Côte d’Ivoire

Notice No. 2169 in the Côte d’Ivoire customs regulations catalogue concerns the arrival of non-commercial yachts, agent notification and temporary admission/transit documents. Confirm reporting deadlines, crew/stores lists and ports that can process the vessel with customs or a local agent before sailing; the regulation may have been updated.

Côte d’Ivoire Customs Notice No. 2169, dated 27 October 2021, expressly applies to non-commercial, service and recreational vessels. It requires the vessels concerned to make declarations and undergo inspection through customs port units at the Port of Abidjan or the Port of San Pedro, and to notify the Abidjan Intervention and Investigation Group (GIRA), which is responsible for maritime and lagoon surveillance. Abidjan and San Pedro are the recreational-vessel customs processing locations expressly named in the notice. Before departure, confirm the intended berth, receiving office and agent arrangements with customs.

Côte d’Ivoire Customs Notice No. 2169, dated 27 October 2021, requires a non-commercial recreational vessel's agent to notify the customs unit at the Port of Abidjan or San Pedro and GIRA in writing 72 hours before entering Côte d’Ivoire's waters or departing. The notice must state the expected arrival or departure date and time, length of stay and purpose of the voyage. On arrival and departure, the master or representative must also submit vessel, persons-aboard and stores manifests for customs signature and provide copies; customs may arrange an onboard inspection under the law. Customs declarations do not replace crew visas or immigration entry formalities.

Crew and passenger entry

Côte d’Ivoire's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says entrants must hold a valid passport and applicable visa or entry authorization according to nationality and status. The official e-Visa process says approved pre-registration is not itself a visa: applicants must travel by air to Abidjan airport to complete biometric registration and receive the visa. This does not establish that the process applies to yacht arrivals by sea or that a visa can be issued at a seaport. The customs notice for non-commercial vessels requires the master or agent to submit a manifest of people aboard, but this is not immigration permission. Before sailing, confirm visas, eligibility to arrive by sea, crew lists, permitted stay and shore-leave formalities for each person with a Côte d’Ivoire embassy/consulate, immigration authority and destination port.

Côte d’Ivoire Customs Notice No. 2169 (27 October 2021) covers non-commercial recreational vessels. An agent must make the required notifications to port customs and GIRA, and the master or representative must submit vessel, people-aboard and stores manifests on arrival and departure. A technical call may be issued a passavant specifying the anchorage and duration of stay. The customs regime for recreational activities is determined by the nature of the activity and length of stay. The notice does not set a uniform yacht fee.

Quarantine and biosecurity

The official Côte d’Ivoire foreign-trade portal says imports of certain plants and plant products require an agricultural import permit in advance. Animals and animal products are also subject to border veterinary inspection and relevant health documents. These public procedures concern imported goods and do not explain any special exemption for food, pets, live bait or waste kept aboard, nor do they establish the quarantine procedure for an arriving vessel. Before departure, confirm declaration, certificates, inspection and disposal requirements for food, plants, animals, pets and waste with veterinary and plant-quarantine authorities at the designated port. Do not take related items or animals ashore without authorization.

Restricted items

Côte d’Ivoire's Customs Code and vessel procedures require applicable declarations, permits and inspections according to the item category and vessel activity. Customs Circular No. 2169 (2021) requires non-commercial, service and yacht vessels to notify the relevant customs authorities 72 hours before expected arrival or departure and submit vessel and people-aboard manifests and an inventory of goods for signature; customs may arrange an onboard inspection under the law. The circular does not provide a complete admissibility list for personal baggage, stores, firearms, medicines or wildlife products aboard foreign private yachts.

Cash and bearer negotiable instruments must be declared under current rules. Customs Circular No. 2393, dated 20 February 2026, sets declaration and carriage thresholds for cross-border transport that vary according to residency, destination and direction of travel. Do not rely on the single threshold in an older circular; confirm the current threshold that applies to you and this voyage with customs before departure or arrival. Before carrying firearms or ammunition, controlled medicines, endangered-species products or other regulated items, confirm permit, declaration, onboard-sealing and export/re-export requirements individually with customs and the responsible authorities. Do not assume an item may be brought in simply because it is not mentioned here.

Côte d’Ivoire Customs Notice No. 2169 (27 October 2021) requires an agent to notify customs and GIRA in Abidjan or San Pedro in advance about the arrangements for a non-commercial recreational vessel's port entry and departure, and to cooperate in submitting vessel, people-aboard and stores manifests. A technical call may be handled using a passavant under the notice. The applicable customs regime depends on the activity and length of stay. Before arrival, confirm the procedure with the agent and customs.

Fees and departure

No verified uniform total clearance price for Côte d’Ivoire is stated in this section. Ask separately about government formalities, visas, vessel permits, quarantine, overtime, port/lighthouse, berth, waste and agent charges. Confirm the currency, whether charges are per person or vessel, duration, whether tax is included, and obtain receipts. Before departure, confirm customs, immigration, port clearance and any clearance/zarpe required by the next port; additional checks may be needed for movement between ports.

Verification status: To be confirmed. No independent local official source has been verified for this section. This is pre-voyage preparation guidance, not a statement of statutory permits, deadlines or fee rates.