To enter Senegal, a valid passport (preferably expiring 3 months after the
end of the stay) is required.
A Visa is also compulsory, except for ECOWAS and European Union nationals.
Nationals of other countries should contact the closest Senegalese representation.
Visas are issued by Senegalese Embassies and Consulates in various West African
countries and in other parts of the world.
To obtain a residential permit, the following documents
should be provided:
§
A hand-written (or typed) application
addressed to the Interior Minister;
§
A photocopy of the valid visa,
including the applicant's date of arrival in Senegal;
§
A police record from the applicant's
country of origin, not more than 3 months' old;
§
A birth certificate ;
§
A medical certificate issued
within the past 3 months;
§
A repatriation guarantee which
varies according to the investor's nationality (75 000 CFA F for French nationals)
* or a waiver of the said guarantee granted by the Interior Ministry. Technical
assistants and NGOs are exempted from such a guarantee;
§
Fiscal stamps worth 15 200
CFA F;
§
3 passport-sized photos;
§
professional references (company
status, companies' register, etc.)
The authorisation
to establish in Senegal entitles the applicant to a foreign identity card.
|
The Investment
Promotion and Major Projects Agency (APIX) facilitates registration
with social organisations.
|
* For
other nationals :
contact the Immigration Office/Ministry of Interior, 7 Place de l’Indépendance.
Tel. 822 38 08.
Vaccination : the yellow fever
vaccine is compulsory. It is highly recommended to take vaccines against hepatitis
A and B and anti-malaria treatment. For animals, a rabies vaccination card
and a certificate of good health are
required.
The currency used in Senegal is the CFA
franc, common to most West African countries. The
CFA franc is pegged to the French Franc (100 CFAF = 1 FF). Its exchange rate
in relation to other foreign currencies ( $ US, Pound Sterling, … ) is determined
by that of the French franc to these currencies. Since 1994, the exchange
rate has been subjected to slight fluctuations. With the advent of the single
European currency, the CFA franc will be linked to this foreign currency at
a fixed rate: 1 Euro = 655.957
Senegal is a member of the Franc Zone, and enjoys freedom to effect bank
transfers and export liquid assets of up to 200,000 CFAF within the zone.
Outside the franc Zone, transfers through intermediate banks are subjected
to authorisation.
Following are the exchange rates currently in force:
|
Country
|
Foreign currencies
|
Rate |
|
European Union |
Euro |
1 €= 659.957 CFA F |
|
United States |
Dollar |
1 $US = 700 CFA F |
|
France |
French Franc |
1FF = 100 CFA F |
|
Canada |
Canadian Dollar |
1 $Can = 373 CFA F |
|
Belgium |
Belgian Franc |
1 FB = 16 CFA F
|
|
Switzerland |
Swiss Franc |
1FS = 406 CFA F |
|
Great Britain |
Pound sterling |
1£ = 948 CFA F |
Foreign exchange
counters can be found in most banks. There are many banks in Senegal: CITIBANK, BICIS, CBAO, CLS, SGBS,
BHS, BST, CNCAS, etc. headquartered in the capital, Dakar, with branches in
major cities. International currencies such as the US dollar and the pound
sterling (in notes and travellers' checks) are easily exchanged.
Credit cards may be used to shop as
well as to settle bills in major hotels, car rental agencies and travel agencies.
The main international credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, etc.)
are accepted in many hotels, restaurants and businesses in Senegal. These
cards can also be used to withdraw cash from automatic telling machines found
in all the major cities.
If you need extra money, your bank will inform you about possible bank to
bank transfers (agreements for such operations exist between banks). Besides,
the Western Union Money Transfer company has representatives in most of the
country's major cities.
Senegal has a reliable postal service, and letters and parcels to and from
the country generally arrive without difficulty. You can receive or send mail
through the post office which opens from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., or use mailboxes
in hotels, restaurants ...
Senegal's telecommunications services are among the
most efficient and competitive in
the sub-region. It has good quality telephone lines throughout the country,
and international calls from/to Senegal are very clear.
Telephone and fax : You can telephone and send fax messages from the public
offices set up by SONATEL (national telecommunications company), as well as
in your hotel. Besides, there are public telephone booths (using cards or
coins) throughout the country, as well as public and private telecentres most
of which stay open until late at night.
To call a number in Senegal, dial 00. 221 followed by your correspondent's seven-digit
number.
Internet : Senegal is among the most developed African countries
in terms of the Internet with its band width of 42 megabytes. There are 150
public access points in Dakar and all over other major cities. On the other
hand, if you wish to send e-mail messages, many hotels and tour operators
allow their clients to use their computers for a modest fee.
Senegal falls within GMT. There is a difference of
an hour between France and Senegal in winter and two hours in summer. There
is a time difference of four to five hours between Dakar and Washington and
eight hours between Dakar and Tokyo. .
In Senegal, the public administration and ministries
work from Monday to Friday from 7. 30 a.m.
to 1 p.m. and from 1.30 p.m. to 4
p.m. Private sector companies and international organisations work stretch
from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a mid afternoon break. Banks open only from
Monday to Friday from 8.30 a.m. to 11a.m. and from 2.30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Department stores and supermarkets open from Monday
to Saturday from 8 a.m. to midday and from 4 p.m. to 7.30 p.m., while small
shops remain open till late at night. However, during Ramadan (fast month)
the public administration and businesses change their working hours.
Senegalese diplomatic missions and APIX can provide useful information.
Belgium : Tel / 02-673 00 97 , Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 1050 Bruxelles
Canada :Tel / 613-238 6392, fax 238
2695 ; 57, Marlborough avenue, Ottawa ON KIN
France : Embassy Tel / 01 47
05 39 45 , fax 01 45 56 04 30 ; 14 avenue Robert Schuman, 75007 Paris.
Consulate :Tel : 01 44 05 38 48 , 22 rue Hamelin, 75016 Paris
Switzerland : Consulate Tel / 21 6
52 18 42, 25 route de berne
1010 Lausanne
USA : 210 Fifth Avenue suite 3118, New York NY 10118 Tel:212- 279 1953;
Fax 212-279 1958;e-mail : Senegal@okcom.net
Senegal also has diplomatic representations in Addis-Ababa, Algiers, Berne,
Brasilia, Geneva, Cairo, Libreville, New Delhi, Rabat, Rome, Stockholm, Tunis
and Yaounde, as well as Consulates in Bordeaux , Lyon, Marseille, Melbourne,
Toronto, Vancouver, Vienne and Zurich.
Senegal has many first class hotels (4
and 5 stars) both in the capital, Dakar, and in other cities. These hotel
complexes are often members of international hotel chains, such as:
In Dakar :
Méridien President
Hôtel Sofitel
Téranga
Hotel Novotel
Dakar
Hotel Savana
Dakar
www.primature.sn : It is the official site of the Government of Senegal.
it has a lot of information about the government and various ministries.
http://www.minfinances.sn : the official
site of the Ministry of Finance and the Economy in which useful information
on the Senegalese economy can be obtained.
http://www.tpsnet.org : : Very interesting site containing a directory of
Senegalese companies. It also provides information on business opportunities.
www.affaires.sn : This site provides very practical information on
how to do business in Senegal.
www.izf.org : the site of the Franc Zone, giving detailed economic
information on each member State.
www.homeviewsenegal.sn : site for general information on Senegal.
www.senegal-online.com : Discovering Senegal through all its aspects: geography,
history, politics, population, culture, Dakar Practical Guide.
www.ausenegal.com : all sorts of information about the country, its
major cities and its traditions. It also presents the key housing infrastructure.
www.senegalaisement.com very detailed general, practical and cultural Information.
www.gites-senegal.com : : Renting villas and apartments in Senegal: in Saint
Louis, Dakar, Goree Island, Popinguine,
Somone or Saly Portudal.
www.senegalhotel.sn : Presenting hotels of the Senegal Hotels chain;
Sali Princesse , Savana Cap , Royal Cap, Diola, Kabrousse,
etc.
www.afric-network.fr On-line bookstore for works on literature, arts, history
of the African continent.
www.casamance.net Presentation of the history, culture, practices and tourism sites of Casamance