Travel to Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast: travel information

How do you get to Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)?

Plane

direct flights to Abidjan go from Zurich, Geneva, Paris and Amsterdam. Another international airport is located in Yamoussoukro.

Ship

The most important shipping ports are in Abidjan and San Pedro. The crossing from Europe is only possible for a few passengers on cargo ships.

Railway

There is a railway connection between Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Abidjan.

Car, bus

connection roads lead to Kumasi in Ghana as well as to Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia and Mali. There are also regular buses to Accra in Ghana, Ougadougou in Burkina Faso and Bamako in Mali.

Travel in the country

Air connections

Domestic air connections exist between Abidjan and major cities in the country.

Railways

The country’s railroad network covers 660 km. The railway line from Abidjan to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, one of the most modern railway lines in Africa, runs via Bouaké and Ferkessédougou.

Bus

Long-distance buses run regularly between all larger towns.

Roads, rental cars

The relatively well-developed road network of Côte d’Ivoire covers over 5,600 km, but is partially impassable in the rainy season. It is not recommended to drive overland at night. An international driver’s license and additional insurance are required for rental cars. A “Carnet de Passage” is also required to enter the country with your own vehicle for stays of up to one month.

Ferry connections

There are around 980 km of navigable waterways in Côte d’Ivoire.

Traffic rules

Right-hand traffic prevails in Côte d’Ivoire. In order to avoid trouble with the police or even the courts, one should strictly adhere to the traffic regulations in force in the country. The maximum speeds shown can of course be reduced or increased by traffic signs. Regardless of the information given here, it is advisable to obtain detailed information from the ADAC, the AvD or the traffic clubs in the country concerned.

Top speeds

  • Urban: in built-up areas there is a speed limit of 50 km/h.
  • Country roads: there is a speed limit of 80 km/h on country roads.

Blood

alcohol limit In Ivory Coast there is a blood alcohol limit of 0 per mille for drivers of motor vehicles.

International license plate

According to Abbreviationfinder, the international license plate of Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) is:

CI

Côte d`Ivoire (Ivory Coast): Diplomatic missions, tourist office

Visit Countryaah for a full list of Ivory Coast embassies and consulates in each country around the world.

Representations in Germany

The embassy of the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) is located in Berlin-Charlottenburg near Bismarckplatz and Hubertusallee. The Art Nouveau building became the representation of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in 2006.

If you want to get to the embassy by public transport,

Embassy of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in Berlin

Schinkelstr. 10

14193 Berlin

Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 8906 960

Email: contact@ambaci.de

www.ambaci.de

Honorary Consulate in Bad Homburg

Hessenring 120

61348 Bad Homburg

Tel: 0049 – (0) 6172 – 680 6513

Email: honorarkonsulat.ci@duerbeck.com

Responsible for: Hessen

German representations in Côte d`Ivoire

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

39, Boulevard Hassan II (Blvd. de la Corniche)

Abidjan 01

Ivory Coast

Tel: 00225 – 2244 2030

Email: info@abidjan.diplo.de

www.abidjan.diplo.de

Austrian representations in Côte d’Ivoire

Embassy

The Federal Republic of Austria does not have an embassy in Ivory Coast, but is represented by an honorary consulate. The embassy in Senegal is responsible:

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Austria in Senegal

18, rue Emile Zola

Tel: 00221 – (0) 33 – 849 4000

Email: dakar-ob@bmeia.gv.at

The Austrian Embassy in Senegal is still responsible for:

  • Burkina Faso
  • Ivory Coast
  • Gambia
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Cape Verde
  • Liberia
  • Mali
  • Niger
  • Sierra Leone

Representations from Côte d’Ivoire in Austria

Embassy in Vienna

Neulinggasse 29/6/20

1030 Vienna

Tel: 0043 – (0) 1 – 581 0076

Swiss representations in Côte d’Ivoire

Embassy in Ivory Coast

Immeuble Botreau Roussel

28, avenue Delafosse

Abidjan/Plateau

Ivory Coast

Tel: 00225 – 2021 1721

Email: abi.vertretung@eda.admin.ch

www.eda.admin.ch/abidja

The Swiss embassy in Ivory Coast is still responsible for the following countries:

  • Burkina Faso
  • Guinea
  • Liberia
  • Sierra Leone

Representations from Côte d’Ivoire in Switzerland

Embassy in Bern

Thormannstrasse 51

3005 Bern

Tel: 0041- (0) 31 – 350 8080

Email: acibe-sp1@acibe.org

www.acibe.org

Consulate General in Geneva

Avenue du Cardinal-Mermillod 6

1227 Geneva-Carouge

Tel: 0041 – (0) 22 – 343 9009

Consulate in Lugano

6939 Arosio, Casa Longobarda

6900 Lugano

Tel: 0041 – (0) 91 – 609 2180

Tourist office

Tourist office of the Espace Entente

(Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Togo)

Tempelhofer Weg 2

12099 Berlin

Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 6830 2193

Email: berlin.office@westafrika.de

Entry and exit regulations

Formalities, visas

Tourists from Germany need a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the planned stay and a visa for a stay of up to three months in Côte d’Ivoire.

Import and export of foreign currency

Local currency

The import of the local currency is unlimited, the export is limited to 10,000 CFA francs.

Foreign currencies

There is no limit to the import of foreign currencies, but all foreign currencies except the euro are subject to declaration. The export is permitted up to the declared amount and a maximum of the equivalent of 25,000 CFA francs.

Import and export of goods

The following items can be imported into Ivory Coast duty-free by tourists over the age of 15:

200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 250 g tobacco or 100 cigarillos

1 bottle of spirits, 1 bottle of wine as well as

0.5 l eau de toilette and 0.25 l perfume.

Hunting rifles may only be imported with an import permit. A deposit must be paid when importing video cameras for personal use.

Ivory Coast: Travel Medicine, Vaccinations and Warnings

Infectious Diseases

In the Ivory Coast, the following infectious diseases are to be expected in Germany and Central and Northern Europe:

  • Malaria: There is a high risk of infection with the malaria pathogen across the country, including cities. Over 90% of the infections occur with the very dangerous malaria tropica, the rest with malaria tertiana.
  • AIDS, HIV
  • Amoebic dysentery
  • Bacterial agitation
  • Schistosomiasis
  • Cholera – but there is only a risk of infection for travelers who come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
  • dengue fever
  • Intestinal infections from contaminated food or water, including amoebas, lamblia, salmonella, shigella, worm infestation and all kinds of viruses and bacteria
  • Ebola, outbreaks of this extremely dangerous viral infectious disease occur again and again, albeit mostly locally
  • Filariasis
  • Typhus, especially
  • Yellow fever
  • Guinea worm infection
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Polio, polio
  • Lassa fever
  • Sleeping sickness
  • tetanus
  • rabies
  • Typhoid – however, there is only a risk of infection for travelers who come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
  • Tick bite fever

Vaccination recommendations

  • Cholera – but only among travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
  • Diphtheria – a vaccination against diphtheria should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Yellow fever
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Polio, polio – vaccination against polio should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Tetanus – a vaccination against tetanus should always exist, also in the home country.
  • Rabies – but only for high-risk travelers who can come into contact with the vector animals.
  • Typhoid – but only for travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.

Compulsory vaccination

For all persons older than one year and arriving from a yellow fever infection area designated by the WHO, there is a compulsory vaccination against an illness with yellow fever. As the Ivory Coast is one of the yellow fever infection areas, a vaccination against yellow fever is strongly recommended regardless of the regulations.

Malaria prophylaxis

When traveling in the country, it is strongly advised to undergo malaria prophylaxis. However, if the side effects seem questionable to you, you should at least have a “stand-by preparation” with you.

Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany

Citizens’ Service

Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 2000

Fax: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 51000

www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de

Ivory Coast: Currency, Shopping and Exchange Rate

The national currency of the Ivory Coast is the CFA Franc

1 CFA franc = 100 centimes.

The Ivory Coast is part of the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The ISO 4217 code of the Franc CFA here is XOF.

The CFA franc (Communanté Financiére Africaine) is the currency in 14 African countries that were usually French colonies in the past: Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Chad, Central African Republic, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoite, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. It is tied to the euro.

Exchange rate

The exchange rate of the euro and the CFA franc is always the same as the CFA franc is pegged to the euro (it was pegged to the franc before the euro was introduced). For countries that belong to the West African Economic and Monetary Union, the exchange rate is:

1 Euro (€) = 655.957 CFA francs (XOF)

Banks in Côte d’Ivoire are open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Shop

Shop opening times

The shops in Côte d’Ivoire are usually open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the supermarkets are also open on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Clock open.

Inexpensive or country-specific goods, souvenirs

Popular souvenirs from Côte d’Ivoire are wax prints, indigo fabrics, weaving, masks of the Guere and Yacouba, wood carvings, especially by the Senoufo people, as well as pearl jewelry, ceramics and wickerwork.

Travel to Ivory Coast