The methods used to draw up immigration policy in the Republic of Gabon are available on the website of the Directorate-General for Documentation and Immigration.

The Republic of Gabon endeavours to put the appropriate framework in place for the reception, development and safety of foreigners.

Nationals of G20 countries had been exempt from visa requirements to enter Gabon since 20 February 2023, but it was announced on 2 October 2024 by a circular jointly signed by three members of the Gabonese government of the Transition that such nationals would once again need this official document to travel to the country.

Travellers and tourists from the following countries must now apply for a visa before travelling to Gabon;

• Argentina;
• Australia;
• Austria;
• Belgium;
• Brazil;
• Bulgaria;
• Canada;
• China;
• Cyprus;
• France;
• Germany;
• India;
• Indonesia;
• Italy;
• Japan;
• Mexico;
• Russia;
• Saudi Arabia;
• South Africa;
• South Korea;
• Turkey;
• the United Kingdom; and
• the United States.

Individuals from the following countries also need a visa to visit Gabon:

• Croatia;
• the Czech Republic;
• Denmark;
• Estonia;
• Finland;
• Greece;
• Hungary;
• Ireland;
• Latvia;
• Lithuania;
• Luxembourg;
• Malta;
• the Netherlands;
• Poland;
• Portugal;
• Romania;
• Slovakia;
• Slovenia; and
• Spain.

There is no employment visa in Gabon. The employment of foreign labour is subject to prior authorisation by the Minister of Labour.

To date, any company intending to recruit or employ a foreigner in the Republic of Gabon must be established in the country (in the form of either a company or a branch).

The Different Types of Visas to Enter Gabon

The consular visa is issued by the Gabonese Embassies abroad. Their duration and fees vary according to the reason presented by the applicant, so that there are visas for five days, 30 days or 90 days, at the discretion of the issuing authority (the Ambassador or the First Counsellor).

The visitor (or resident) entry visa is issued at the Léon-Mba International Airport in Libreville, the main gateway, by the Directorate General of Documentation and Immigration (DGDI), at the Visa Office of the Directorate of Air and Border Police (DPAF), at the cost of XAF45,000 (EUR70). This visa can be obtained within five minutes by presenting a valid passport, a letter of invitation in good form, especially with regard to official events, and an Entry Authorisation issued in advance by the DGDI; the applicant is also required to appear in front of the camera for a digital photo and to provide their fingerprints (left and right index fingers). This visa is valid for three, seven, 15, 30 or 90 days, depending on the reasons given.

The circular visa is issued under the same conditions as the visitor visa, except that it has a duration of 180 days and costs XAF120,000 (EUR200).

The electronic visa (e-visa) is issued by the DGDI at the Visa Office of the DPAF. From their place of residence outside Gabon, the applicant must first have an email address before going to the DGDI's website at www.dgdi.ga to download a form to fill in and send to the evisa.dgdi.ga address with a passport photo, a copy of the passport and, if necessary, a scanned invitation letter.

After a few hours, the applicant receives an email response from the DGDI, attesting to the receipt of the application, which is evidenced by a Registration Receipt that the applicant must print. After 72 hours, and if the application is approved, the applicant receives, again through their electronic contact, the Authorisation to Enter Gabon, which must be printed. On the date of travel, precisely after the 72 hours, the applicant disembarks at the Léon- Mba Airport and presents the registration receipt, the authorisation to enter Gabon and the passport (a copy of which has been scanned and sent beforehand) to the Visa Office. The applicant must be filmed and leave the fingerprints of their right and left index fingers. After two minutes of processing, a visa for three, seven, 15, 30, 60 or 90 days is issued in relation to the applicant's reason for travel, for a single fee of XAF45,000 (EUR70), of XAF120,000 (EUR200) if the requested duration is six months (the applicant can enter and leave several times during this period).

The employment of foreign workers in Gabon is subject to an authorisation issued by the labour administration, which is valid only for a specific job, worker and enterprise. The authorisation is valid for a period of two years and is renewable.

Labour inspectors and controllers as well as judicial police officers are empowered to record infringements of this authorisation by Decree No 277/PR/MT of 31 May 1968 regulating the employment of foreign workers in Gabon.

Special provisions are applicable to foreign workers on a temporary mission in Gabon. Maximum quotas for foreign employees in a company are set. However, derogations are possible when it comes to work of a fixed duration and a high degree of technicality.

Law No 022/2021 of 19 November 2021 on the Labour Code in the Gabonese Republic recognises remote working in the country.

According to Article 53 of the labour law, “telework” refers to any form of work organisation in which work that could have been performed on the employer's premises is carried out by a worker outside these premises, according to the circumstances, using information and communication technologies. A teleworker is any worker of the company who carries out such telework, either as soon as they are hired or subsequently.

When the employee and the employer agree to use telework, they formalise their agreement by any means. When the request for telework is made by a worker living with a disability or a caregiver, the employer shall give reasons, if applicable, for its decision to refuse.

Teleworking can be made compulsory in the event of a situation of war, force majeure, epidemic or pandemic, or in any other situation that makes it impossible for the worker to travel to the workplace.

There are no prerequisite language requirements to obtain a visa, but the administrative language in Gabon is French.

Some vaccines are recommended or mandatory for Gabon. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the World Health Organization recommend the following vaccines for Gabon:

• hepatitis A;
• hepatitis B;
• typhoid;
• yellow fever;
• rabies;
• meningitis;
• polio;
• measles, mumps and rubella (MMR);
• tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap);
• chickenpox;
• shingles;
• pneumonia; and
• influenza.

The sponsorship-based employment visa is not recognised by the laws of the Republic of Gabon, so there is no information on the minimum thresholds to be met.

The employment of foreign workers in Gabon is subject to an authorisation issued by the labour administration, which is valid only for a specific job, worker and enterprise. The authorisation is valid for a period of two years and is renewable.

Entry and residence permits may only be issued to foreign workers who have been granted individual employment authorisation.

The processing time for a visa application is normally 15 days once the application has been made. This period may be longer if circumstances so require.

See 2.2 Unsponsored Work and Investment Visas.

The law in the Republic of Gabon does not lay down an express procedure for obtaining visas.

In practice, a visa can be processed expressly by making constant reminders by phone and going to the immigration office or the Gabonese employment agency to follow up, while specifying the urgency. However, this approach is not governed by any legislation and is a matter of practice.

Once in the country, foreign nationals must make sure they always carry the documents justifying their stay, and must apply for a residence permit or a long-stay visa if they plan to spend more than three months in the Republic of Gabon.

There is no obligation to make a declaration to the prefecture or the town hall.

The employment visa based on sponsorship is not recognised by Gabonese law.

In principle, visa fees are paid by the employer when the work visa application is submitted.

However, the authorities are not particular about who makes the payment. On this basis, if the employee so wishes, he or she can pay for the visa and return the proof of payment to the employer, which complements the work visa application file.

In practice, it is very difficult for the employee to make the payment, because the work visa is applied for before the employee arrives in the Republic of Gabon.

With regard to the provisions of Articles 44 et seq of Law No 29-2017 of 7 August 2017 amending and supplementing certain provisions of Law No 23-96 of 6 June 1996 laying down the conditions of entry, residence and exit of foreign nationals in the Republic of the Gabon, enforcement measures may be taken against foreign nationals in the following situations:

• illegal entry into Gabonese territory;
• failure to renew the visa or residence permit on time;
• suffering from a serious illness that could constitute a threat;
• drug trafficking;
• smuggling;
• facilitating the illegal entry of a foreigner;
• usurpation of Gabonese nationality;
• influence peddling;
• false declaration of civil status;
• forgery and use of forgeries; or
• the expiry of the validity of an employment contract.

The sponsorship-based employment visa is not recognised by the laws of the Republic of Gabon, so it is impossible to comment on the requirements for this type of visa or the penalties applicable in the event of non-compliance.

Any person who employs a foreigner without an employment permit shall be liable to a fine of between XAF1 million and XAF2 million, or to imprisonment for between two and six months, or both.

There is a right to work audit in the Republic of Gabon. The Ministry of labour is responsible for initiating and implementing the government's general policy on labour, employment, occupational safety and health and social security. The labour inspectorates are responsible for enforcing and monitoring this policy.

An application for a dependant visa requires a copy of the marriage certificate or family record book, plus the spouse's identity document or any other legal document proving that they live together, plus documents showing that the spouse has been posted to Gabon or proving the spouse's activities there.

The dependant visa does not allow the holder to work in Gabon.