Ivory Coast 'Express' e-Visa for AFCON 2023: A Last-Minute Innovation
The Ivory Coast Consulate in Paris introduces a speeded-up AFCON e-visa service to handle a surge of football fans, though critics call it a half-measure deployed too late.
As Côte d’Ivoire prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the country’s Consulate-General in Paris has rolled out a special AFCON e-visa to speed up entry for foreign supporters hoping to attend. Launched at the eleventh hour, the initiative offers faster processing, yet falls short of a true breakthrough.
A fast-track to handle the surge of fans
With kick-off this weekend, the tournament is expected to draw up to 1.5 million visitors, largely from neighbouring qualifiers such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Ghana. To meet the flood of arrivals, the Ivorian Consulate General in Paris is guaranteeing one-hour visa decisions on a dedicated semi-digital e-visa route.
How to apply for the AFCON express e-visa: step by step
To secure the speedy service and tailored support, follow this process:
Book and pay for a standard e-visa online via the SNEDAI portal or an authorised visa agency. Print the receipt.
Schedule an in-person appointment at the Consulate-General by selecting your preferred day and slot. Slots are currently unavailable until 24 January – the start of the knockout phase – and may extend beyond.
Bring: valid passport, flight ticket or itinerary confirmation, passport copy, online payment receipt, accommodation proof, completed visa form and a passport photo. A €30 surcharge applies.
Critics argue the “express” label does not change the core requirements, noting that a trip to Paris remains compulsory and total costs rival those of the ordinary e-visa already on offer. They suggest a match-ticket-linked electronic visa along the lines of FIFA World Cup models would have been more effective—had the authorities not preferred to keep intermediaries in the loop.
Côte d’Ivoire courts goodwill with AFCON infrastructure push
In his New Year address, President Alassane Ouattara urged Ivorians to turn AFCON into “a grand celebration of youth, Ivorian hospitality and African brotherhood”. To that end, the government has banked US $1.5 billion in infrastructure upgrades: six stadiums built or refurbished, bridges added, roads and hotels upgraded, and ‘Cités-CAN’ accommodation compounds created for competing teams.
The semi-electronic visa scheme is part of the broader campaign to reposition Côte d’Ivoire as an inviting destination, explained Siandou Fofana, Minister of Tourism and Leisure. Authorities are eager to move past the embarrassment of the 12 September 2022 friendly versus Mali, abandoned mid-match when heavy rain flooded Ebimpé stadium on Abidjan’s outskirts.
