Benin is one of West Africa's most fascinating destinations — Ouidah's voodoo heritage and Door of No Return, Ganvié's lake stilt village, and the UNESCO Royal Palaces of Abomey. E-visa in 48 hours (USD 50). YF mandatory from Uganda. Ethiopian Airlines Entebbe–Addis–Cotonou.
Key Warnings
Insider Tips
Six months beyond your intended stay, with a blank page for the entry stamp. There is no visa to apply for — Benin admits Ugandans without one — so the passport is the document that decides whether you travel.
The card must be at least 10 days old before travel and the original is required — photocopies and phone photos are not reliably accepted. This is the document most likely to stop you, not the absence of a visa.
Immigration routinely asks visa-free arrivals for a confirmed return or onward ticket and a first night's booking. Keep both reachable on your phone rather than describing them.
The officer sets the permitted stay, up to 90 days, and prints it on the entry stamp. Check it before leaving the counter — the stamp, not the published allowance, is what governs your stay.
⚠️ Yellow Fever Certificate required. Uganda is endemic. Benin is also endemic. Both countries enforce yellow fever vaccination requirements. Your yellow fever card is checked both on departure from Entebbe and on arrival at Cotonou (COO). Certificate must be at least 10 days old. Vaccinate at UVRI Entebbe or Mulago Hospital Kampala.
No visa application is made on this route, so there is no refusal rate.
Benin's exemption covers the whole African Union, 90 days
Benin opened visa-free entry to citizens of every African Union member state on 30 August 2016, following Rwanda. It is a continent-wide exemption at 90 days, which supersedes the narrower list of eleven bilateral waivers still quoted in places — including the 30-day figure this page carried.
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