The UK government tells British nationals they must have a visa to visit Mali, with the application and payment fully online via the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, and advises against all travel to the whole of Mali. The ministry's online visa check tells nationals of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso and Niger that they do not need a visa, and tells nationals of Cape Verde, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone that a visa is required. ECOWAS says Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are no longer members of ECOWAS as of 29 January 2025.
Every fact on this page verified on or after: Aug 26, 2026· How this site works
Check requirements for your passport
Requirements differ by nationality. Select your passport above, or scan the full table below.
Visas & entry authorisations
Visa
Fee
Not published
Processing
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Entry requirements
Passport validity
The UK Foreign Office says your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay in Mali.
Yellow fever (International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow card)) — The UK Foreign Office says you must have a certificate proving yellow fever vaccination to enter Mali.
Mali's Law No. 04-058 of 25 November 2004 on the entry of foreigners, which the online visa application shows before the form, says that to enter Mali every foreigner must carry the entry visa and documents on the purpose and conditions of the stay and, where applicable, on their means of subsistence and guarantees of repatriation. No amount is stated.
International Health Regulations (2005), Article 36 and Annex 7; WHO International Travel and Health, Annex 1, 18 November 2022 (revised 3 January 2023)
Country in a nutshell
Currency
CFA franc (XOF, FCFA)
Safety — High risk
The UK advises against all travel to the whole of Mali. It says JNIM has implemented blockades on key routes throughout southern and western Mali, including Bamako, targeting fuel trucks and enforcing checkpoints, that you should not try to leave Mali by overland routes to neighbouring countries as this is too dangerous, and that there is a high threat of kidnapping and criminal activity across Mali, including in Bamako. Canada says that since the coup d'état of August 2020, Mali has been ruled by a military-led transitional government.Verified Oct 3, 2026 · Source: gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Emergency numbers
Police: 17 · Ambulance: 15 · Fire: 18
Languages
French
Time zone
UTC+0
International Driving Permit
The UN treaty records list Mali as a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (succession, 19 November 1962).
Canada's travel advice describes 3 main seasons in Mali: the dry and cool season from November to February, the dry and hot season from March to June, when temperatures can reach 45°C, and the rainy season from June to October, when seasonal flooding can hamper overland travel. Both Canada and the UK advise against all travel to Mali.
Tips & warnings
The UK advises against all travel to the whole of Mali. It says JNIM has implemented blockades on key routes throughout southern and western Mali, including the capital Bamako, targeting fuel trucks and enforcing checkpoints, that attacks can occur at any time, and that there is a high threat of kidnapping and criminal activity across Mali, including in Bamako.
ECOWAS says Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are no longer members of ECOWAS as of 29 January 2025. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' online visa check tells nationals of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo that they do not need a visa, and tells those of Cape Verde, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone that a visa is required.
The UK Foreign Office says not to take pictures of military or government installations and to always ask permission before taking photographs that include local people; Canada says photography of military personnel and installations is prohibited.
Canada's travel advice says credit cards are rarely accepted outside a few major hotels and that access to ATMs is limited outside of Bamako.
Visa requirements by nationality
Visa requirements by nationality. Stay lengths are for ordinary tourist visits. Click a nationality for its full guide.
Stay lengths are for ordinary tourist visits. Click a nationality for its full guide.
No official page we read states the rule for 6 nationalities, so the table leaves them out: Dominica, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Macau, Solomon Islands, and Taiwan.
The UK government says British nationals must have a visa to visit Mali, that the application and payment process is fully online via the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, and that an entry permit is issued electronically once approved. The ministry's online visa check tells nationals of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso and Niger that they do not need a visa.
Is Mali safe to visit?
The UK advises against all travel to the whole of Mali, and Canada says to avoid all travel to Mali due to the threat of terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and fuel shortages.
Can ECOWAS citizens still enter Mali visa-free?
ECOWAS says Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are no longer members of ECOWAS as of 29 January 2025. The Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' online visa check tells nationals of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo that they do not need a visa, and tells nationals of Cape Verde, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone that a visa is required.
Can I get a visa on arrival in Mali?
No official source we could read offers a visa on arrival. The UK government tells British nationals that they must have a visa to visit Mali, that the application and payment process is fully online via the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, that an entry permit is issued electronically once approved, and that there is no need to send documents to the Malian Embassy in Brussels.
Do I need a yellow fever vaccination for Mali?
The UK government tells people travelling on a full British citizen passport that to enter Mali they must have a certificate to prove they've had a yellow fever vaccination.
Sources & verification
Every fact on this page is compiled from and periodically re-checked against these official sources: