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Gambia Vibes · Travel Tips · Money and fees

People search for "Gambia tourist tax" because somebody told them about a charge at the airport. They are right. But it is not a tourist tax in the hotel sense. It is a security fee, it is charged when you arrive and again when you leave, and it has been one of the most argued-about charges in Gambian tourism for years.

Here is what you actually pay in 2026, who collects it, why it exists, and what happened to the regional promise to cut it.

A security fee, not a tourist tax

Many European cities charge a tourist tax per night at your hotel. The Gambia does not work that way. What visitors meet is the airport security fee. Officially it pays for the Civil Aviation and Immigration Security System, which the government set up under an agreement signed in 2019 with Securiport, a private US security company. It covers screening and immigration security at the airport and the e-visa system.

The UK Foreign Office puts it plainly in its current entry advice: the fee is 20 US dollars, it can also be paid in euros, British pounds or local currency, and you pay it at marked kiosks at Banjul International Airport. Infants aged one or under and transit passengers do not pay.

For a couple on a one-week holiday, that is four payments of US$20: two on the way in, two on the way out. US$80 before you have bought a single drink.

How the fee came about

The story is longer than most visitors know, and it explains why Gambians are still angry about it.

What the auditors said

This is not only a complaint from travellers. The Gambia's own National Audit Office found that the government went ahead with the airport fees even though it had been advised not to introduce them. The office called for a review of the Securiport project. The information minister later said that money from the levy, which had been collected directly by the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority, would be moved into the government's consolidated fund.

The Gambian diaspora feels this most. A family flying home for Tobaski or Christmas pays per person, each way. That is why the airport fee keeps returning to the front pages of Banjul's newspapers.

And the ECOWAS promise?

West African governments agreed that from 1 January 2026 all air transport taxes in the region would go, and passenger and security charges would be cut by a quarter. Ticket taxes, tourism taxes and so-called solidarity taxes were all named. IATA, the airlines' association, had already criticised the proposed Gambian charges for lack of consultation and transparency.

By late 2026, independent trackers did not list The Gambia among the countries that had applied the cut, and UK government advice still showed US$20. Next door, Sierra Leone suspended its own US$25 airport security fee in July 2026 while it reviewed the contract behind it. So far The Gambia has not followed.

How to pay without stress

• Carry clean notes. Bring US$20 per person per journey, or the euro or pound equivalent, in clean, undamaged notes. Torn or very old notes may be refused.
• Keep the departure money separate. Put it aside on day one, so you are not hunting for cash at the end of your holiday.
• Do not count on cards. Card machines may be available, but power and network cuts are common. Cash always works.
• Keep the receipt until you have passed the checks.
• Package holiday? Ask your tour operator whether anything is already covered. Do not assume.
• Pay only at the official kiosks. Never hand fee money to "helpers" in the arrivals hall.

Visas and entry, briefly

British nationals do not need a visa to visit The Gambia. On arrival they get a stamp for 28 days, which can be extended twice, 28 days at a time. Your passport must be valid for your whole stay. If you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk, you must show a yellow fever vaccination certificate. Other nationalities face different rules, so check before booking. More in our tourist information: visa, entry and essentials and our health guide.

What else costs money once you land

The airport fee is the only official "tax" most visitors meet. Everything after it is ordinary spending: taxis, ferries, guides, tips. For a realistic picture of your budget, read money in The Gambia: dalasi, ATMs, cards and costs and tipping in The Gambia.

Sources: UK FCDO, The Gambia entry requirements. Kerr Fatou, Interior Ministry statement, Feb 2025. The Chronicle on the reintroduced levy. The Standard on the denied increase. Gambiana on the National Audit Office finding. The Gambia Journal on the ECOWAS 2026 deadline. Africa Passenger Charges tracker. TravelMole on the 2002 levy. Pan African Visions on Sierra Leone, July 2026.

Gambia Vibes · Part of the Ghana-Net network · Updated and fact-checked: 6 November 2026