Immigration law in Ivory Coast

The main framework includes Loi n° 90-437 of 29 May 1990 and its implementing decrees, the Constitution, Loi n° 2023-590, the Code de la Nationalité and ECOWAS rules. Immigration authorities include the Ministère de l’Intérieur et de la Sécurité, the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST), the Office National de l’État Civil et de l’Identification (ONECI), the Ministère de l’Emploi and SAARA. ECOWAS citizens generally use a valid travel document and an international health certificate to enter through an official point without a visa for up to 90 days. An extension permission is needed for a longer stay, and national grounds for refusing entry still apply. The reported abolition of the 90-day limitation has not yet been implemented, so travellers should not assume an unlimited regional stay. Non-ECOWAS nationals generally need a visa unless an exemption applies. A passport normally needs at least six months of validity, and authorities may request a yellow-fever certificate, evidence of purpose, accommodation and onward or return travel. The official e-visa channel is operated through SNEDAI. Applicants generally upload a passport, a return-ticket reservation and either an invitation or a legalized accommodation certificate. The stated fee is EUR 73 including bank charges. DST review normally takes about 48 working hours but can take longer. Pre-approval is valid for three months, airport biometric enrolment is required and approval is not guaranteed; the fee is not refunded after refusal. A foreigner over 16 who stays for more than three months generally requires a Carte de séjour. Current practical procedures for many non-ECOWAS applicants use the ONECI Carte de résident service. A first application, renewal, duplicate or change of details can require a passport or consular card, pre-enrolment evidence, sponsorship, a residence certificate issued within the previous six months and proof of activity or status. Employees commonly provide an attestation de travail, students an enrolment or attendance certificate, traders a registre de commerce, retirees proof of pension and religious workers or cooperants evidence from the relevant sector. The legal summary describes a one-year validity period and consideration of means and professional situation. A Titre provisoire de séjour (TPS) is an interim document while a Carte de résident is pending. The catalogue lists a three-month validity and a cost of 20,000 FCFA; it can be authenticated and supports exit and re-entry. A provisional renewal service lists a 6,000 FCFA charge and may require the passport, visa and entry stamp, residence certificate, activity or status evidence, photographs and the previous TPS. The stated residence-card cost is 300,000 FCFA for non-ECOWAS nationals, 150,000 FCFA for French nationals, and 35,000 FCFA for French religious workers or cooperants. Optional VIP and Premium services are listed at 15,000 and 25,000 FCFA. Late-document penalties vary by year and status; for non-ECOWAS nationals, the listed annual amounts for years one to five are 60,000, 72,000, 90,000, 105,000 and 125,000 FCFA. Administrative fees can change. Work requires more than entry or a residence document. A foreign worker’s contract or hiring letter is subject to prior visa by the minister responsible for employment under the Code du Travail and Decree n° 96-287. The stated deadline for that visa is no more than eight days after filing. Employers generally lead the supporting procedure. An ECOWAS establishment right does not remove local employment and immigration formalities. A student visa, admission or enrolment evidence and residence documentation support study-related residence, but student status alone does not establish a general work right. Family reunification can facilitate the entry of a spouse and minor children under 21 joining a resident, and specified cases can receive a residence card by operation of law. Practical files can include a legalized support certificate, the sponsor’s card or receipt, evidence of the sponsor’s means and marriage or parentage documents. These documents concern the family relationship and do not automatically confer citizenship. The Constitution recognizes a right to seek asylum, and Loi n° 2023-590 applies without discrimination. Protection can concern persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a social group or political opinion, as well as statelessness and certain serious public-order situations covered by regional rules. A protection request can be expressed at a land, sea or air entry point. SAARA and the structure responsible under the Ministry handle the process, while Decree n° 2024-1362 regulates the Commission nationale des réfugiés et des apatrides. Applicants and recognized refugees must respect the law, remain politically reserved and avoid subversive activity. Expulsion safeguards include notification and transfer protections, and an expulsion decision is not executable until available remedies have ended or their deadline has expired. The reviewed official material does not establish a separate indefinite permanent-residence class. Continued lawful residence therefore relies on renewing the relevant Carte de résident or TPS, while naturalisation is a separate nationality procedure. The Code de la Nationalité provides acquisition by descent, declaration, marriage-related procedures and naturalisation, subject to the exact case. Naturalisation is granted by decree after an inquiry and generally requires five years of habitual residence before filing and habitual residence when the decree is signed. A reduced two-year period is reported for a person born in Côte d’Ivoire or for certain persons who rendered specified services, and an exceptional-service or exceptional-interest procedure can omit the standard residence stage. Lawful stay, identity, civil-status and nationality evidence remain central. Birth in Ivory Coast alone does not establish automatic nationality on the available evidence. A refusal may concern a visa, entry, residence documentation or protection status. Visa refusal does not generally produce a refund, and no single general appeal process for visa refusals is clearly published on the reviewed official portals. The appropriate consular or administrative review depends on the decision and should be assessed with the relevant authority or qualified legal adviser. ECOWAS expulsion requires notification to the person, the country of origin and the ECOWAS Executive Secretary. Keep the passport, visa or pre-approval, entry stamp, health certificate, accommodation or invitation evidence, residence certificate, ONECI receipts, activity or enrolment documents and family or civil-status records consistent and available.