Visa information
How do I get a Malian visa?
Visas are required for travel to Mali by citizens of all countries EXCEPT nationals of ECOWAS member countries as well as citizens of Algeria, Cameroon, Andorra, Monaco, Chad, Morocco and Mauritania.
For obtaining a visa to Mali there are two options depending on where you are based:
1) Obtaining a visa before you travel at a Malian Consulate or Embassy
To obtain a visa for Mali, you need to determine if there is a Malian Embassy or Consulate in the country where you reside. If there is a Malian representation in your country, then you should apply for a visa there. It takes about five working days for your visa to be processed. Please do not go or send your application to the embassy or consulate before you have received your invitation letter from the organisers.
In order to obtain your visa, you would normally be required to send the following documents to your Malian embassy or consulate:
- A valid Passport (ie with a validity of more than six months)
- Two (2) recent passport size ID photographs
- Two (2) completed application forms ( to be obtained from the Embassy / Consulate)
- A copy of the invitation letter sent by the event organisers
- The appropriate fee ranging from 28 euros in France to US$100 in the United States
There are Malian representations located in the following countries at present: Algeria, Germany, South Africa, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Egypt, United States, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Iran, Italy, Japan, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Russia, Senegal, Switzerland, Tunisia
For further details on their exact locations please look at website of the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
http://mali.viky.com/min_affairesetrangeres/fr/cgi-bin/view_article.pl?id=30
2) Obtaining a “visa d’entrée” (5 day visa allowing you to travel to Mali)
If there is no Malian diplomatic representation in your country, it is possible for the event organisers to assist you in obtaining a visa that is good for a 5 day stay, and which is on a paper that can be faxed to you before you travel. It is necessary to have this document before you travel as the incoming airline will require this assurance that you will be granted entry, and that it is not going to be fined under international airline agreements.
Please note that we will only be accepting visa d’entrée applications after December 1st 2008. The organisers will send you all of the relevant forms on receiving your registration for the event, we will ask you to send a copy of your relevant passport pages preferably by email or by fax, as well as you travel itinerary. The charge for obtaining a visa on arrival is 50 euros or $USD 65
These documents will be submitted to the Malian immigration authority which will issue the one page faxable visa that we will return to you, normally within seven working days. You may show this document to airline representatives during travel and it will be accepted by the airport police in Bamako. The organisers will also facilitate taking your passport to the police service and extending your visa if your stay is longer than 5 days. There is no additional charge for this. You should bring extra ID passport photographs for this procedure.
