Senegal to Guinea Bissau Border Crossing Guide (Overland Travel) — Step-by-Step

Another straightforward border crossing on our overland journey, this time from Senegal into Guinea-Bissau (country #22!). Here we document our full experience at this small border post, including visa information, costs, and step-by-step procedure. Follow along so you’ll know exactly what to expect before you arrive.

Do I Need a Visa?

If you hold an American or European passport, or most other nationalities, you will need a visa to enter Guinea-Bissau. The exception is ECOWAS passport holders, who can enter without a visa. Since rules can vary, it’s always best to check your nationality on the official Guinea-Bissau government site before applying.

The good news: getting a visa is straightforward. You can obtain one either at the Embassy in Dakar or the Consulate in Ziguinchor.

Getting a Visa at the Embassy in Dakar

We visited the embassy in Dakar. Parking your vehicle outside is easy. Once inside, take a left around the building to a small office at the back.

The staff were very helpful, they offered us a 30-day visa for 55,000 CFA, which included the regular fee of 45,000 CFA plus a 10,000 CFA express fee. The visa will be issued on the same day. They were also flexible about the visa start date, which would’ve allowed us to finish traveling in Senegal and Gambia before heading to Guinea-Bissau.

This is a convenient option if your overland route doesn’t include Ziguinchor, but it’s more expensive than the southern consulate. That’s why we decided not to get it in Dakar and waited to obtain it in Ziguinchor instead.

Getting a Visa at the Consulate in Ziguinchor

If you plan to pass through southern Senegal, the Ziguinchor consulate is by far the easiest place to get a Guinea-Bissau visa. The consulate is located in a quiet part of town, and parking is simple.

Inside the consulate, you go to the main office and ask the staff member for your visa, she will hand you a piece of paper showing all the visa options and their prices based on the length of stay. The pricing is straightforward, it’s the same for everyone and doesn’t depend on nationality. We chose a 30-day visa for 25,000 CFA, handed over our passports, and within about 10 minutes the visa sticker was in place.

It’s that simple! Now you can enjoy Ziguinchor before heading to the border.

Where to Stay Before Crossing

Ziguinchor is only about a 40-minute drive from the border, making it a convenient place to stay a night or two before crossing into Guinea-Bissau. We stayed at Camping Casamance, a very nice campsite, ideal for overlanders preparing for Guinea-Bissau.

Ziguinchor is also a great place to stock up on supplies before heading into more rural West African countries like Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry. There’s a good-sized Auchan supermarket, several reliable pharmacies, a decent bakery, and other essential shops.

As always, arriving early when the border opens is a good habit, but because of Ziguinchor’s proximity, no early wake-up call was needed.

Money Exchange

Good news; Guinea-Bissau uses the same currency as Senegal (CFA Franc). There’s no need to hunt for currency exchange or deal with border money changers, a huge convenience.

Fixers

This was the fourth border crossing on this trip where we didn’t encounter any fixers. At this post, no one approached us, not even street vendors!

Required Documents

For this border crossing, you need:

• A valid passport
• Your visa sticker (obtained in Dakar or Ziguinchor)
• A Yellow Fever vaccination certificate (mandatory, even though no one asked us for it)

Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD)

A Carnet de Passages is highly recommended for overlanders, even though in our case, our carnet didn’t list Guinea-Bissau on the back. When we purchased ours, we asked for coverage in all West African countries, but the agent explained that only countries requiring securities are listed on the carnet.

At the border, our carnet was requested at both the main crossing and at police checkpoints. None of the officers — neither Douane nor police — looked at the back of the carnet; they only checked the export/import vouchers to confirm eligibility.

Before crossing, we were concerned that the missing country on the back might cause problems, but everything went smoothly. I’m really glad we had the carnet, because it made temporary vehicle import fast and easy. At this crossing, we were not offered a passavant by the Douane officers.

Checkpoints

During our journey through Guinea-Bissau, we encountered a few checkpoints shortly after leaving the border. The good news: we were mostly waved through without stopping, or let pass immediately after rolling down the window.

On our first day, one officer asked to see the carnet, reviewed the import counterfoil, and inspected our vehicle. After that, he returned our documents and let us go. The interactions were cordial and professional, and there were no issues.

Vehicle Insurance (Carte Brune)

If you plan to overland across West Africa, I highly recommend getting the Carte Brune, which provides multi-country liability coverage.

We were not asked for proof of insurance at the border or checkpoints, but since it’s mandatory, we purchased a plan covering all relevant countries for several months. This avoids the hassle of arranging insurance at every border and gives peace of mind while traveling through countries like Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea-Conakry. 

Border Post Mpack-Djengue

There is only one main border post between Senegal and Guinea-Bissau: Mpack-Djengue. It’s a laid-back post, not busy or chaotic. Completing the crossing took us just under an hour, making it one of the easier West African borders to navigate for overlanders.

Exiting Senegal

You’ll know you’re approaching the border when you start seeing semi trucks parked on both sides of the road. Continue until the first barrier, then pull over and park on the street. Police officers usually stand outside; hand over your passport to one of them, who will walk you inside the building in the back (the one with four columns). If officers aren’t outside, just enter and present your passport at the first window on your left. The officer will stamp you out — no payments were requested.

Next, drive a few yards to the Douane Senegalaises building (the big green building on your left). Inside the main office, present your Carnet de Passages. The officer will take the exportation voucher, sign, stamp, and fill out the export counterfoil. Again, we were not asked to pay anything, and the whole process was fast and professional.

Entering Guinea-Bissau

After exiting Senegal, drive through the “no man’s land” for about 5 minutes. The road is partially paved, partially red sand, with semi trucks parked along the sides. At the next barrier (marked with a STOP sign), we were pulled over by a soldier who briefly inspected the vehicle, we only had to open the back compartments.

Road Tax

Shortly after, you’ll see a half-green, half-blue police building on your left. Park across the street, then walk to the maroon building marked “Fund Rodoviario”, just to the right and behind the police building. This is where you pay the road tax.

Keep this receipt safe—you’ll need to return it when you exit Guinea-Bissau at the border.

Hand over your car registration (carte grise) to the officer at the desk. He will fill out a receipt with your car’s make, your name, and the duration of the road tax. The official cost is 5,000 CFA per week, and if you need an extra day or additional week, it’s an additional 5,000 CFA.

Immigration

Drive to the next barrier, passing two STOP signs. Park on the street just after crossing. An immigration officer will approach, collect your passports, and walk you across the street to the beige-and-blue building. Inside, your passport is handed to another officer behind the long counter. the officer quickly opened my passport and looked for an empty page, he was about to stamp it when I stopped him to let him know that I already had a visa. I grabbed my passport to point out the visa, but he didn’t seem to mind and simply went to another page and stamped it. He then did the same for Brett’s passport. After that, he handed our passports to a second officer, who transferred all of our information by hand into a large logbook and returned the passports to us. No payment was requested

Importing Your Vehicle

Finally, walk across the street to the Duane building (half beige, half brown).The officers standing behind the counter right outside asked to see our Carnet de Passages. I handed over the carnet, and they took the importation voucher and stamped the import counterfoil.

I actually had to go back and ask them to fill out the counterfoils, because I wanted the post name, date, and signature clearly written. At first, they insisted that all the information was already included in the stamp, but when I politely requested it, they agreed to write everything down. As with the rest of the crossing, no payment was requested.

Those were the only documents requested during the crossing: passport, visa, and carnet de passages. Once completed, we were officially in Guinea-Bissau, ready to continue our overland journey. The entire process is efficient, straightforward, and overlander-friendly, making this border one of the easiest in West Africa.

If you’re planning your own overland route through the region, you might also find our “Overlanding West Africa Visa Guide: Costs, Requirements & Country Breakdown” useful. It brings everything together in one place—covering visa requirements and costs, for each West African country we’ve travelled through so far. It’s the same information we’ve gathered on the road, organized to help make planning your own journey a little less overwhelming and a lot more straightforward.