Local Laws

CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While you are traveling in Côte d’Ivoire, you are subject to its laws. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different from our own. Persons violating Ivoirian laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Côte d’Ivoire are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. In Côte d’Ivoire, you may be taken in for questioning if you don’t have your passport with you or if you take pictures of certain buildings. In Côte d’Ivoire, driving under the influence could land you immediately in jail. If you break local laws in Côte d’Ivoire, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution.

There are also some things that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States. You can be prosecuted in the United States for engaging in sexual conduct with children or for using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country regardless of the legality of these activities under that country’s laws. Counterfeit and pirated goods are illegal in the United States and if you purchase them in a foreign country, you may be breaking local law as well.

Arrest notifications in host country: While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in that country, others may not. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Ivoirian customs authorities encourage the use of an ATA (Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission) Carnet for the temporary admission of professional equipment, commercial samples, and/or goods for exhibitions and fair purposes. ATA Carnet Headquarters, at the U.S. Council for International Business, 1212 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, issues and guarantees the ATA Carnet in the United States. For additional information, call (212) 354-4480 or e-mail ATA Carnet Headquarters.

Customs fees in Côte d’Ivoire are very high. If you are bringing in any new items such as clothing, shoes, handbags, electronics, and especially items that are or may appear to be for resale, be prepared to pay 44.38% in customs duties. The Consular Section is aware of situations where travelers did not have receipts for all the items, and customs agents assigned a higher value than travelers may have paid for the items. The customs agents charged customs duties accordingly, and when travelers did not pay, the items and often the luggage containing the items were impounded by customs. Customs agents acted legally and transparently in these cases. The U.S. Embassy cannot intervene to reduce customs duties or reclaim items legally seized.

If traveling to another West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) country, expatriate residents leaving Côte d’Ivoire must declare the amount of currency being taken out of the country. Residents traveling to countries that use the CFA franc currency, but are not WAEMU members, are prohibited from taking CFA francs out of Côte d’Ivoire and are authorized to carry up to the equivalent of 2,000,000 CFA francs (approximately 4,000 USD) in any other currency. You can take funds in excess of that amount out of the country in the form of travelers or bank checks. If traveling to any other non-WAEMU country, tourists are prohibited from taking more than 500,000 CFA francs (approximately 1,000 USD) and business operators are prohibited from taking more than 2,000,000 CFA francs (approximately 4,000 USD) without government approval.

Carry a photocopy of your U.S. passport, visa, and entry stamps. You should also carry an international driver’s license, especially if you plan to drive anywhere in Côte d’Ivoire. U.S. driver’s licenses are not valid in Côte d’Ivoire. In Côte d’Ivoire, you may be taken in for questioning if you don’t have your passport with you or if you take pictures of certain buildings. Government corruption remains a serious problem in Côte d’Ivoire, and has an impact on judicial proceedings, contract awards, customs, and tax issues. Uniformed security forces (police, military, and gendarmes) routinely stop vehicles for traffic violations and security checks. If you are stopped, politely present your identification. Police and security officials rarely speak English. If you are stopped at one of these checkpoints and asked to pay a bribe, politely refuse and present your photocopy of your U.S. passport, visa, and entry stamp.

Please see our Customs Information sheet.

WOMEN TRAVELER INFORMATION: If you are a woman traveling abroad, please review our travel tips for Women Travelers.

LGBT RIGHTS: There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations or the organization of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) events in Côte d’Ivoire. The only mention of same-sex sexual activity in the laws is as a form of public indecency that carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment, the same prescribed for heterosexual acts performed in Côte d’Ivoire. Antidiscrimination laws exist, but they do not address discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. However, societal stigmatization of the LGBT community is widespread, and police, gendarmes, and members of the armed forces reportedly beat, imprison, verbally abuse, extort, and humiliate members of the LGBT community, particularly gays. The few LGBT organizations in the country operate freely, but with caution.

For more detailed information about LGBT rights in Côte d’Ivoire, you may review the State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. For further information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) travel, please read our LGBT Travel Information page.

ACCESSIBILITY: While in Côte d’Ivoire, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from in the United States. Individuals with disabilities should be aware that there are almost no accommodations made for individuals with disabilities in Côte d’Ivoire.