Guinea (Conakry) to Sierra Leone Border Crossing Guide (Overland Travel) — Step-by-Step

This border crossing was different from anything we’d experienced so far—not because of the border itself, but because after clearing the Sierra Leone border post, you encounter a roadblock where a local officer requested a $500 Leone “fee”!

In this guide, we document our experience crossing the Guinea–Sierra Leone border overland with our Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. We’ll share exactly what to expect, how to get your visa, where to exchange money, and other important tips to make your crossing smooth and stress-free.

Do You Need a Visa for Sierra Leone?

If you’re holding a US or European passport, you will need a visa to enter Sierra Leone.

This is actually one of the easiest visas you’ll apply for in West Africa. Sierra Leone offers an e-visa, but if you prefer applying in person, the Sierra Leone Embassy in Conakry is in a nice part of town with easy parking across the street. The staff are very helpful, and processing takes about two days.

Step-by-Step Sierra Leone eVisa Application Guide

Visit the official Sierra Leone eVisa website and click on “Start a New VISA Application” to begin the online process.

Select your nationality and then choose the visa type that applies to you under the “Non-African Union” category. You’ll have two options available: a multiple-entry visa for $160 USD or a single-entry visa for $80 USD.

Enter your name and email address to receive a confirmation code. Once the code arrives in your inbox, enter it on the verification page to continue with the Sierra Leone eVisa application process.

Agree to the eVisa Terms and Conditions, then fill out your personal details.

Next, under “Host Name” and “Host Address,” enter the hotel or accommodation where you’ll be staying, including the full name and address.

Once everything is completed, save your application to continue.

Next comes the payment section. Select the visa application you want to pay for by checking the corresponding box, then click “Checkout” to proceed.

At this stage, you’ll be assigned a reference number. Keep this number safe, as you’ll use it later to check the status of your Sierra Leone eVisa application.

Before completing the payment, note that the system adds a 4.49% online payment processing fee plus an additional flat fee of $0.49 USD. Once reviewed, enter your debit or credit card information and submit the payment.

After the payment is processed, a confirmation pop-up will immediately appear stating that your application has been successfully paid.

If you’re traveling with multiple people, keep in mind that the entire application and payment process must be completed separately for each applicant.

Make sure the email you enter is your main email—you’ll receive your visa PDF there

How to Check Your Visa Application Status Online

Your e-visa is usually approved within two days. To check the status of your visa, start by returning to the home page and selecting “Check the status of a VISA application.” From there, enter your email address and last name to receive a verification code.

Once you receive and enter the code, you will be able to access the “My application” section, where you can view the status of your submission. All applications submitted back to back will appear on this page. Initially, they will be highlighted in yellow to indicate that they have been submitted. Once approved, their status will change and they will be highlighted in green.

I entered each of our email addresses during the process. However, since my application was submitted first, both confirmation emails were sent to my email inbox. Make sure to check both email addresses you used to ensure you don’t miss any updates regarding your visa approval.

Where to Print Your E-Visa

Along the national road from Conakry to the border, you can find small shops offering printing and photocopy services. Look for signs indicating photocopies, scanner, printing. The last town with this service is Maférinya, about 30 km from the Sierra Leone border.

Money Exchange Tips

If you need to exchange leftover Guinean Francs to Sierra Leonean Leone, there are several local money changers near the border. They can also exchange Euros or US Dollars into Leone. At the time of our crossing, the official exchange rate was:

1 USD = 22,683 Leone

You will need at least 500 Leone in cash for the roadblock fee, which we’ll explain later in the article.

Where to Stay Before Crossing the Guinea–Sierra Leone Border

As always, we recommend crossing borders as early as they open. There are several reasons: less crowded checkpoints, which can help minimize corruption; less stress by avoiding big crowds; and faster processing times.

For this crossing, we found a hidden, private wildcamp just before the border. It was perfect because it left us with only a short drive to the border in the morning. If you venture into the rural roads around this area, you should be able to find similar wildcamp opportunities for an easy early start.

Border Opening Time: 9:00 AM

Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD)

A Carnet de Passages is highly recommended for overlanders traveling through West Africa. In our case, our carnet didn’t explicitly list Sierra Leone on the back. When we purchased ours, we requested coverage for all West African countries. The agent explained that only countries requiring securities are listed on the carnet— But in our experience, it was still valid and widely accepted by local authorities.

Exiting Guinea at Pamelap

For our exit from Guinea, we used the Pamelap–Gbalamuya border post, the main overland crossing connecting Conakry (Guinea) and Freetown (Sierra Leone). This is widely recognised as the primary highway route for travellers moving along the West Africa overland corridor, and it forms the most direct and commonly used land entry point between the two countries. The crossing sits on a key transnational road linking Guinea’s capital with Sierra Leone’s Northern Province, making it a standard route for both commercial traffic and 4×4 overland travellers heading toward Sierra Leone from Guinea.

As we approached the border, the first thing we encountered was a simple roadblock with a rope stretched across the road. A guard was stationed there, and once we explained we were tourists continuing on to Sierra Leone by overland vehicle, he lifted the barrier and directed us through.

A short drive later, we reached a second checkpoint. Here, we turned right and followed the road until we arrived at another roadblock beside a small white and blue building on the left-hand side. This is where the official exit process begins.

At this point, we presented our Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD) to the customs officer, who carefully recorded all our vehicle details. From there, we continued forward and parked in front of A long white and blue building with the Guinean flag painted on the front, located on the left side of the compound.

Inside, we entered and turned right to locate immigration services. The process here was straightforward: we submitted our passports, completed biometric thumbprints, and received our official exit stamp from Guinea.

After immigration, we continued down the hallway on the left-hand side. At the far end, we found another passage on the right. Walking straight ahead and then turning left brought us to the “Chef de Douane” office. Here, a customs officer stamped the exportation counterfoil of our Carnet de Passages and collected the corresponding exportation voucher, officially clearing our vehicle out of Guinea.

Overall, the Guinea–Sierra Leone border crossing at Pamelap was smooth and efficient. Every officer we interacted with was friendly and helpful, which made the process far less intimidating than expected. From start to finish, the entire exit procedure took around 15 minutes, and no payments were requested from us at any stage of the process.

Entering Sierra Leone

Crossing into Sierra Leone from Guinea is seamless, as the Sierra Leone border post sits immediately after exiting Guinea at Pamelap/Gbalamuya. Once you clear the Guinean side, you essentially roll straight into the next phase of the journey after passing through another checkpoint.

On arrival, we parked directly in front of a long white building positioned on the left side of the border compound.

We walked inside the building and turned left into the main immigration office. From there, we continued straight ahead into the office of the officer in charge of stamping passports, located directly inside the room. The officer was a friendly lady who processed our printed visa and stamped our passports, officially granting us entry into Sierra Leone.

Once the immigration formalities were completed, we exited the office and turned left, continuing down the corridor. Walking further along the hall, we reached the customs section on the left, just beyond the main entrance area.

From there, we entered the first small office on the left and handed over our Carnet de Passages en Douane. The customs officer promptly processed it, filling out, stamping, and signing the importation counterfoil to officially register the vehicle entry.

The whole process was surprisingly quick and efficient, taking around 10 minutes in total and once again, no payments were requested from us.

Just before leaving the border post, your vehicle may be briefly stopped again to present your Carnet.

The Infamous “Road Tax” Roadblock

We’d read warnings about this infamous road tax roadblock on overland forums, so before leaving the border, I asked both the Guinea immigration and customs officers if we’d need to pay anything. Every single one assured me: with a Carnet de Passages, there was no fee.

Just a half-block from the border, we encountered the roadblock: a simple rope across the road. A man in military uniform approached first, chatting in a friendly way, only to be replaced by a man in civilian clothes moments later. That’s when the friendly facade dropped—he demanded payment to continue. We explained we had a Carnet de Passages and weren’t required to pay. He insisted. Arguments escalated; he got visibly angry.

We parked and waited. Soon, the customs officer who had just stamped our Carnet arrived. I explained the situation. He confirmed we shouldn’t have to pay, but the civilian insisted that foreign vehicles were subject to a fee, Carnet or not. The officer called the tourism board, hoping for guidance. According to them, had we notified the board in advance, we could have bypassed the roadblock—but nobody at the embassy in Conakry had mentioned this requirement.

Time passed in bureaucratic limbo. I watched locals hand over small amounts of cash or cigarettes, far less than the $500 Leone (~$23 USD) they demanded from us. The “boss” of the roadblock claimed it was a road tax for foreign vehicles—supposedly covering insurance for 90 days—but we already had insurance and were only in the country for a few days. We argued, pleaded, and explained that all border officers had told us the Carnet was sufficient.

Finally, we returned to the border post. The customs officers were surprised by the situation and directed us to speak with an immigration officer. Without being asked, the immigration officer decided to accompany us to the roadblock. Once there, he went inside the small office while I waited at the entrance, and began discussing the situation with the roadblock boss.

Inside, the conversation quickly became tense. Voices rose, tempers flared, and at one point accusations of embarrassment were exchanged as they argued over our case. Before things escalated further, it was mentioned that the boss had said we could pass without paying if we had a letter from the embassy. However, without such a document, the discussion continued, and ultimately we were told we had no choice but to pay the fee in order to proceed.

I handed over the $500 Leone, our Carnet de Passages, and a passport photo. They logged our vehicle information, stapled Brett’s photo to the form, and gave us a small sticker confirming payment. We were finally free to continue.

The rest of the road to Freetown had several smaller checkpoints, but none requested this “road tax” or any official documents—though a few military personnel hinted at small “gifts.” From everything we observed, we strongly suspect this roadblock fee was a scam: inconsistent charges, threats of arrest that never materialized, and local travelers paying only minor amounts.

Despite the frustration, it was an eye-opening first taste of overlanding into Sierra Leone, and a reminder: even with all the right paperwork, navigating foreign border bureaucracy often requires patience, flexibility, and persistence to get through smoothly