Immigration
Residence permits tied to employment, with CEMAC free movement
Entry and residence are governed by the 1998 law and its decrees, with residence generally tied to an authorised employment contract. CEMAC nationals enjoy visa-free entry under the free-movement protocol.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Direction Générale de la Documentation et de l'Immigration controls status.
- Deadline — Carte de séjour: applied for shortly after arrival
- Deadline — Employment authorisation: obtained before the worker starts
Governing law
- Loi n° 5/86 fixant le régime d'admission et de séjour des étrangers
- CEMAC free movement protocol
- Décrets on the carte de séjour and the autorisation d'emploi
In practice
Gabon's high proportion of foreign workers in oil, timber and construction makes the coupling of residence to an authorised contract the central feature of its immigration law: losing the job ends the right to remain.