The Gambia: passport and entry requirements
The Gambia is visa-free for UK families, with an entry stamp giving you 28 days and passports that only need to stay valid for the length of your trip.
On this page
Your passport
Each passport only needs to be valid for the length of your stay. Check that every passport covers your return comfortably, and that none is damaged.
If you're travelling with children, give their passports a look when you book, since a child's can come up for renewal sooner than you'd expect.
Getting in
UK passport holders don't need a visa. You get an entry stamp on arrival that allows a 28-day stay, which covers a normal winter-sun holiday with room to spare. If you're staying longer you can extend it twice, each time by another 28 days, at the immigration office in Banjul or a tourist police station. Each traveller is covered on their own passport, children included.
There's an airport security fee, which most visitors pay as part of their trip. Infants aged one or under are exempt from it. A yellow fever certificate only applies if you're arriving from a country where the disease is a risk, not on a direct flight from the UK.
Every child needs their own passport, from the youngest up, valid as long as the adults'. The visa-free entry covers each of them, and there are no separate documentation rules for children.
Official sources
Last checked 11 August 2026. Passport and entry rules change, so always confirm on GOV.UK before you book or travel.
