Togo has granted visa-free entry to all African nationals, effective Monday, May 18, 2026, making it the sixth country on the continent to remove entry barriers for holders of valid African passports.

The decision, announced by Minister of Security Colonel Calixte Batossie Madjoulba in a communiqué issued in Lomé, applies to stays of up to 30 days and covers all land, air and maritime entry points.

Every visitor must register a travel declaration on the government platform voyage.gouv.tg at least 24 hours before arrival and obtain a travel slip to present at the border.

The exemption does not override existing security, immigration and public health rules.

The minister framed the decision as an expression of President of the Council Faure Gnassingbé’s ambition to position Togo as a regional hub for services, business, culture and human exchange.

The communiqué described the move as reflecting “a constant commitment to promoting African integration, strengthening the free movement of people and goods, and fostering greater cooperation between the states and peoples of the continent.”

Togo joins Rwanda, Ghana, Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles as the African countries that have adopted full or near-full visa-free access for African travelers.

Seychelles is widely regarded as the pioneer, being the first African country to allow entry to all nationalities without a visa.

Ghana is set to roll out its own visa-free policy for African nationals from May 25, 2026, coinciding with Africa Day celebrations.

The African Development Bank’s Africa visa openness index found that only 28.2% of intra-African travel was visa-free by the end of 2025.

In 28% of country-to-country travel scenarios within Africa, citizens do not need a visa to cross the border, a marked improvement over 20% in 2016.

The Togolese government invited all relevant stakeholders to support the reform, which it described as contributing to the country’s continental leadership on integration and cooperation.