Bo border post | Customs and Immigration

Easy crossing from SL to Liberia. Liberia wanted to search my backpack (yes I am backpacking). As I started to open my bag, the lady immigration officer was over ruled by a superior. So no real hassle.

There was a young boy selling sim cards. Make sure he sells you the right package: a day, week or monthly credit. Doesnt always go right.

Excellent road in SL.
Good road in Liberia, bad road the closer you get to Monrovia.

Report Check-In

As comments below, very easy border, all speaking English and help you were to go. Money exchangers we’re friendly and not to pushy. Motorbike with CDP and Liberian visa in hand.

Report Check-In

Sierra Leone -> Liberia

Easy border. No bribes.

We got our visas and Laisser-passer in Freetown. Better get it in Conakry.

Exchange rate:

1 US = 80 LRD

10.000 LE = 8 LRD

SIM cards for Sierra Leone at small stalls after border formalities.

On Sierra Leone side they ran out of petrol in Bo. Don’t rely on Bo! On Liberian side petrol everywhere.

If you go the opposite way make sure you pay your visa in LE. 800 LE equals 40 US

Report Check-In

from Sierra Leone to Liberia:
very easy and quick process. everyone was friendly. they knew what to do with the CDP. no laissez passer necessary.

Report Check-In

Liberia to Sierra Leone.

Liberia immigration, very helpful even when arriving at 6:35pm. Customs was unwilling to do anything so we just went to Sierra Leone anyways.

Sierra Leone:
$80 for vehicle permission permit, seemed legit and got receipts and everything.
$80 per VOA.

Very kind and helpful and pretty efficient. Gave us VOA even at 7:05pm after closing, very kind. Customs wasn’t there by the time we were done, so we came back in the morning instead to stamp our CDP.

Report Check-In

Liberia to Sierra Leone.
Nice and easy border crossing. Fast process on both sides, no bribe attempts. Don't know if the ecowas scam is still an issue as I crossed on foot.
Sierra Leone visa still 80$ or 800 Leones. Easy to change money on the Liberian side at an ok rate.
I was so happy with the smooth process that I forgot to ask for the visa payment receipt. No problem so far at the checkpoints, but I would say it's better to have the receipt anyway (and it should prevent the money to go into the immigration guy's pocket).

Report Check-In

Everyone nice and gentle except the Ecowas insurance guy. We try to ignore him and drive through the gate (rope) but everyone stopped us.
We bargained with 5 random men around our car and the ecowas guys. Then an immigration officer went and asked us to go to his desk.
We took the time to discuss with the immigration officer, showed him our CEDEAO insurance, and the Liberian flag on it. We explained that we know the guy scam people. The ecowas guys was next to me at the desk and was screaming at me that he has all the right to make me pay. He showed a «ecowas law paper»,went to take his brand new ecowas jacket and showed his ecowas ID. He wanted first that we pay an insurance and then a fee for Something I didn’t understand. We stayed calm in front of him and after a long discussion (30min) we showed the immigration officer the IOverlander comments and explained him it is the French embassy website advices.
The immigration officer shaked my hand and allowed me to leave after reading the comments.

Report Check-In

It’s one of the smooth border crossing. I left Sierra Leone and it was easy they stamped my passport and let me go. At Liberian side they check my visa and gave me entry stamp. No demand no bribe nothing

Report Check-In

Don’t pay the 10 $ for enshurance it’s a scam the mean Stress a lot and show paper but everything is fake big aushole was hard work to not pay

Report Check-In

All fine on the SL side, easy and smoth. No bribes of any type.
The problem is on the Liberian side.

We got the stamps for the passport and for the car. When we were about to leave the ECOWAS scammer showed up. He introduced himself showing an old police card that is already expired. Wearing flipflops, shorts and a Manchester United shirt. You would never believe this guy works for police.

He demanded that we have to pay for the ECOWAS insurance, and he will give you a receipt (toilet paper). He claimed that you cannot leave the border if you don't pay and if you don't have this paper, the police will stop you on the road and fine you. A COMPLETLY LIE.

We had to fight hard to not pay his scam. We made a scene, talked with other officers, everybody seems to be involved in the scam, but stay firm.

On the way to Robertsport, we had 2 police checkpoints. They NEVER asked for the ECOWAS insurance. Then, we were in Liberia for 10 days, around the country. NEVER asked for the ECOWAS insurance.

Report Check-In

Coming from Monrovia going to Freetown. Friendly staff no ECOWAS insurrance scam. Bought Leones for Sierra Leone's visa 800. Do not forget to ask for your paiement's receipt. Officers will ask for, further on the road !

Report Check-In

Crossed Sierra Leone to Liberia on a Saturday. Easy crossing, 45 mins. We had our Liberian visas and LP already from the Liberian embassy in Conakry (also an easy process). Passports and LP stamped out on Sierra Leone side, stamped in on Liberia side. No requests for money, very friendly and professional.

Report Check-In

Crossed from Sierra Leone to Liberia.

Leaving SL very easy and straightforward. Liberia in as well.

After immigration and customs on the Liberia side someone claiming to be from Ecowas insurance kept insisting that we pay a 10 USD even though we already have a car insurance. According to him it's a 'handling fee' to make your insurance valid in Liberia. Felt very scammy to us. Guys drop the rope to leave the border without getting a receipt from the Ecowas guy. So we left without paying. He's sure trying to get his money though.

Report Check-In

Easy border, very friendly.
Carnet stamped and stamp in passport and all was good.
For our west Africa car insurance we had to pay 10 dollar to make it valid in Liberia. We paid.

Report Check-In

Everything was straightforward and everyone was quite efficient and friendly up until we exited the building and the guy approached us for the $10 handling fee for the ‘insurance’. After a discussion and asking to see his ID, we did not pay the fee. He became quite agitated and said that ‘most’ other vehicles pay it. The guys at the barrier knew he was asking for the amount and that we did not pay, and they dropped the barrier for us to leave.

Report Check-In

There is no visa on arrival in the liberian side. We paid 20 dollars do take one officer to go with us to Monrovia and make the visa in the city.

Report Check-In

Two Canadians traveling from Liberia to Sierra Leone on foot.
Smooth sailing leaving Liberia. We had to check in at 4 different desks with officials who wrote down our information, but no problems.
Same thing on the Sierra Leone side, but it took quite a long time. We can confirm that the visa on arrival is available! You will need to pay for it (800,000 per person) in Sierra Leonian currency, so look for the best rate on the Liberian side before crossing the bridge.

Report Check-In

There is a health check Sierra Leone side going to Liberia. Temperature taken by non-touch skin radiation scanner, reason given is so not taking a current fever across the border. Yellow fever documentation recorded, reason given is as Liberia requires it anyway and SL doesn't want to have people sent back. Book to register you are checked and yellow fever vaccination detail recorded. Nothing else legally required according to my research, but see other comments regarding scams. I made a big fuss before I agreed, as yellow fever documents not required in Sierra Leone, so when I suddenly turned helpful I think they were happy to see me go, and did not push for other vaccination information

Report Check-In

If you have aCarnet de passage, you don't need the Tip from the Liberian embassy. Very easy and very fast custom. One small fat lady guides you to all the stations to make sure you don't miss medical check and the guy of ECOWAS, who prepared a copy of the document which gives him the right to charge you USD 10,- for handling fee...

Report Check-In

Coming from Sierra Leone to Liberia, alone, on foot, I did not have any issues. Noone looked behind yellow fever page on my yellow card, everyone was friendly and courteous.

Report Check-In

They are still trying with the cholera/measles vaccinations scam on the Sierra Leone side and the Ecowas on the liberian side.

We are a group of 8. For the vaccination they asked 200 euros but I ended up lowering it to 40 while for the Ecowas scam they asked 20 dollars for the truck and 10 dollars for each car.

The rest of the process was quite smooth.

Report Check-In

Health immigration on the SL side tried to scam us while leaving SL. Said they needed to see our yellow fever certificates for some reason, but gave up after we played stupid for too long and never gave the certificates to them. When we got our exit stamped we left in a hurry just in case they decided to try again.

Report Check-In

Health immigration on the SL side - even though I was exiting the country, wanted a bribe, as my inoculations certificate was different. Wanted $60 at first - I paid €20 in the end, mainly due to the time of day - it was already getting dark & was keen to get holed up somewhere. Just be aware they are running this scam here.

Report Check-In

Easy but long boarder crossing. No one asking for money to do any stamp.
We could avoid the ecowas guy at SL side.
The vacination guy claimed the cholera. We tried to talk but he staid on his opinion so we left to the next office.
After everything was done we left the building and wanted to cross. The vaci-guy didnt let us go.
The two which didnt had the cholera just walked over the boarder and the third stayed with the car. In the end the friendly interpol guy opened the rope!

On the liberia side everything was easy but we couldnt avoid the brown-card guy. He showed has governement documents and we paid the 10 USD with receipt.

Good exchange rate on the liberia side.

Report Check-In

Nobody asked for money this time. Easy (but long) border crossing for me. All documents and vaccinations up to date.

Report Check-In

SL to Liberia.
In SL I was asked for 20 dollars by the first immigration officer to stamp the passport, after waiting a bit I could go without paying.
in Liberia everything and everyone correct, but I had to come back to SL to stamp the Liberian passavant from the corrupted officer who wanted 50 dollars. Waited and spoke with his assistant, I said I haven't money, after half an hour of nonsense I had that nasty stamp for free

Report Check-In

Went from SL to Liberia. In SL vaccination guy claimed that cholera is necessary, but after 10 monutes of debates he gave it. No problems with others.

On Liberian side ECOWAS insurance guy wasn’t there, so didn’t pay the extra fee. Immigration though were telling that a lesse passe is necessary from the embassy. In the end allowed us in, but demanded $10 “service charge”. The lady handled all our papers though taking them everywhere. Like fixer, but from immigration :)

Report Check-In

Same experience. From SL to Liberia. On SL side the tried the trick with the vaccination stamps and brown card extra fee. On Liberia side the chief there want to see the hotel reservation and even called there to check. Only good thing about that chief. He doesn‘t want any money for everything.
And we had to pay 10 usd for the brown card extra. No one not to pay it....

Report Check-In

No hastel at all. From Liberia to Sierra Leone. Additional to brown car now a 15.- usd extra insurence for towing if u breakdown

Report Check-In

As someone mentioned before CORRUPTED POLICE!

I’ve met 4 other backpackers travelling each on their own, including me, who had had troubles in this border. In the Sierra Leone side.

The first policeman you met will tell you your visa is not valid because is not a sticker, it’s a stamp. Even if your visa has been issue in Berlin or Dakar or if you are leaving the country. Will point to a printed paper (made by him) that says that. After he will ask you for money holding your passport.
Second policeman, is the one who checks yellow fever cards. He will tell you, you need a Cholera vaccination or Meningitis. He will also hold your passport and yellow fever in his hand until you pay him. Even if you are leaving the country he says you need that.

I was able to not to pay by shouting at him and jumping over the table and pick up my passport and yellow card from his hands. Even though it’s not something you should do in a border.

One of the travellers gave me the contact of the first corrupted guy, if any travel of iOverlander is in Sierra Leone, please report this person to the Anticorruption phone number thats advertised by the country:

Richard Henry WELLER
080359495
076124536

Report Check-In

Lots of offices, took me about 2 hours to complete the whole process. Just adding some details:

- Sierra Leone side: health officer tried to scam me (and some fellow overlanders a week ago) to put a fake cholera stamp in my yellow vaccination book. When I showed him I got that, he all of a sudden said Menigitis is missing... when I showed him that I had that one too and confronted him with being corrupted, he first got angry and then said “you know, we earn so little, we just try”. He lost his own game :) in any case, don’t pay anything for any health stamp, they only check yellow fever at the Liberian side (corrupted there too, asking for money).
- Liberian side: many different offices, last one is something with the ECOWAS brown card where you need to pay 10 USD. Not sure what it is, not sure if it’s right. I argued for about an hour but he wouldn’t give in, I ended up paying the 10 USD. All together, it’s quite a rip off... 100 USD visa, 10 USD brown thing, 50 USD to get the visa the next day, 30 USD for the car, ... it adds up quickly.

By the way ... road Bo - Zimmi under construction (at least a couple of years to go), Zimmi - Border: bad, probably extremely bad in rainy season. Wanted to go to Sulima but was so tired of that road that I headed straight to the border instead and skipped Sulima. Liberian road perfect until Monrovia, excellent dirt track to Robertsport (2WD fine).

Report Check-In

Leaving Sierra Leone initially straightforward. However, at immigration  they asked about the bike document. I showed my carnet and they said to stamp at customs. So i did. All above board.
At liberian immigration over the bridge they said Sierra Leone have to stamp the vehicle pass that i got from the Conakary embassy  (see check in there). So i returned to Sierra Leone.
Immigration then said it costs 10 dollars to stamp it. I confirmed later that this was false. No need to pay.
I reacted a bit bad. Called his bluff on it by asking to call the anti-corruption number that I'd seen advertised at a police checkpoint in the border village (great guys there btw, kept trying to feed me!)
Anyhow. I continued to fight the 10 dollars and now the overweight immigration guy is annoyed. Eventually. After a while and explaining how often this happens and saying I'd mistaken it for bribe as is the norm. Add a bit of boosting his ego and saying i was out of cash and going to an atm in Monrovia. Eventually. He stamped it.

Back in libera. They confirmed he'd tried for a bribe. Lots of things to register. But helpful and kind. I got my carnet stamped. But nobody asked for it. The chief customs guy did it. I explained how to. As i was suiting up to leave they called me back. Chief customs said i need a document for the bike. A pass. I said not the carnet?

He said they issue temporary papers  (TIP I guess). Anyway. He said as just a week. Not to worry. He stapled his card to my pass thing and said if i get any issues down the road. Have them call him. Honestly the nicest thing at any border so far!
Don't put your passport away too soon. Checkpoint down the road.

Report Check-In

Leaving Sierra Leone was easy. Get your passport and laissez passer stamped (needed to enter Liberia), show yellow fever certificate.

Entering Liberia was somewhat more of a hassle due to bothersome chief immigration officer. Claimed it was impossible to obtain laissez passer on arrival, said it had to be obtained along with the visa, wanted us to go back to Freetown or Conakry to get it. Some talking and waiting later he told his staff to process our laissez passer. USD10/LD1000. Get the visa stamp and show yellow fever certificate. Customs may search your bags but let us pass. Border closes at 6pm, be there around 5pm.

Report Check-In