Sierra Leone 2014-2019 ECOWAS, passport

Points/Considerations

• While the formal right of entry is granted under ECOWAS, practical implementation (residence, work, long‐stay) still requires residence or work permits for more than 90 days.

• The design and issuance of passports: Although Sierra Leone uses the ECOWAS common passport template, the exact biometric/e-passport rollout details for Sierra Leone during 2014-2019 are less clearly documented in the sources I found.

• If you are looking for historical changes specifically in the passport booklet, security features, issuance policy in Sierra Leone between 2014-2019, I did not find detailed timeline information in the sources I surveyed.

What this means (2014-2019)

• For a Sierra Leonean citizen holding a valid Sierra Leonean passport during this period, the ECOWAS membership means relatively free movement into other ECOWAS states, under the Phase 1 protocol.

• For citizens of other ECOWAS states seeking to enter Sierra Leone: they would in principle have rights of entry without visa or with simplified formalities (depending on period/time) because of the ECOWAS free movement protocols.

• The “common passport” design: Sierra Leone adopted the ECOWAS common passport (design features) as part of its migration/integration policy.

• The 2019 policy change granted visa‐free entry for ECOWAS citizens into Sierra Leone (and visa‐on‐arrival or other fees for non‐ECOWAS/other nationals)