EU citizens after May 1, 2015. Very nice indeed!
Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Niger
These countries have an agreement and it is possible to get a combined visa for all five of them. We do not plan to go to Niger or the Ivory Coast, but they are included in the visa all the same. The visa lasts two months, but you need to specify an exact date of entry. If you arrive earlier you can not get in. If you arrive later, the two months allotted will have still started at your specified date. If something happens and we get held back in our plans, we could lose some time to explore these countries.
As with other visas, the main issue is the requirement of a return ticket and hotel reservation. Return ticket may be avoidable if we can explain we are arriving by car, but they may ask for proof of visa for the next country. Reservations are not hard to get, but we would prefer to avoid them if possible.
The visa is available at the Embassy of Benin. We will get this in Madrid.
- General visa application
- Entente visa application
- 2 photos and passport
- ticket or reservation
- 120€ for a 30 day visa
We have heard that we can get visas for Nigeria in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. We also got confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that we could get them in Cotonou, Benin.
If we get a visa in Spain, the main issue is that there is a three month maximum to enter the country after getting the visa.. We are uncertain if three months is enough time, so we will most likely get this visa in Burkina Faso or Benin.
Really the main issue with getting a visa for Nigeria in Spain is that they require proof of my residence here.
- 2 photos, passport, and application
- Proof of online payment (This is a great way that the country avoids corruption)
- Evidence of sufficient funds (This causes issues for us as a couple, since all our money is in Javier's name)
- Letter from employment or non-employment certificate
- Letter of invitation/copy of data page of host
Cameroon
This visa is one of the first we plan to get. They require my residence. This is one of the countries that has a long entry period. We have six months to get there.
- 2 photos, passport, and application
- Hotel reservation
- Return ticket/visa for next country
- 77€ for a 30 day visa
The Congo does not have an embassy in Spain. The closest embassy is in Paris, and we have been unsuccessful in contacting that embassy. The best option we have is to get the visa in an African country. From blogs I have seen others get this visa in Cameroon with little trouble. We will see as we go, and post more when we know.
DRC
Although we have heard it is possible to get a visa for the DRC in Cotonou, Benin, we are going to try and get our visas here. But this embassy is very strict about me being a resident of Spain, which is a major issue for us.
- Photo, passport, and application
- Invitation letter and hotel reservation
- Departure ticket
The visa for Angola poses a fairly big issue. We could try and get it here in Spain, but the validity of the visa is only for two months. It will most definitely take us longer to get down to Angola than two months, so it is impossible for us to get it here. We have heard stories from other travelers about the Angolan visa, but they are not the most hopeful. One other couple managed to get transit visas for 10 days, but it cost them $200 US each. If it does not work, we will have to drive across the DRC. Let's cross our fingers.
After Angola the entry requirements of southern countries are much more relaxed, and there are very few visas we will need to get.
There will be more to come as we prepare. For any visas we get in neighboring countries we will do our best to explain the process thoroughly. We hope that we can help anybody preparing for a similar trip, since we have not had the privilege ourselves.
Feel free to contact us with any questions, or even information on visas.
