If a visa is required, you can obtain one from the Gambian embassy within your country. When relocating to The Gambia - meaning you wish to reside there without a return flight - you must make sure that you travel with the correct documentation.
Before factoring rent costs, the average two-person household in The Gambia needs about $273 per month. You can add between $135 and $482 to your monthly rent expenses.
Officially you have to be in the Country for 3 months before you can apply for residency. You get the first 28 days on entry and then go to an immigration office and pay D1,000 for each of the next two months. Take your passport to an immigration office. Most police stations have one attached or close by.
A person acquires a Gambian citizenship by marriage under Section 11 of the Constitution where he or she is/was married to a Gambian, and since the marriage he or she has been resident in The Gambia for a period of at least seven years.
Visas for The Gambia are not required by nationals referred to in the chart for stays of up to 90 days except: Nationals of the USA.
Most people live along the Gambia River, and the largest communities ' including the largest city, Serekunda, and the capital of Banjul ' are found at the mouth of the river by the Atlantic coast. Most expats tend to live in Banjul where the UN and NGOs provide employment opportunities.
Travel in The Gambia is reasonably safe as long as you take sensible precautions to safeguard your personal possessions. There are a number of checkpoints operating in and around the capital Banjul. Expect your vehicle to be searched if you're stopped by security forces.
Travelers to Gambia must submit a completed application along with the following to obtain a visa:
- A passport that has two completely blank pages and issued 6 months before the travel dates.
- A passport photo that is recent and professional.
- Submit a printed copy of entering and leaving airline tickets.
The country is peaceful in a region where Islamic extremism has taken hold in some places. There are mosques in every neighbourhood, but Gambians are observant rather than devout Muslims, and fundamentalism is rare. Although Jammeh banned gambling last year, alcohol is freely available.
Generally, travel throughout The Gambia is trouble free. The most common threats in The Gambia are petty street crime, such as pickpockets, and theft in crowded market areas, on public transport, in taxis and near isolated beach areas.
It is possible to fly direct on Thomas Cook Airlines to The Gambia from Manchester Airport (MAN), Birmingham Airport (BHX ) and London Gatwick (LGW). Enter Air also operates direct flights from London Gatwick to Banjul International Airport from May to October.
The best time to visit The Gambia is between November and May, during the country's long dry season. It's the ideal time to travel if you're keen to make the most of the country's famous beaches, thanks to average daytime temperatures of 24 degrees in coastal areas.
Here's just a small selection of reasons why we love the smiling coast of West Africa, and exactly why you should visit The Gambia. Superb climate, friendly locals, quiet beach resorts and diverse wildlife are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the reasoning behind holidays to The Gambia.
Fees[edit]The Fee for a Gambia Green Ordinary Passport (Machine Readable Passport) is One Thousand Dalasis (D 1000.00) payable upon demand. The fee is non refundable.
As of 07 April 2020, Gambian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 68 countries and territories, ranking the Gambian passport 75th in terms of travel freedom (tied with Tanzanian passports) according to the Henley Passport Index.
Visa applications made outside the UK
| Fees category | Fee Before 6 April 2018 | Current Fee |
|---|
| Visit visa < 2 years [note 1] | £337 | £350 |
| Visit visa < 5 years | £612 | £636 |
| Visit visa <10 years | £767 | £798 |
| Visiting academic – more than 6 months, but no more than 12 months | £179 | £186 |
The Gambia is Africa's smallest country. And the Gambia is poor, cripplingly poor, with over a third of its population of 1.7 million surviving below the United Nations poverty line of $1.25 a day.
You can contact us by phone 24/7 for help or advice from anywhere in the world by calling the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office ( uk/fcdo) on 0207 008 5000, or your nearest British embassy, High Commission or Consulate ( uk/world/embassies).
If you want to invite a relative or friend to come and visit you in the UK, and they need a visa, they will need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa at their nearest Visa Application Centre (VAC). There is information about how to apply on the gov.uk website. Your visitor must show the VAC some documents.
They would need to have UK immigration status documents. We also note that your partner is a visa national (Gambian) for UK travel purposes. This means they would normally need to obtain a visa from the British Embassy or UK Visa office / Commercial partner office, prior to their travel.
50 visa free countries for Gambian citizens
- Guinea-Bissau. ???? Visa Free. Bissau • Western Africa • Africa.
- Senegal. ???? Visa Free. Dakar • Western Africa • Africa.
- Guinea. ???? Visa Free.
- Sierra Leone. ???? Visa Free.
- Cape Verde. ???? Visa Free.
- Mauritania. ???? Visa Free.
- Liberia. ???? Visa Free.
- Western Sahara. ???? Visa Free.
You should submit the following documents to apply for a UK visa:
- UK visa application form.
- Two photographs.
- Your Valid Passport.
- Proof you have the financial means to cover the living costs while in the UK.
- Proof of accommodation.
- Detailed travel itinerary.
- Tuberculosis Test Results.
- Biometric information.
Citizens of these
countries can travel to the
UK without a
visa if they hold a valid Irish
visa endorsed with BIVS: China. India.
Citizens of the following countries routinely obtain an electronic visa waiver (EVW) online before travel to accompany their passport:
- Kuwait.
- Oman.
- Qatar.
- United Arab Emirates.
139 Visa-Free Countries for UK Citizens
- Albania – 90 days.
- Andorra.
- Anguilla – 90 days.
- Antigua and Barbuda – 180 days.
- Argentina – 90 days.
- Armenia – 180 days.
- Aruba – 30 days, extendable up to 180 days.
- Austria.
In normal circumstances, if you have a 'British Citizen' or 'British National (Overseas)' passport you can enter Japan as a visitor for up to 90 days without a visa. You may need to provide evidence of a return or onward ticket. Visas aren't issued after arrival in Japan.
Visa-free North American countries for UK Visa holders
- Dominican Republic. Reason to go: The 27 waterfalls of Damajagua, white-sand beaches and flavoursome Dominican food.
- Bermuda.
- Cayman Islands.
- Turks and Caicos Islands.
- Mexico.
- Serbia.
- Montenegro.
- Georgia.
Visas. British Citizens don't usually need a visa to visit Canada for short periods, but you'll need to get an Electronic Travel Authorisation before you travel (see below). Some unauthorised websites charge for submitting visa applications. These websites are not endorsed by or associated with the Canadian government.
You're automatically a British citizen if, when you were born, one of your parents was a British citizen or settled in the UK. You can register to become a British citizen if, when you were born, neither of your parents were British citizens or settled in the UK.
Visas and residencyThe Italian government has introduced a new biometric residence document for UK nationals and their family members. If you were living in Italy before 1 January 2021 you should get this document. over 5 years, you will be eligible for permanent residency and a 10-year renewable residency document.
