Djibouti

DJI

Djibouti occupies a strategic chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea on the Horn of Africa, bordering Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia. Its outsized geopolitical significance has drawn the only co-located US, French, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian military bases in the world, making it a rare hub of great-power presence in a small nation of roughly 1.1 million.

The economy is heavily service-based, driven by port revenues from the Port of Djibouti — a critical transit lifeline for landlocked Ethiopia — plus base-lease income. Living costs are high relative to regional neighbours, summers are brutally hot, and infrastructure outside the capital is limited. Djibouti does not offer a citizenship-by-investment programme; naturalisation requires ten years of legal residence.

Naturalisation: 10 years
Tax system: Territorial
Currency: DJF
Dual citizenship: Not allowed
Capital: Djibouti City
Region: africa
Population: 1,136,455
Cost-of-living: 52 /100

→ If you hold a Djibouti passport, see the Djibouti nationality guide

Passport Rank

#97

Visa-Free

destinations

Visa-free travel

A Djibouti passport has visa-free access to 44 destinations. See the full Djibouti passport breakdown →

Passports that enter Djibouti without a prior visa (194)

Visa-free, visa on arrival, or on an eTA.

Belize+176 more

Community-sourced (passport-index, synced 2026-08-18) — verify with the embassy before travel.

Immigrating to Canada from Djibouti

Current IRCC processing times for Djibouti nationals, by application type.

Visitor visa (outside Canada)	78 days
Super visa	No processing time available
Study permit	No processing time available
Work permit	No processing time available
Sponsor a dependent child	No processing time available
Adopted child (citizenship)	Not enough data
Government-assisted refugees	Not enough data
Privately sponsored refugees	sponsor: Not enough data / refugee: 38 months

Your application may take longer than the times shown here. They’re not a maximum or a guarantee.

As of 2026-09-22 (IRCC). See all Canada processing times →

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — “Check processing times”. This is a copy of the version available at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html. Reproduced under the Government of Canada’s non-commercial reproduction terms; not endorsed by or affiliated with IRCC.

Sources & last verified

Government of Canada — non-commercial reproduction (canada.ca Terms and conditions)

Official source

Country Details

Capital: Djibouti City
Currency: DJF
Languages: French, Arabic, Somali, Afar
Population: 1,136,455
Tax System: Territorial
Dual Citizenship: Not allowed
Naturalisation: 10 years
Schengen / EU: No
Climate: Hot desert / semi-arid; extreme heat June–September
GDP per capita: $3,906
Life expectancy: 66.2 yrs
Population growth: 1.31%/yr
Territorial Taxation: Yes — foreign-sourced income may not be taxed

GDP per capita, life expectancy, and population growth: World Bank (2025).

Indices

Cost of Living

Safety

Healthcare

Quality of Life

Tax Summary

Tax System: Territorial
Territorial Taxation: Yes — foreign-sourced income may not be taxed
Naturalisation: 10 years of legal residency
Dual Citizenship: Not allowed

Cost of Living by City

← scroll the table →

Monthly cost of living per major city in USD: rent, groceries, utilities, transit pass
City	Rent 1BR centre	Rent outside	Groceries	Utilities	Transit pass
Djibouti City	—	—	—	—	$30
Ali Sabieh	—	—	—	—	$15
Tadjoura	—	—	—	—	$10

Monthly USD figures. Typical central 1-bedroom rent, grocery basket for one, household utilities, monthly transit pass.

Climate

Djibouti City

26°J

27°F

29°M

32°A

35°M

38°J

40°J

39°A

36°S

32°O

28°N

26°D

Rainfall range: 1–18 mm/month · Daylight 11h (winter) to 13.5h (summer)

Ali Sabieh

22°J

23°F

25°M

28°A

31°M

34°J

36°J

35°A

32°S

28°O

24°N

22°D

Rainfall range: 2–22 mm/month · Daylight 11h (winter) to 13.5h (summer)

Tadjoura

25°J

26°F

28°M

31°A

34°M

37°J

39°J

38°A

35°S

31°O

27°N

25°D

Rainfall range: 1–20 mm/month · Daylight 11h (winter) to 13.5h (summer)

Visa Categories & Immigration Authority

Major Visa Categories

Tourist eVisa
Business
Long-stay
Work
Family
Student
Investor

Authority: Direction Générale de la Police Nationale
Official Portal: interieur.gouv.dj

Naturalisation Details

Residence Years
Language Test: Yes (level n/a)
Civic Test: No
Oath Required: No
Dual Allowed: No
Fee: $500
Processing: ~36 months

Safety

GPI Rank

#110

Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)

Common Risks

⚠Overcharging taxis with rigged meters or no meter on airport routes
⚠Qat dealers selling low-grade product at premium prices to foreigners
⚠Fake rental listings exploiting limited housing supply in Djibouti City

Regulators & official sources

Bodies that regulate immigration advice in Djibouti, and the official sources indexed for it by Visa Atlas. Descriptions are verbatim; each links to its source.

Djibouti electronic visa platform

eVisa

Official Djibouti eVisa platform for online tourism, commerce and transit eVisa applications, account-based visa download and visa-extension signposting.

Djibouti electronic visa platform

Agence Nationale de l'Emploi, de la Formation et de l'Insertion Professionnelle

ANEFIP

Authority named by eGov for Djibouti work-authorisation requests and renewals for non-Djiboutian workers.

Agence Nationale de l'Emploi, de la Formation et de l'Insertion Professionnelle

Djibouti eGov / ANSIE

eGov

Public e-government service catalogue publishing foreigners services, including eVisa, work authorisation, work-authorisation renewal and foreign identity-card guidance.

Djibouti eGov / ANSIE

Sources & last verified

Index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-20.

Official source

Related Guides

Zero and low-tax residencies: the real list

Countries with zero personal income tax, territorial-only taxation, or special expatriate regimes — and what each one actually requires from you to qualify as a resident.

Exit tax: countries that charge you to leave

Country-by-country reference of departure taxes, deemed-disposition rules, and wealth-locking regimes that trigger when tax residency ends.

Related on The Citizenship Desk

Life logistics

Reference tables

Visa routes

Official visa and residence routes for Djibouti, indexed from Visa Atlas. Each links to its government source. This is a licensed external index, distinct from our own curated visa guides.

Residence

Foreign Identity Card Guidance

Residence

Djibouti eGov signpost for foreign identity-card requests, directing applicants to the consulate or embassy of their country of origin.

Not published on the reviewed eGov service page.

Djibouti eGov / ANSIE · reviewed 2026-07-25

Traditional Work or Study Visa

Residence

Embassy or consulate visa route for work, study and other purposes that Djibouti eGov says cannot use the eVisa.

Sponsor requiredSet by the visa issued by the competent Djiboutian embassy or consulate; no fixed public duration table was found in the reviewed pages.

Djibouti eGov / ANSIE · reviewed 2026-07-25

Visa Extension

Residence

Djibouti eVisa-platform extension path for eligible visa holders, with remaining visa validity and immigration-office contact checks before filing.

Extension length is selected or confirmed through the official extension process; no public duration table was found in the reviewed pages.

Djibouti electronic visa platform · reviewed 2026-07-25

Short-term / business

Tourism, Business or Transit eVisa

Short-term / business

Online Djibouti eVisa for tourism, commerce or transit, with passport, transport, accommodation, invitation and card-payment evidence prepared before filing.

Determined by the eVisa approval; the reviewed public pages do not publish a public fixed validity table.

Djibouti eGov / ANSIE · reviewed 2026-07-25

Work (sponsored)

Work Authorization

Work (sponsored)

ANEFIP work authorisation for non-Djiboutian nationals who have obtained an employment contract and want to work in Djibouti.

Sponsor requiredNot published on the reviewed eGov service page.

Djibouti eGov / ANSIE · reviewed 2026-07-25

Work Authorization Renewal

Work (sponsored)

Renewal route for Djibouti work authorisation, filed with ANEFIP in the two months before the authorisation expires.

Sponsor requiredRenewal should be filed in the two months before expiry, according to eGov.

Djibouti eGov / ANSIE · reviewed 2026-07-25

Sources & last verified

Route index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-12. Each route links to its official government source.

Official source

Sources & last verified

Last verified 2026-06-15