As of January 19, 2021, the Togo Ministry of Health announced 4383 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 74 deaths, 470 active cases, and 3839 recovered. These statistics are regularly updated on the Government of Togo’s COVID-19 website.
•International airlines are offering commercial flight services (see section 6).

• International airlines are offering commercial flight services (see section 6).
• International primary and secondary schools are open, while local schools present some difficulties in reopening.
• Restaurants, bars, night clubs, are open and expected to follow social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
• Stores and markets remain open.
• Cultural Centers present a reduced number of activities.
• Most religious services and churches remain closed, a small number are open on a trial basis.
• Face masks/cloth face coverings remain mandatory in public, including in vehicles.

• Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? Yes
• A valid U.S. passport with at least 2 available pages, a Togolese Visa and a Yellow Fever vaccination are required. If you are traveling to Lomé, you must follow these steps before your departure. Visit New Travel Procedures for more information.
• You can apply for a Togolese Visa at the Togolese Embassy in Washington DC by visiting their official website or, the visa may be issued upon arrival in Lomé at Gnassingbé Eyadema International Airport (AIGE).
• You should travel with 4 passport photos for the visa upon arrival at the airport in Lomé. The cost of the visa is $15,000 CFA (subject to change). Additional information can be found here.

Source: Step

Source: DGDN.gouv

• Is a curfew in place? Yes
• On July 9, the Government lifted the curfew that was put in place on April 1.
• Are there restrictions on intercity or interstate travel? Yes
• As part of the monitoring of the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to the Coronavirus, the Government of Togo has been observing a worrying increase in new cases of coronavirus infection throughout the country for several weeks, particularly in the following towns: Sokodé, Tchamba and Adjengré.
• Having noted that the infected persons have had many contacts, and in order to prevent this spread from increasing further in the populations of these localities and throughout the country, the government has decided the following as of August 25, 2020:
• 1- The closure of the cities of: Sokodé, Tchamba and Adjengre.
• 2- The establishment of a curfew from 21.00 to 5.00 in the prefectures of Tchaoudjo, Tchamba and Sotouboua.
• All land border crossings with Ghana, Burkina Faso and Benin remain closed. If you reside outside of Togo in West Africa,  please contact the U.S. Embassy in your country for assistance. For a detailed list of the flights available in country, visit our COVID-19 page.

Source: Covid-19.gouv

• Are U.S. citizens required to quarantine? Yes
• You should expect to spend one to two days under personal quarantine at a hotel or private residence in Lomé. You should limit your contact with anyone during this time. After this period, if it is determined by the Togo Ministry of Health from your nasal swab that you may have COVID-19, you will be required to quarantine for 10 to 21 days at the Eda-Oba Hotel in Lomé at your own expense until being cleared by the Ministry of Health to resume your activities in Togo.
• The U.S. Embassy in Lomé will not intervene in a Togo required quarantine unless the quarantine exceeds 21 days and you have submitted to at least three nasal swab tests during quarantine.

Is a negative COVID-19 test (PCR and/or serology) required for entry? Yes

Are health screening procedures in place at airports and other ports of entry? Yes

* GENERAL PROCEDURES:

• We recommend that all travelers to and from Lomé take out medical or travel insurance when purchasing their ticket if they do not already have international health insurance.
• All passengers travelling to Lomé must show documentary proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 3 days of traveling. You will be asked for the results of the test at boarding. The document containing proof of negative test results must also be uploaded as part of completing the traveller declaration form. Only passengers whose results are negative are allowed to travel. Details on testing can be found here.
• On arrival at Lomé Airport/LFW, all passengers will be subject to another mandatory COVID-19 PCR test at the terminal. They are therefore required to fill the online traveler declaration form available here and use the same platform to pay for the test before departure.
• Passengers who fail to comply with the above will be refused boarding.
• All passengers who just arrived in Togo must install the contact tracing mobile application TOGO SAFE, and keep it activated for the entire duration of their stay or for at least 30 days.

Use the links below to download the TOGO SAFE app on your device:

App Store (iPhone): Here

Huawei AppGallery (Android): Here

Google Play (Android): Here

• Failure to comply with the obligation to install this application will result in the traveler being placed under quarantine in a state-provided containment facility for at least 14 days. The traveler will bear all associated costs.
• Individuals in self-isolation/quarantine must follow the strict rules it entails and maintain the TOGO SAFE app activated while waiting for their COVID-19 PCR test results.
• In accordance with Law No. 2009-007 of 15 May 2009 on the Public Health Code of the Togolese Republic, failure to comply with the rules of self-isolation/quarantine is punishable by a fine or by the transfer of the non-compliant individual to a state-provided containment facility at the individual’s expense or both.

* PROCEDURES FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELLING TO LOME:

• Carry out your COVID-19 PCR test. You must upload the results of your test as part of completing the traveler declaration form. You will be asked to show the results of the test at boarding. Only passengers who received a negative test result no more than 5 days prior to departure will be allowed to travel.
• Complete the traveler declaration form at least 24 hours before your departure to Togo. The form is available here.
• Pay for the mandatory COVID-19 PCR test which you will carry out on arrival at Lomé Airport/LFW. You can pay via Flooz, T-Money or major bank cards (VISA or Mastercard). An electronic receipt containing a QR Code serving as proof of payment will be sent to you by email following payment
• Print out the electronic receipt which serves as a proof of payment or have the receipt ready to show on your phone. Airlines will check if you are in possession of this proof of payment at boarding. Without it, you will not be allowed to travel.

* ON ARRIVAL AT LOME AIRPOT YOU MUST:

• Take the mandatory COVID-19 PCR test. The test will be performed by the laboratory dedicated to testing inbound passengers in Lomé, located in the current (new) terminal of Lomé Airport/LFW.
• Download, install and activate the TOGO SAFE app before leaving Lomé airport for your place of residence. You must keep the app activated for the entire duration of your stay or for at least 30 days from your arrival in Togo. The app will prompt you to specify the location where you will self-isolate until the results of your COVID-19 PCR test are released.
• If you refuse to install this application, you will be placed under quarantine in a state-provided containment facility, and bear all associated charges.
• To facilitate the activation of the application, a local SIM card is provided free of charge if you do not have one. The phone number associated with the SIM card must be used to activate the application. TOGO SAFE.
• Stay home and self-isolate until you receive your COVID-19 PCR test results by SMS and email. Results may take up to 24 hours to be ready.
• Travelers who test positive will be confined in the Hotel until they have two negative COVID tests in succession. The traveler must bear all associated costs.
• While in Togo, remember to practice preventative measures (wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing of 6 feet, washing hands regularly, etc.) and all the measures outlined by the Togolese Government to halt the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

* PROCEDURES FOR PASSENGERS DEPARTING FROM LOME:

• Fill out the traveler declaration form and pay the fee for the COVID-19 PCR test, which must be completed 72 hours prior to departure. Click here to access the form online.
• Pay for the COVID-19 PCR test using either Flooz, T-Money, or major bank cards (VISA or Mastercard). An electronic receipt containing a QR Code as proof of payment is sent to you by email after payment.
• Print out the electronic receipt which serves as proof of payment.
• Exit testing is required 72-hours in advance of a flight by visiting the Institute National d’Hygiène near 2 Fevrier hotel and three blocks north of the French Embassy.  The cost is 40,000 CFA per test.  All passengers, including infants and children, now require testing before boarding a flight.
• Your test results are sent to you by SMS and email within 24 hours. (Please make sure you enter a valid email address while completing the traveler declaration form to ensure that you receive your test results.)
• Travelers who test positive may be placed under strict quarantine until they test negative. The traveler must bear all associated costs.
• Airline companies undertake to change the tickets of passengers who test positive and their accompanying persons free of charge.
• If you are permitted to travel, remember to practice preventative measures (wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing of 2m, washing hands regularly, etc.) and all the restrictive measures set out by the destination country’s government.

* (NEW INFO ADDED) PASSENGERS TRAVELING TO THE UNITED STATES:

•  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director has signed an order requiring all airline passengers traveling to the United States, including U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 viral test or recovery from COVID-19.
• All airline passengers to the United States ages two years and older must provide either a negative COVID-19 viral test taken within three calendar days of travel or provide a positive test result and documentation from a licensed health care provider or public health official of having recovered from COVID-19 in the 90 days preceding travel.  Passengers must also attest, under penalty of law, to having received a negative qualifying test result or to recovery from COVID-19 and medical clearance to travel.   
• U.S. citizens in countries where adequate COVID-19 testing is not available or may not be able to satisfy the requirements should depart immediately or prepare to be unable to return to the United States until such time as they can meet the requirements.

Source: Voyage.gouv

Source: CDC

• Are commercial flights operating? Yes
• Currently six airlines are operating in Lome, see their schedules below.

Ethiopian Airlines

Flights from Lomé – Arrival in destination the same day.

To Addis – Everyday

To Newark – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday

JFK – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday

Flights from U.S.

Newark – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday (late evening departure and arrival in Lomé the following day)

JFK – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday (late evening departure and arrival in Lomé the following day)

Air France (Direct flights are temporarily scheduled two hours earlier to avoid conflict with the curfew for the next two weeks).

Flights from Lomé – Arrival in Paris the next morning.

To Paris – Tuesday and Sunday.

Via Niamey – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday.

Flight from U.S. via Paris – Arrival in Lome the same day, many origins in the US possible, departing the evening before.

Direct – Tuesday and Sunday.

Via Niamey – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday.

Brussels Air

Flights from Lome – Arrival in Brussels the next morning.

Thursday and Sunday.

Flights from US via Brussels – Arrival in Lome the same day, many origins in the US possible departing the evening before

Friday and Sunday

ASKY (Currently operating in 20+ countries)

Abidjan – Everyday

Accra – Everyday (several options)

Bamako – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday

Bangui – Wednesday, Friday, Sunday

Bissau – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday

Brazzaville – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday

Conakry – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday

Cotonou – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Dakar – Everyday (several options)

Douala – Everyday

Freetown – Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday

Kinshasa – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday

Libreville – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Monrovia – Monday, Wednesday, Saturday

N’djamena – Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday

Niamey – Everyday

Ouagadougou – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday

Yaounde – Monday, Saturday

Air Cote d’Ivoire

Daily flights to and from Abidjan

Burkina Air

Ouagadougou – Wednesday and Saturday

Cotonou – Wednesday

Air Maroc has not resumed operations.

• Is public transportation operating? Yes
• Services continue with reduced passengers. All moto-taxis and their passengers must wear face masks per government decree.

In response to significant worldwide challenges related to COVID-19, the Department of State has temporarily suspended routine visa services at all U.S. Embassies and Consulates. Embassies and consulates have canceled all routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa appointments but will continue to provide Emergency and Mission-Critical visa services as resources and local conditions allow. The U.S. Embassy in Togo is currently processing immigrant visas for the following immigrant visa classes: IR1/2, CR1/2, and IH3/4. If your case falls into these categories, you may contact the National Visa Center to request a case expedite. If approved, we will provide information regarding a medical exam and appointment date.

• Until further notice, the U.S. Embassy is only performing PASSPORT and NOTARIAL SERVICES. You may submit a regular, full-validity passport application (DS-11 or DS-82) by making an appointment online. You should submit an application at least one month prior to the expected travel date or the expiration of the U.S. passport.
• You can request an appointment online. If you are financially destitute and have no family members or friends in Togo or the United States who can assist in purchasing a return plane ticket, you may schedule an appointment online to consult a consular officer during regular U.S. citizen service hours, Monday and Thursday afternoons.
• As post-specific conditions improve, our missions will begin providing additional services, culminating eventually in a complete resumption of routine visa services.

For emergency services in Togo,

• All questions regarding COVID-19 – 111
• Police – 117
• Gendarmerie – 172
• Fire (fire brigade) – 118
• Main Lomé Hospital Sylvanus Olympio – 22 21 25 01 (most suitable for trauma)
• Ambulance services are mostly non-existent.

Other links:

• Legal Assistance
• Medical Assistance
• COVID-19 crisis page on Travel.state.gov
• CDC page on COVID-19
• Voyager au Togo
• Togo Country Information
• WHO Togo health profile @ who.int
• WHO COVID-19 travel advice @ who.int

Do the Presidential Proclamations restricting travel apply to me and my family?

The Presidential Proclamations suspending arrival by those who have been physically present in or transited China, Iran, the Schengen Area, the UK, Ireland and Brazil still remain in effect, but do not apply to U.S. citizens nor to lawful permanent residents (LPR). Additional exceptions are made for certain family members of U.S. citizens or LPRs including:  spouses, children (under the age of 21), parents (provided that his/her U.S. citizen or LPR child is unmarried and under the age of 21), and siblings (provided that both the sibling and the U.S. citizen or LPR are unmarried and under the age of 21).  More details on the current proclamations and all exceptions are available on the Department of State website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/presidential-proclamation-coronavirus.html.

On April 22, President Trump signed a proclamation suspending entry into the United States of certain immigrants who present risk to the U.S. labor market during the economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak. The proclamation went into effect on April 23 for a period of 60 days, unless continued by the President. U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and those holding valid immigrant visas on the effective date of the Proclamation, are not subject to the proclamation.

On June 22, President Trump signed an additional proclamation suspending entry into the United States of certain immigrants and nonimmigrants who present a risk to the U.S. labor market following the coronavirus outbreak. The proclamation extends the suspension of entry for certain immigrants described above (Presidential Proclamation 10014) through December 31, 2020. The new restrictions imposed by the proclamation on nonimmigrant visa holders (in the H-1B, H-2B, L and certain J categories) went into effect on June 24 and expire on December 31, 2020, unless continued by the President. U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPR), and aliens who are or were inside the United States or those holding valid nonimmigrant or immigrant visas on the effective date are not subject to the proclamation.

Do I need to be tested for COVID-19?  Will I be quarantined when I return to the U.S.?

There are no federal restrictions or testing requirements for U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) entering the United States, however outbound airline travelers are required to present negative COVID-19 PCR test results dated no more than seven (7) days before departing Togo. If you are planning to visit or travel through France, check the website of the U.S. Embassy in France as well as the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for information on restrictions, foreign quarantine policies, and health information.  Rules enforced by countries you may transit are subject to change with minimal notice and you should regularly check with the local authorities on their latest guidelines while planning and before commencing travel.

In the United States, state, local, and territorial governments may have travel restrictions in place, including testing requirements, stay-at-home orders, and quarantine rules upon arrival. For up-to-date information and travel guidance, check the state, territorial, tribal and local health department where you are, along your route, and where you are going. Prepare to be flexible during your trip as restrictions and policies may change during your travel.

I already had a flight booked which was cancelled. What should I do?  

You are encouraged to reach out to your airline to request a refund/credit for the unused portion.    

What happens if I fall ill with COVID-19? 

If you are in Togo and fall ill with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 – fever, cough, shortness of breath – please self-isolate immediately.  You can call the Togo government hotline at 111. You may also wish to call your primary care physician, if available.  In an emergency, go to a hospital and self-identify immediately as a potential COVID-19 case.