Benin - Country Information

General Information

Location: West Africa
Local Time: GMT +1
Capital City: Porto Novo
Language(s): French, many local languages, some English
Dialling Code: 229
Driving: Driving is on the right. International Driving Permit required
Electricity: 220V AC 50Hz

Business & Currency

Currency: CFA Franc (XOF 1 = 100 Centimes)
Notes: XOF: 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000
Coins: XOF: 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250

Credit Cards/Travellers Cheques: Credit cards are accepted on a limited basis

Opening Hours
Bank: 0800-1100 & 1500-1700 Mon-Fri
Office: 0800-1230 & 1500-1830 Mon-Fri
Shops: 0900-1300 & 1600-1900 Mon-Sat

Public Holidays
2008
Jan 1 New Years Day, Jan 10 Traditional Holiday, Mar 20 Prophet's Birthday, Mar 24 Easter Monday, May 1 Labour Day, May 1 Ascension, May 12 Whit Monday, Aug 1 Independence Day, Aug 15 Assumption, Oct 2 Ad-el-Fitr*, Oct 26 Armed Forces Day, Nov 1 All Saints Day, Dec 9 Tabaski*, Dec 25 Christmas Day
* Dates may vary according to the lunar calendar

Business/Social Hints: Business is conducted in French, very few executives speak English. Care should be taken to respect Voodoo and other local religious conventions

Tipping: Around 10% in hotels & restaurants

Health

Compulsory vaccinations: Yellow fever certificate required by all. Exempt infants under 1 year.

Recommended immunisations: Cholera*, diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B*, malaria, meningitis*, polio, TB*, tetanus, typhoid, yellow fever, rabies
* recommended in some circumstances, travellers making 3 or more visits per year, stays of more than 3 months in a rural area, high-risk occupational groups & backpackers staying more than 1 month.

Risks: Malaria exists all year throughout the country. Rabies.

Airports

Passport & Visa

The following details relate to holders of adult normal passports (requirements for children may be different), if any other type of passport or travel document is held, entry requirements should be checked with the relevant embassy or consulate

Passports

Required, but NOT by the following:
1) Holders of National Identity Cards or passports expired a maximum of 5 years issued to nationals of Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Rep, Chad, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Togo

Passport Validity: Please contact nearest embassy/consulate

Passport Notes:

Visas

The following DO Not Require a visa:
1) Nationals of Benin
2) For stays up to 90 days
a) Nationals of Algeria, Bulgaria, Burkina, Faso, Cape Verde Isl, Central African Rep, Chad, Congo, Cote d'ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Nigar, Nigeria, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, and Holders of Chinese Taipei Documents

Air Transit

Required by all except those as noted above and:
1) Persons continuing their journey to a third country within 24 hours without leaving the airport, provided holding confirmed tickets & documentation

Climate

Conditions & temperatures vary from north to south. The south has two rainy & two dry seasons, hot & dry between Nov-Feb & again in Aug, rainy between Mar-Jul & Sep-Oct. The north has more extreme temperatures, very hot & dry between Nov-Jun, cooler & very wet between Jul-Oct

Clothing

Light clothes plus warmer wear for winter evenings & rainwear for rainy season

Charts for Cotonou

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max Temp (C) 27 28 28 28 27 26 26 25 26 27 28 27 Min Temp (C) 23 25 26 26 24 23 23 23 23 24 24 24 Humidity am (%) 90 88 85 83 86 90 88 88 88 87 88 91 Humidity pm (%) 68 70 69 70 74 78 77 76 76 75 74 71 Rainfall (mm) 33 33 117 125 254 366 89 38 66 135 58 13

Temperature (C) Rainfall (mm) Humidity (%)

Representative

Embassy
Consulate of Benin
Millennium House
Humber Road
London, NW2 6DW
tel: +44 20 8830 8612
fax: +44 20 7435 0665
hours: 1030-1600 (Mon/Wed/Fri)