Reality Brief: Dakar

Current alerts

• Diphtheria outbreak

  Outbreak in 24 districts across 11 regions, mainly Kédougou, Dakar and Thiès. Check your DTaP vaccination.

  Published on September 21, 2026 · France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, latest news and alerts

Alerts checked on October 2, 2026 against the sources cited.

Essentials before you arrive

• Passport: France, United Kingdom, Canada

  No visa is needed for stays under 3 months (90 days) for French, British and Canadian nationals.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, entry and residenceGOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: entry requirementsGovernment of Canada, Travel advice: SenegalGuide: Entry and residence

• Border officials may ask for a return or onward ticket and proof of accommodation; without them, entry may be refused.

  GOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: entry requirementsGuide: Entry and residence

• Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months (after arrival according to France and the UK, after exit according to Canada).

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, entry and residenceGOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: entry requirementsGovernment of Canada, Travel advice: SenegalGuide: Entry and residence

• A yellow fever certificate is required if you arrive from a risk country, including after a mere airport transit there (babies aged 9 months or under are exempt). France strongly recommends vaccination for everyone.

  GOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: entry requirementsFrance Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, healthCDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Travelers' Health: SenegalGuide: Entry and residence

• Insurance covering care, repatriation and assistance is essential: medical facilities are inadequate outside major centres.

  SPF Affaires étrangères (Belgium), Senegal: practical informationFrance Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, healthGuide: Health

• Malaria is present. Protect against bites and take preventive treatment as advised by a doctor; any fever requires prompt medical attention.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, healthCDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Travelers' Health: SenegalGuide: Health

• Ambulance (SAMU) 15, fire 18, police 17. The UK advises 123 (gendarmerie) in the countryside. SOS Médecin: +221 33 889 15 15.

  GOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: getting helpGovernment of Canada, Travel advice: SenegalFrance Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contactsGuide: Health

• The currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF), pegged to the euro.

  Government of Canada, Travel advice: SenegalSPF Affaires étrangères (Belgium), Senegal: practical informationGuide: Money and banking

• Society is tolerant but conservative and mainly Muslim: dress and behave modestly in public, especially during Ramadan and at religious sites; public drunkenness is frowned upon.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful informationGOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: safety and securityGuide: Daily life and local laws

Living in Dakar

• In Dakar, muggings, burglaries and pickpocketing are rising, sometimes with weapons, including in hotels used by foreigners. The Corniche is risky on foot after dark. If attacked, stay calm and do not resist.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, safetyGOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: safety and securityGuide: Safety and emergencies

• At Blaise Diagne airport, beware of fake drivers who claim to know you: book transport through your accommodation or an authorised operator and check the ID of whoever collects you.

  GOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: safety and securityFrance Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, safetyGuide: Safety and emergencies

• Demonstrations can turn violent and block roads, including the road between the airport and Dakar: stay away and remain at your hotel if in doubt.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, safetyGOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: safety and securityGuide: Safety and emergencies

• In the rainy season (July to October), violent storms cause sudden flooding that blocks roads, including in Dakar: do not drive during storms.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, safetyGuide: Safety and emergencies

• Use reliable, permanent guarding, day and night, and stay vigilant in rental villas in tourist areas.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, safetyGuide: Housing

• Four mobile operators: Orange, Tigo, Yas and Expresso; the network is of good quality.

  SPF Affaires étrangères (Belgium), Senegal: practical informationGuide: Daily life and local laws

• Photographing or filming airports, barracks, the presidency and ministries is prohibited. Ask people's consent, especially in situations that may embarrass them.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful informationGuide: Daily life and local laws

• A diphtheria outbreak affects 24 districts in 11 regions, mainly Kédougou, Dakar and Thiès (Health Ministry statement of 4 September). Make sure your vaccination (DTaP) is up to date and seek care immediately for fever, cough or difficulty swallowing or breathing.

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, latest news and alertsGuide: Health

Field experience

• Tip

  Pharmacies, clinics and hospitals

  Listed in OpenStreetMap (not exhaustive): pharmacies (338), clinics (86), hospitals (46). Locate those near your home in the first days and check opening hours and on-call services locally.

• Tip

  Where to shop for food

  Listed in OpenStreetMap (not exhaustive): markets (58), supermarkets (86). Compare a few basic prices between market and supermarket before settling into habits.

• Tip

  Banks, cash machines and exchange

  Listed in OpenStreetMap (not exhaustive): banks (445), cash machines (7), currency exchange (19), money transfer (43). Withdraw and change money at these official places, preferably during the day, never in the street.

• Tip

  A shop for your SIM card

  Listed in OpenStreetMap (not exhaustive): phone and internet (64). Go with your passport: SIM registration is often mandatory.

• Tip

  A furnished flat for the first weeks

  Listed in OpenStreetMap (not exhaustive): furnished apartments (30). A furnished flat gives you time to visit several neighbourhoods before signing a lease.

• Tip

  A coworking space as a fallback

  Listed in OpenStreetMap (not exhaustive): coworking (4). Useful for remote work when the connection or power fails at home.

• Tip

  Consulates in the city

  Listed in OpenStreetMap (not exhaustive): consulates (5). Note the address of your country's consulate or the nearest embassy.

• Emergency numbers

  Ambulance 15, fire 18, police and gendarmerie 17, national gendarmerie +221 800 00 20 20.

  151718+221 800 00 20 20

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contactsGOV.UK (FCDO), Senegal travel advice: getting help· Oct 2, 2026

• SOS Médecin

  Home-visit doctors, Dakar.

  +221 33 889 15 15

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Hôpital Principal de Dakar

  Hospital.

  +221 33 839 50 50

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Hôpital Aristide Le Dantec

  University hospital.

  +221 33 889 38 00

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Clinique de la Madeleine

  Private clinic.

  +221 33 889 94 70

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Clinique Casahous

  Private clinic.

  +221 33 889 72 00

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Clinique du Cap

  Private clinic.

  +221 33 889 02 02

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Institut Pasteur de Dakar

  Reference centre for rabies and yellow fever vaccines.

  36, avenue Pasteur, BP 220, Dakar+221 33 839 92 00

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Central police station, Dakar

  Police.

  +221 33 842 33 41

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Embassy of France in Senegal

  Passport: France

  French embassy in Dakar.

  1, rue El Hadji Amadou Assane Ndoye, BP 4035, Dakar+221 33 839 51 00

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, entry and residence· Oct 2, 2026

• Consulate General of France in Dakar

  Passport: France

  Consular services for French nationals; also covers Cabo Verde, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Honorary consuls in Cap Skirring and Tambacounda.

  1, rue El Hadji Amadou Assane Ndoye, BP 330, Dakar

  France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, entry and residenceFrance Diplomatie, Travel advice: Senegal, useful contacts· Oct 2, 2026

• Embassy of Canada in Senegal

  Passport: Canada

  Consular assistance for Canadians (also covers Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau). Appointments online.

  Angle des rues Galliéni et Amadou Cissé Dia, Dakar+221 33 889 47 49dakar-consular@international.gc.ca

  Government of Canada, Travel advice: Senegal· Oct 2, 2026