Benin
Benin is a country in West Africa. You'll find culture through a large collection of palatial ruins and temples of the once powerful Kingdom of Dahomey (1800s–1894). Wikivoyage
Cities
Cities with a full Wikivoyage guide, largest first.
Can I go? Entry and visas
From GOV.UK, for United Kingdom passports, updated 15 December 2025:
You must have a visa to enter or travel through Benin.
For further information on entry requirements, contact the Beninese Embassy in France (in French).
Passport validity
Your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay.
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Your embassy in Benin
Finding embassies…
For a lost passport, an arrest or an emergency.
Benin's embassy in United Kingdom
Finding embassies…
For a visa before you go.
Entry rules change, sometimes overnight. Always confirm with the official source before you book or travel. This is a pointer, not legal advice.
Good to know
Emergency numbers in Benin
- Currency
- West African CFA Franc (XOF)
- Time
- UTC+1
- Tue 13:35 there now
- Plugs and power
- Type C · 220 V
- Driving
- On the right
- Calling code
- +229
- Languages
- French
- Capital
- Porto-Novo
From Wikidata, Unicode CLDR (currency, languages) and the IANA time zone database; checked 10 October 2026.