Nothing worries people planning their first overland trip more than the borders. Fairly so: they are among the most intense moments of the trip. But they are manageable, and after the first few they turn into routine. How a border in West Africa actually works, which papers you need and how to stay calm at checkpoints, from 21 countries and a good many more crossings.
Border crossings are among the most intense moments of the trip. This is us entering the DRC.
The honest expectation first: there is no such thing as the typical border. Some are done in an hour, others drag on for half a day and stay opaque throughout. It comes with the trip, it costs you some nerve, and you get used to it.
The most complicated on the whole west route is the one between Morocco and Mauritania, the only land crossing between the two countries, out in the desert. It is also the only one where the vehicle is systematically scanned, and it comes right at the start of the trip. Which has its good side: once it is behind you, the hardest border is over. Allow three to six hours. Between the Moroccan and the Mauritanian side there is a short stretch of unsealed no man's land.
At its core the same pattern repeats everywhere, even if the order varies. On one side, leaving: an exit stamp in the passport, the vehicle's export recorded in the carnet. Then, often after a stretch of no man's land, entering the next country: entry stamp, vehicle import permit (on the carnet, or as a temporary import issued at the border), a local vehicle insurance where required, and sometimes a vehicle inspection.
It sounds like a lot, but it is a process you can work through. What helps is a simple division of roles: one of you stays with the vehicle, the other collects the stamps. That way the vehicle is never left unattended and you do not lose each other in the crowd.
Preparation decides almost everything here. You should have these documents to hand at every border, as originals and as copies:
Passport, driving licence and International Driving Permit, vehicle registration document, the Carnet de Passages, and copies of all of it. Plus two things many people underestimate: a stack of fiche copies and your yellow fever certificate.
The fiche is a standard form with your personal and vehicle details, asked for at many checkpoints. Carry twenty prepared copies and you simply hand one over instead of filling everything in by hand each time. Yellow fever vaccination is required for almost every country in West Africa, and without the yellow certificate many borders will not let you through.
Exactly which documents, in what quantity, and a ready fiche template to print are all in the guide.
At many borders self-appointed helpers will approach you. The good news: at most borders you do not need them and can politely ignore them. The exceptions on our route were Morocco and, above all, Mauritania. At the Mauritanian border we deliberately let a fixer walk us through the process. He made sure our passports were stamped faster, and at the end we gave him a small tip of our own accord. It was worth it. You can do it without a fixer, it usually just takes longer.
The rule that helped us everywhere: do not get distracted. Changing money and buying a SIM card wait until after the crossing. At the border you concentrate on the stamps and nothing else.
Documents within reach, one of you stays with the vehicle. With preparation, a border day stops being frightening.
Between the borders there are checkpoints, and most of them are straightforward: hand over a fiche, a quick greeting, drive on. Sometimes it drags. A few principles carried us through every situation.
Sometimes the officer is simply right: you were speeding, or you missed a sign. Then calm and patience are what help. If a fine is due, you pay it, but only against a receipt. Asking for an official receipt alone resolves most situations, because it makes the unofficial ones lose their appeal fast.
If it really does get stubborn and runs on for hours, the most effective lever is mentioning your embassy. A passport is the property of the country that issued it, and saying you would like to contact the embassy clears many blockages on its own. Stay polite and calm while you do it. Raising your voice never helps, keeping your composure almost always does.
After the first few crossings you will notice it: the pattern repeats, your routine improves, and what felt intimidating at the start becomes a normal part of the travelling day. Respect, yes. Fear, no. That holds at the border just as it does on the road.
The one between Morocco and Mauritania, the only land crossing between the two countries, out in the desert. Allow three to six hours. It comes early on the trip, and it gets easier after that.
Passport, driving licence and International Driving Permit, vehicle registration document, Carnet de Passages, copies of everything, plus fiche copies and your yellow fever certificate. The full list and a fiche template are in the guide.
Stay calm and ask for an official receipt, which settles most cases. In stubborn situations, mentioning that you would like to contact your embassy helps. Always polite, never loud.
In the guide we document every border crossing on the west route the way we experienced it: which counters in which order, which papers, which costs. Plus the visa overview with what we paid and where we applied, and a fiche template to print. And if you want to talk a particular border through with us, that is what the consulting is for.