Do I need a visa for Benin?
Whether you need a visa for Benin depends on the passport you hold. Of the 21 most-checked passports, 5 enter visa-free and 16 need to apply for something in advance. Visa-free stays run to 90 days or 30 days depending on nationality. Find your passport in the table below for the exact rule, the stay length, the passport validity required, and any arrival registration you have to complete separately.
Now pick the passport you travel on.
Entry rules by passport
Select your nationality for the full answer: stay length, passport validity, pre-registration and how to apply.
| Passport | What you need | Max stay |
|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | 30 days | |
| Germany | 30 days | |
| United Kingdom | 30 days | |
| United States | 30 days | |
| France | 30 days | |
| Poland | 30 days | |
| Netherlands | 30 days | |
| Spain | 30 days | |
| Italy | 30 days | |
| Brazil | 30 days | |
| India | 30 days | |
| China | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Türkiye | 30 days | |
| Nigeria | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Africa | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Philippines | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Pakistan | 30 days | |
| Bangladesh | 30 days | |
| Indonesia | 30 days | |
| Egypt | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Vietnam | 30 days |
These links go to our partner Evisa Express. trip1 earns a commission if you apply through one, at no extra cost to you. You can always apply directly with the government instead.
Need a visa for Benin?
Apply through our partner Evisa Express. Forms, fees and government submission are handled, with status updates until it is approved.
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What to do next
The part most visa checkers leave out: what actually needs doing before you fly.
Confirm with the official source
Rules change without notice, and only the immigration authority of Benin can tell you where you stand. Search for its official site before you travel.
Check your passport
Passport validity required: valid on arrival. Renew first if you are close, because this is the most common reason travellers are turned away.
Check the rule for your own passport
What Benin asks for depends on the passport you travel on, and the table above differs from row to row. Open your nationality for the stay length, the validity required and whether anything has to be applied for.
Common questions
Entry to Benin, answered from the same rules the table shows.
It depends on the passport you hold. Of the 21 most-checked passports listed above, 5 enter Benin without a visa, 16 have to apply for something before travelling. Find your nationality in the table for the exact rule, the stay it allows and what has to be applied for.
5 of the 21 most-checked passports listed above: China, Nigeria, South Africa, Philippines and Egypt. The rest have to apply in advance.
It varies by passport — 90 days or 30 days across the visa-free rules in the table. The limit is per entry, so check the row for the passport you will actually travel on.
Valid on arrival. Renew before you travel if you are close to that, because it is one of the most common reasons travellers are refused boarding — by the airline, before they ever reach the border.
Not for any of the 21 most-checked passports listed above. Nationalities outside that list may still be offered one, so check the rule for the passport you hold.
Yes, for Lithuania, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, France, Poland, Netherlands and Spain among others. The application is completed online with no embassy appointment.
No separate arrival registration is listed for Benin. Your airline may still ask for advance passenger information, which is not the same thing and is handled at check-in.
Travelling somewhere else?
Check any passport against any destination