Senegal: New Police Clearance Certificate Requirement for Pre-Approved Business Visa Applications

The Senegalese immigration authorities have implemented a new requirement for all visa nationals (category B and C) seeking to apply for a pre-approved business visa (reserved mainly for refugees (category C) or those countries that have a special arrangement with Senegal (for example, those eligible for a visa-on-arrival at Dakar Airport) to submit a copy of a police clearance from their country of origin. The police clearance certificate must be issued in French (or translated into French by a Ministry of Foreign Affairs' sworn translator in Senegal and legalized) and must have been issued within the three months prior to the date of the application. Previously, this requirement only applied to long-term work and residence permit applicants.