Emigrating to Gambia

Emigrating to Gambia
Gaining entry to Gambia for whatever purpose would require a visa except if you are a citizen of Britain and other Commonwealth countries as well as Belgium, Iceland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Spain and Finland. These visas are usually issued with the validity of    30 days and they can be extended free of charge at the Immigration Office in Banjul. You can secure your visa before you enter the country from the Gambian Office or representative nearest you. Citizens from countries located just nearby Gambia are not required to present a visa although if you are travelling by land through Africa, you can secure visas from nearby countries.

However, if your entry to Gambia is without a visa and you intend to stay in the country for more than 28 days, then you have to seek permission from the Gambian Immigration Department in Banjul. These extensions will cost you D250 for each month that you add to your stay in the country.

If your visit to Gambia is for employment purposes, then you must know that you need to get a residence permit to be able to work in the country legally. However, if you are a Senegalese national, then you are exempted from the requirement of having a residence permit to get employment in the country.

Residence permits in Gambia are only valid for a year, thereby needing to be renewed annually. Renewal can be done at the immigration office in Banjul. However, the government of Gambia holds the right to revoke these residence permits at any time. As soon as you have applied for your residence permit in Gambia, you can also then apply for the issuance of your work permit. Once you have obtained both permits, you will then be eligible to all the labour rights in the country that are also available to Gambians, including joining a union.