I’m heading to Chad this October to witness the Gerewol Festival, and before I could even think about the trip itself, I had to sort out my visa. As of 11 May 2026, that means applying online through Chad’s new e-visa system. Since I only just went through the whole process myself, I figured a proper walkthrough might save the next person a fair bit of guesswork.
Once I’m back from the festival, I’ll write a separate article on organising a Gerewol trip. For now, here’s everything you need to know about the e-visa itself: how the system works, what the form actually asks for, and how my own application went.
Planning a trip to Africa? Check out my Africa Travel Guide for more travel inspiration.
Why This Matters: Chad’s E-Visa Just Became Mandatory
Chad’s e-visa portal, evisa.td, has technically existed since December 2024. But from 11 May 2026, it became the only way to apply. Any paper or manually issued visa obtained outside the platform stopped being valid after 21 May 2026, and manual entry authorisations have been scrapped for good.
In other words, if you’re planning a trip to Chad now, the online portal isn’t just the easiest option, it’s the only one (diplomatic and courtesy visas aside, which still go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
That also means the system is still fairly new, so I want to walk you through it step by step.
How to Apply for a Chad E-Visa: Step by Step
A heads-up before you start: evisa.td is in French only. Google Translate helps, but it also causes one specific headache I’ll explain below, so read the tips as you go.
1. Check whether you actually need a Chad e-visa
Head to evisa.td and click “Pays exemptés” to see if your nationality is visa-exempt. Most aren’t. Travellers from the EU, UK, USA and Canada, for example, all need an e-visa.
Starting in 2027 all African citizens are expected to be exempt, as recently announced by the President of Chad.
2. Create your profile
Click “Demander un e-Visa” on the homepage. You’ll be asked for your email address (twice), your passport number and your passport’s expiry date. Click “Envoyer” and you should get a confirmation email.
Tip: if no confirmation email arrives within a few minutes, your email provider is probably the problem. Hotmail and Yahoo addresses seem to get rejected. Try again with a work email or a private domain address instead.
3. Set your password and log in
Click “Poursuivre ma demande” in your confirmation email, set a password, and you’ll get a second confirmation. From here you can carry on with the application itself.
4. Fill out the Chad e-visa application form
This is the longest part, and where the French-only interface bites. You can have your browser translate the whole page into English, which is handy for working out drop-down options like your occupation. But switch the page back to French afterwards and everything you’ve entered gets wiped.
My approach: find your job title in the French drop-down list first and note it down, along with anything else you’re unsure of. Then fill out the entire form in French, using Google Translate in a separate tab or window to translate your answers before typing them in.
The form has two sections:
1. Informations personnelles
This is where your personal details are entered. There’s only one field for your address, so make sure to fill out your street, postal code and city.
2. Détails du voyage
Your trip details come here. A few boxes worth knowing about:
- Motif du voyage / Détails du motif du voyage: mine was tourisme, specifically to attend the Gerewol Festival, so I filled out the details in the optional field with Pour visiter le festival de Gerewol. You can match what you fill out here with what’s written in your Letter of Invitation (LOI).
- Address in Chad: just your hotel name will suffice. My hotel was pre-booked by Kumakonda. But there are a few options available on booking.com too.
- Contact: the phone number of your host organisation, i.e. whoever issued your LOI.
- Moyens de subsistance au Tchad: I chose Prise en charge / Particulier and added Cash, Visa, Mastercard, prépaiement in the details. Again, the details field is not compulsory, but I figured it was useful for the reviewing agent to see that the trip was largely prepaid, with cash and cards as backup.
- Garantie de retour: your return flight details. I entered mine as Vol retour avec Air France AF902.
- The last box only applies if you’ve visited Chad before.
5. Choose your visa type
You’ll see a list of visa options: short or long stay, express or regular processing. Since my trip to Chad is 8 days, I went with the 15-day regular visa, which cost 40,000 CFA (roughly €60 / $70). But check out the options that cover your stay and choose accordingly.
6. Upload your documents
The site lists the accepted file formats (PDF and/or JPG) per requested document and a maximum combined file size. I booked through Kumakonda, who supplied most of what I needed: a hotel reservation confirmation, a Letter of Invitation (LOI), and a local host document. This last one is a card listing the details of your local host or host organisation, the same one who issued your LOI, so keep both together when you request them.
On top of that, I uploaded a passport photo, a scan of my passport, and my flight tickets. If you’ve held a Chad visa before, you’ll also need a copy of that.
Tip: the site says JPG or PDF is fine for your passport scan, but my JPG upload of the biometric page was rejected. A PDF worked without issue, so save yourself a step and upload a PDF from the start.
7. Review, pay, and submit
Once everything’s uploaded, you get a final review screen before payment. My American Express card didn’t go through. Mastercard worked within seconds, but a Visa creditcard should work without any issues as well.
After payment, you’ll get a confirmation email with a reference number. If all goes well, within a few days you should receive your Chad e-visa in your mail. Keep an eye out if additional documents are requested. If that’s the case, then you’ll receive an e-mail for that, or you can check the status of your application online.
When to Apply for a Chad e-visa
You can start your Chad e-visa application up to 90 days before you travel. Give yourself at least a week or two before your intended departure date, even though my own application only took 4 days. That buffer covers you if extra documents get requested or processing simply takes longer than expected.
It’s also worth booking a flight you can cancel or reschedule, in case your e-visa application doesn’t go through in time. Some airlines will waive cancellation fees if you can prove the visa wasn’t granted before your flight date.
Air France and KLM both offer this, regardless of ticket type, though you’ll need to show proof that your application was rejected or delayed. It’s a small thing, but it takes a lot of the pressure off applying for a visa to a country you haven’t visited before.
What to Expect: Cost, Documents and Processing Time
- Cost: 40,000 CFA (~€60 / US$70) for a 15-day regular visa. Prices vary depending on duration and whether you choose express processing.
- Documents: passport scan (PDF recommended), passport photo, flight tickets, hotel reservation, a Letter of Invitation (LOI), and a local host document listing your host’s details.
- Processing time: mine took 4 calendar days from submission to approval, including a request for an additional document.
My Experience: Was It as Complicated as I Feared?
Honestly, no. I submitted my application on 7 July 2026, and on 11 July I got an email asking for a PDF version of my passport page, since my original JPG hadn’t been accepted. I re-uploaded it straight away, which took a couple of minutes, and a few hours later my e-visa arrived by email, on a Saturday.
That’s not what I expected. Every account I’d read online beforehand described a slower, clunkier process, and even Kumakonda initially suggested I should visit an embassy in person.
Instead, the whole thing was quick, easy to fix when something went wrong, and genuinely well organised. It seems Chad has properly modernised this system since 11 May 2026, and so far it’s working as intended.
Quick Tips for a Smooth Chad E-Visa Application
- Use a work or private domain email address. Hotmail and Yahoo addresses often don’t receive the confirmation email.
- Note your occupation and other answers in French before filling out the form, since switching languages mid-form wipes your progress.
- Upload your passport scan as a PDF, not a JPG, to avoid a resubmission request.
- Have your host organisation’s phone number and LOI ready before you start.
- Try Mastercard or Visa if your Amex payment fails.
- Apply up to 90 days before travel, and give yourself at least a week or two of buffer before departure. My application took only 4 days, but don’t count on that.
- Book a flexible flight, or check whether your airline waives cancellation fees if your visa isn’t approved in time. Air France and KLM both do this, with proof of the rejection or delay.
Coming Next: Organising a Trip to Chad’s Gerewol Festival
Once I’m back in October, I’ll share how the actual trip to Chad and the Gerewol Festival came together, from planning with Kumakonda to what to expect on the ground. Keep an eye out for that one.
Have you been to Chad already, or have any questions? Leave a reply in the comments below, or reach out to me on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you. And sign up for the Next Journey Ahead newsletter to get notified when new articles on Chad and beyond go live.
