Gabon: visa and entry rules

Gabon's borders: every crossing point

Gabon's land border crossings, neighbour by neighbour:

With Cameroon: Bitam–Ebolowa in the north.

With Equatorial Guinea: Bitam–Ebebiyin in the north-west. The route is complicated by how closed Equatorial Guinea itself is.

With the Republic of the Congo: Ndende–Dongou in the south and Franceville–Lekety in the south-east.

Roads in the border areas are unpaved, and in the rainy season some routes are impassable.

The main way in is Libreville International Airport.

By sea — the port of Owendo just outside the capital.

Driving to Gabon

Traffic drives on the right.

Check the temporary import conditions for Gabon before you set off. The period for which a car is let in, and whether a carnet is needed, differ from country to country.

Insurance is bought locally, at the border.

An International Driving Permit is required.

Travelling to Gabon with a pet

An international veterinary certificate is required, endorsed by the state veterinary service of the country you are leaving.

A rabies vaccination must be valid on the date of entry.

An import permit is arranged in advance with the veterinary service.

Confirm the vaccination timings, the microchip and quarantine for bringing an animal into Gabon before you buy the tickets. It is not the border that turns you back but the carrier — right at the check-in desk.

Overstaying your visa in Gabon

A fine is charged for exceeding your permitted stay and is paid on departure.

The exact amount will be named by the officer as you leave. The rates in Gabon have changed more than once, and figures from reference sources cannot be relied on — take plenty of cash to the border.

Extensions are arranged in advance, before your permitted stay runs out.

A serious overstay means deportation and an entry ban.