What you can't carry across Africa

The Algerian dinar cannot be brought in, and only a small amount can be taken out (the Algiers airport site says up to 10,000 DZD). Foreign currency above 1,000 euros must be declared. Animals need a vet check. Radios and similar devices need approval.

Firearms, religious materials, antiquities, medicines and currency are all under strict customs rules. Libyan dinars cannot be brought in or taken out.

Drones need prior permission, and travellers cannot realistically get one. Cigarette and alcohol limits apply per person and cannot be pooled between travellers.

Firearms need Interior Ministry permission. Fruit, vegetables, meat and fish need approval from the animal resources ministry. Bags are routinely searched at Khartoum airport.

The Tunisian dinar cannot be brought in or out. Drones need prior written permission. The cash declaration threshold is reported differently on different sites (from TND 5,000 for non-residents up to TND 20,000 or more), so check the current rule.

Firearms need authorisation from the local administration, and hunting weapons need a hunting permit. One travel guide gives a cash reporting limit of USD 10,000.

Weapons and ammunition need special authorisation (up to 2 shotguns and 50 rounds with safety approval). Gold, seeds, medicines and some foods need Trade Ministry authorisation. Plants need a plant health certificate and meat needs a health certificate. Exporting masks, religious items and antiquities needs Culture Ministry approval.

Medicines, fuel and weapons need prior authorisation. Animals, plants and animal products need health and plant health certificates. Tobacco is limited to 200 cigarettes or 250 g per adult.

Some textiles need Commerce Ministry approval, petroleum products need approval, live animals and animal products need veterinary clearance, alcohol above 20 percent needs an import licence, and pharmaceutical, medical and cosmetic products must be registered.

Firearms need a police permit, plants need an Agriculture Director permit, and radio equipment needs Interior Ministry authorisation. Meat and many animal products are barred.

Arms and ammunition need a permit from the Interior Ministry. Rough diamonds need a mining licence. Cash rules are in flux: sources give USD 1,000 (declare) and USD 10,000 (limit), and the Bank of Ghana issued new notices in July 2026. Carrying more than two new phones can be treated as a commercial import and taxed.

The Guinean franc cannot be brought in or taken out beyond a small limit, foreign cash must be declared, and the US State Department says no more than 100,000 GNF or USD 5,000 may leave. Exporting precious gems needs a licence. Taking out weapons, plants, animals, food and obscene or religious literature is barred.

Weapons need written authorisation from the defence or interior ministry. The local currency cannot be brought in or taken out. Foreign cash must be declared above USD 10,000 (or CFA 5,000,000 from ECOWAS countries).

Rough diamonds can be traded only under strict international rules. Cash above USD 10,000 must be declared on entry, and cash above USD 7,500 on exit. Live animals and plants need health certificates.

Arms and ammunition, medicines, veterinary products and tobacco products need ministry approval. Tourist sporting guns need customs authorisation within 24 hours of arrival. Plants need a plant health certificate. Exporting Malian archaeological objects, especially from the Niger River Valley, is restricted. Non-residents must declare foreign cash above CFA 1,000,000.

Firearms and sporting guns need a licence. The ouguiya cannot be brought in by non-residents. Some companies get permission to import alcohol for foreign staff.

The value of baggage must be declared on arrival. Cash above USD 10,000 must be declared. Pets need a vet health certificate. Exporting ivory, archaeological items and crafts over 50 years old needs a Ministry of Culture permit (travel guide).

Weapons need authorisation from the responsible minister, and transceivers need approval.

Controlled medicines such as opioids and benzodiazepines need a written prescription. Weapons need a police permit and are held by Customs until it is issued. Non-residents may carry up to 50,000 in local currency and must declare foreign cash on arrival.

Arms and ammunition need Interior Ministry authorisation. Medicines beyond personal need need a Health Ministry visa. Meat needs a health certificate. Satellite phones need notice to the regulator 15 days ahead. Exporting hides, skins and gold needs approval. Foreign cash above CFA 2,000,000 must be declared.

Only Kz 50,000 in local currency can be carried in or out. Non-residents must declare foreign cash above USD 5,000 (residents above USD 10,000).

Weapons, pharmaceuticals, alcohol, tobacco and chemicals need special permits. Hunting weapons, swords and live plants and animals need permits. Cash above XAF 1 million to 5 million must be declared (sources differ). Drones and professional camera gear may need permission.

Cultural artefacts carry an export tax. Dogs and cats need a rabies certificate.

All photography needs a government permit, and film and cameras may be confiscated without notice. Foreign cash must be declared on arrival, and only up to XAF 10,000 of local currency can leave (2023 guide).

Arts and crafts, especially wooden objects, carry an export tax. Cash brought in should not exceed CFA 5 million (about USD 8,000), and CFA over 1 million must be declared on exit. Animals need a vet certificate showing rabies vaccination.

Imports valued at USD 2,500 or more need a BIVAC inspection certificate. Photography of public buildings, airports, ports, military sites and border areas is prohibited in some areas.

Visitors must declare currency above XAF 50,000. Photographing the presidential palace, ports, airports and military sites is prohibited and can bring imprisonment. Dogs need a rabies certificate.

The Interior Ministry controls all private firearms and ammunition. Customs can ask you to justify jewellery, cameras and phones, and can charge duty on anything that looks commercial. Photographing military sites and government buildings is forbidden.

Devices for making alcohol need a Commerce Ministry permit, poisons need Health Ministry authorisation, gold and silver need export permission, and animal and plant products need a certificate of origin and inspection.

Arms and ammunition need authorisation from the local administration. Cash above USD 10,000 is limited on entry and exit. Pets need an import permit and health certificate. Protected species need a CITES permit.

Plants and soil need an import permit and plant health certificate. Pets need health and rabies certificates. Photographing government buildings and military sites is illegal.

Photographing military sites, ports, airports and bridges is illegal, and so is hunting.

All electronics, including laptops, phones and cameras, must be declared on arrival or they can be confiscated on departure. Keep receipts for purchases and currency exchanges. Taking out more than ERN 500 is prohibited. Photographing military sites, police, government buildings and infrastructure is prohibited.

Medicines, food and drink, communication equipment, fertilizers, seeds and live animals need approval from the right agency. A passenger may take out only 2 kg of coffee products without special authorisation. Binoculars face acceptance limits. Plastic barrels and drums cannot be used to pack personal effects sent to Addis Ababa.

Firearms need a certificate from the Central Firearms Bureau. Drones need a Kenya Civil Aviation Authority permit. Ivory, unworked precious metals and stones, spent cartridges and historical artefacts are restricted.

Military-style clothing, medicines and unmanufactured gold need licences. Wild animals and their products, live fish, bird eggs, bee products and meat need approval. Underwear cannot be imported, and secondhand clothes above one bale need a permit.

Firearms need a police permit. Cash above Rs 500,000 must be declared. Personal medicines need a prescription. Tobacco is limited to 250 g per adult.

The metical cannot be brought in or taken out. Foreign cash above USD 5,000 must be declared (one source says USD 10,000), and so must more than MZN 10,000 in local cash. Meat can be confiscated at the border when animal diseases are around.

Drones need advance permits. Genetically modified products need a licence. A 0.2 percent levy applies to imported goods packed in plastic.

Fruit and vegetables, radio equipment and satellite phones, pets, and wildlife products, corals and shells need permits.

Airport customs may frisk travellers and decide on the spot what is allowed. Extra phones and electronics attract scrutiny and sometimes fees.

Firearms, ammunition and gun parts need permits. Drones need Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority approval. Worked ivory is effectively not allowed.

Drones, live animals, minerals, medicines, animal products and wildlife items need clearance.

Animals, and farm produce such as meat, fruit, vegetables and grain, need permits. Cash above USD 5,000 must be declared.

Other firearms need a police permit from the Central Arms Registry. Plants, seeds and soil need agriculture permits. Wild animal products and trophies need a wildlife permit. Cash of P10,000 or more must be declared on entry and exit.

Goods worth less than E15,000 are declared on Form E. Duty-free allowances apply only to people arriving from outside the Southern African Customs Union.

South African nationals cannot import alcohol. Goods worth more than LSL 5,000 need a SAD500 form. Cash or cheques of LSL 25,000 or more must be declared.

Each needs an import or export permit or licence. Namibia uses the same list as the other Southern African Customs Union members, which is the South African list.