Immigration law in Togo

The main legal framework is Loi n° 2022-005 and Décret n° 2022-050. Entry normally requires an official border crossing, a valid passport or an identity document accepted under an agreement, registration and, where applicable, a visa and international vaccination certificate. The Direction Générale de la Documentation Nationale (DGDN), under the Ministry of Security, handles major immigration documents and residence cards. The current African visa exemption requires a valid national passport and permits a stay of up to 30 days. Travellers should submit the online bordereau d’immigration at least 24 hours before arrival. Security, health and immigration rules still apply, and visa-free entry does not itself authorise employment or permanent settlement. Nationals of other countries, people staying longer than 30 days and people entering for a long-term purpose generally apply for an e-visa through Togo Voyage. Applications should be submitted at least five days before arrival; DGDN processing is stated as taking up to five days. Visa-on-arrival and express visa services are currently suspended until further notice, while manual submission is reserved for a platform failure. Togo currently distinguishes tourist, immigration, professional and courtesy visas. A tourist or professional visa for 1 to 15 days costs 25,000 XOF for one entry or 35,000 XOF for multiple entries. A multiple-entry visa costs 45,000 XOF for 16 to 30 days, 65,000 XOF for 31 to 90 days and 100,000 XOF for a professional stay of 91 to 365 days. An immigration visa for 31 to 90 days costs 65,000 XOF, while a courtesy visa has no fee. Applications generally require the form, the first three passport pages, a photograph and, where relevant, proof of accommodation, an invitation, a flight, insurance or financial resources. Electronic payments are final and are not refunded after refusal. A visa d’immigration supports longer-term establishment for work, study or family reasons. It is issued for up to 90 days and may be renewed once; the applicant then applies for a carte de séjour. A visa professionnel covers time-limited journalism, reporting, trade, projects or expert work and normally lasts up to 90 days. It does not by itself authorise permanent paid employment. Study and internship cases require an approved institution or an internship certificate. Family reunification generally requires an invitation and the residence document of the parent when that parent is foreign. Employment normally requires both the applicable entry permission and an employer-supported authorisation. The employer applies for an autorisation d’entrée when the required specialisation is not covered by the local labour market. A separate employment authorisation listed by the public service has a three-month validity, while another authorisation d’entrée for certain activities involving people outside CEDEAO, the Economic Community of West African States, is described as taking two weeks, costing 5,000 XOF in stamps and being valid for six months with renewal possible. The exact document depends on the activity and the person’s status. A foreign national who stays in Togo for six continuous months or an accumulated six months in one year must obtain a carte de séjour from the DGDN. The temporary card lasts one year, the ordinary card three years and the privileged card five years. Current listed fees are 100,000 XOF for a student card of one year, 250,000 XOF for a student card of three years, 200,000 XOF for other one-year cards, 500,000 XOF for other three-year cards and 800,000 XOF for a five-year card. Processing is listed at 30 to 45 days, with online application and payment through Flooz, TMoney, Visa or Mastercard, followed by physical presentation or collection at the DGDN. Required evidence can include passport pages valid for more than three months beyond the card period, photographs, recent criminal-record documents, a Togolese and recent-residence certificate of non-conviction, a medical certificate, proof of funds and proof of the purpose of stay. Employees add an employment authorisation, contract and work certificate; students and interns provide enrolment or internship evidence; self-employed applicants provide business, tax and social-clearance documents. Minors generally do not provide bank or tax clearance documents. The residence card permits work and travel out of and back into Togo without a visa when used with a travel document. Togo has no independently confirmed indefinite permanent-residence title under the current 2022 framework. The longest current card is the renewable five-year privileged card. An older public-service description conflicts with the current framework, so long-term residence status should be confirmed directly with the DGDN. Naturalisation is a separate discretionary nationality procedure rather than an automatic consequence of long residence. Refugee protection follows the 2016 refugee law. The CNAR receives applications and the CNR decides them. A border police service may forward a claim within 15 days, and an application should generally be filed within 90 days of entry unless a justified reason explains the delay. The procedure is free and may rely on all available evidence, with good faith and the benefit of the doubt taken into account. The attestation demande d’asile gives temporary residence for 90 days and can be renewed until the final decision; the CNR has up to six months to decide. A rejected applicant may file a free appeal with the Commission de Recours through the CNAR within 30 days of notification. Recognised refugees receive protection against return to danger and may access courts, legal assistance, public aid, religion, property and non-political associations. A titre de voyage de la Convention (TVC) is valid for five years, but other countries may still require a visa. Togolese nationality may arise through parentage, certain birth-and-residence conditions, marriage or naturalisation. The current service information states that a Togolese man transfers nationality to his foreign wife through marriage. Naturalisation generally requires age 21 or more, five years of habitual residence before the application, principal interests in Togo, good conduct, health, a declaration renouncing the former nationality and sufficient knowledge of a Togolese language. The application goes to the Ministry of Justice and normally includes a birth certificate, residence evidence or residence card, proof of interests, medical evidence, renunciation documents and a criminal record. The decision period and total cost are not established in the available information. Authorities may refuse or cancel permission for incomplete applications, false information, document abuse, insufficient funds, criminal links, security or public-order concerns, expulsion or breach of residence duties. Reported sanctions include 400,000 XOF and possible refusal of entry for arriving without a required visa, 500,000 XOF for working without the required authorisation or card, 1,000,000 XOF for an employer who hires an irregular entrant, 250,000 XOF for late visa extension, 1,000,000 XOF for remaining beyond six months in a year without a card and 300,000 XOF for late card renewal. Visa refusals generally require a new application, and the processing fee is not refunded. An expulsion order may be challenged before the competent judge; the available information does not establish a general administrative appeal for every visa or residence-card refusal.