Departing from Freetown International Airport

Taxes and fees at departure

The Foreign Travel Tax applies to every person leaving Sierra Leone by ship, aircraft or other transport ¹. The National Revenue Authority website says it is 10% of the normal price of the return ticket and must be paid on or before the departure date ¹. The ticket issuer collects it ¹. The authority's Tax and Non-Tax Revenue Guide of October 2022 says the Act was amended by the Finance Act 2017 and gives flat rates instead, from US$25 economy to an ECOWAS country up to US$250 first class elsewhere ¹². The website page is undated, so this site cannot say which version applies now ^1,12.

The Civil Aviation Act, 2019 lists a safety charge on all air tickets as a source of funds for the regulator ⁶. The US$25 security fee that departing passengers paid from 1 September 2022 ⁷ was suspended from 6 July 2026 ². Securiport continues to log outbound passenger data ⁸.

In October 2023 posts claimed passengers would pay a new US$165 tax ⁹. The Ministry of Information said for the Ministry of Transport and Aviation that the claim was fake and misleading ⁹.

Exit rules

• Dual US and Sierra Leonean nationals must show proof of paying taxes on Sierra Leone revenue before clearance to leave ⁴.
• Taking precious stones out of the country needs an export licence ⁵.
• Goods that may be prohibited, taxable or dutiable must be declared ⁵.
• Photographing airports needs official permission ⁴.

Getting from Freetown to Lungi

Water taxis run by Sea Coach Express and SeaBird are timed to flight departures, with a courtesy bus from the Lungi jetty to the airport ³. The crossing takes 30 to 45 minutes ³. The National Tourist Board listed a fare of US$45 including the dock to airport transfer, page modified 9 September 2024 ¹⁰.

The ferry from Kissy to Tagrin takes about one hour and runs only when there is enough demand ³. The road takes about three hours, and the UK government advises daylight travel ³. Rough seas from May to October can delay or cancel boats ³.

The terminal

The terminal that opened in March 2023 can handle up to 90,000 passengers a month and eight widebody aircraft at once, per a press release on Runway Girl Network ¹¹. Summa runs it under a 25-year build-operate-transfer contract ¹¹.

Before you leave Freetown

• Book the water taxi for your flight. Services are scheduled around departures ³.
• Allow for weather. Rough seas from May to October can delay or cancel boats ³.
• Avoid wooden pirogues, canoes and other unregulated boats ³.
• Rooms in hotels near the airport are limited and in high demand ³.
• Keep the written statement of Foreign Travel Tax payment the ticket issuer gives you ¹.