Togo is a compact, underrated West African country with striking landscapes and the extraordinary Akodessewa Fetish Market in Lomé. Easy e-visa (USD 50, no YF cert for South Africans). Excellent base for multi-country West Africa — Benin and Ghana are both within 3 hours.
Key Warnings
Insider Tips
Upload passport, photo, return ticket. Pay USD 50 (~ZAR 815) by card. Approval in 48–72 hours. Print e-visa letter.
Ethiopian Airlines: JNB → Addis Ababa (ADD) → Lomé (LFW). Total: ~9–11 hours.
Lomé (Grand Marché, Cathedral, Akodessewa Fetish Market), Kpalimé (green hills, waterfalls, butterflies), Togoville (Lake Togo). Day trips to Benin (2 hours) or Ghana (3 hours) easily added.
⚠️ Yellow Fever Certificate needed for your return to South Africa. South Africa is not a yellow fever endemic country. South African passport holders do not need a yellow fever certificate to enter Togo when travelling directly from South Africa. If you transit through an endemic country (e.g., Ethiopia) for more than 12 hours before arriving in Togo, a certificate may be advisable. Separately from entry to the destination: South Africa requires a valid yellow fever certificate from anyone arriving — including returning South Africans — who has been in, or transited through, a yellow fever risk country. Togo is on that list. Without a certificate you can be refused entry or quarantined for up to six days at a South African port of entry. Get vaccinated at least 10 days before you fly home; the certificate is valid for 10 years. Source: South African Tourism, checked 2026-07-31.
No published rejection rate. Togo publishes no e-visa refusal statistics by applicant nationality. Checked August 2026.
ECOWAS is down to 12 members after the Sahel departures
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formally left ECOWAS in January 2026, taking the bloc from 15 states to 12. Togo remains a member and free movement for other ECOWAS nationals is unchanged, but anyone routing overland through the Sahel is now leaving the free-movement area.
Last verified: