Liberia

LBR

Liberia is a coastal West African nation with a uniquely American origin: it was founded in 1847 by freed African-American slaves repatriated under the American Colonization Society, making it Africa's first republic. English is the official language, and the capital Monrovia is named after U.S. President James Monroe.

After devastating civil wars (1989–2003), Liberia has rebuilt its democratic institutions and in 2018 achieved a peaceful transfer of power. The economy relies on rubber, iron ore, and timber exports. Citizenship is restricted to people of Negro descent under the Constitution, and dual citizenship is not permitted. The Liberian passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to around 46 destinations.

Naturalisation: 2 years
Tax system: Residence Based
Currency: LRD
Dual citizenship: Not allowed
Capital: Monrovia
Region: africa
Population: 5,418,000
Cost-of-living: 28 /100

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

Passport Rank

#94

Visa-Free

destinations

Visa-free travel

A Liberia passport has visa-free access to 46 destinations. See the full Liberia passport breakdown →

Passports that enter Liberia without a prior visa (14)

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

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

Immigrating to Canada from Liberia

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

Visitor visa (outside Canada)	87 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: Not enough data

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: Monrovia
Currency: LRD
Languages: English
Population: 5,418,000
Tax System: Residence Based
Dual Citizenship: Not allowed
Naturalisation: 2 years
Schengen / EU: No
Climate: Tropical; hot and humid year-round, heavy rainy season May–October
GDP per capita: $915
Life expectancy: 62.32 yrs
Population growth: 2.09%/yr

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

Indices

Cost of Living

Safety

Healthcare

Quality of Life

Tax Summary

Tax System: Residence Based
Territorial Taxation: No — worldwide income taxed for residents
Naturalisation: 2 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
Monrovia	—	—	—	—	$25
Gbarnga	—	—	—	—	$12
Buchanan	—	—	—	—	$10

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

Climate

Monrovia

26°J

27°F

27°M

27°A

26°M

25°J

24°J

24°A

25°S

26°O

26°N

26°D

Rainfall range: 30–1000 mm/month · Daylight 11.5h (winter) to 12.8h (summer)

Visa Categories & Immigration Authority

Major Visa Categories

Tourist
Business
Resident Permit
Work Permit
Student
Family
Investor

Authority: Liberia Immigration Service
Official Portal: www.lis.gov.lr

Naturalisation Details

Residence Years
Language Test: No
Civic Test: No
Oath Required: No
Dual Allowed: No
Fee: —
Processing: —

Safety

GPI Rank

—

Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)

Regulators & official sources

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

Liberia Visa on Arrival portal

LIS VoA

Official Liberia Immigration Service portal for online Visa on Arrival pre-application and visitor-entry guidance.

Liberia Visa on Arrival portal

Liberia Re-entry Permit Card information page

LIS Re-entry

Official Liberia Immigration Service guidance for re-entry permit cards, residence and special card types, in-person enrolment and multiple-entry handling.

Liberia Re-entry Permit Card information page

Liberia Ministry of Labour work-permit portal

Work Permit

Official Ministry of Labour portal for foreign-worker work-permit applications, employer batch filing, biometric enrolment and work-permit validity guidance.

Liberia Ministry of Labour work-permit portal

Sources & last verified

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

Official source

Related Guides

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 Liberia, indexed from Visa Atlas. Each links to its government source. This is a licensed external index, distinct from our own curated visa guides.

Residence

Family, Study or Long-stay Authority Check

Residence

Liberia authority-check route for family, study or longer stays where public route-level checklists are incomplete.

Sponsor requiredDo not infer family, study or long-stay duration from Visa on Arrival or re-entry guidance; confirm the stay basis with LIS.

Liberia Immigration Service · reviewed 2026-08-18

Re-entry Permit Card

Residence

Liberia Immigration Service re-entry permit card for non-citizens who need multiple entries during an approved stay.

The LIS re-entry page says cards are valid for either 6 months or 1 year, depending on the type issued.

Liberia Immigration Service · reviewed 2026-08-18

Resident Permit Authority Check

Residence

Liberia resident-permit authority-check route based on LIS resident-permit service links and related permit guidance.

Sponsor requiredConfirm resident-permit validity, extensions and any linked re-entry limits directly with LIS before relying on the status.

Liberia Immigration Service · reviewed 2026-08-18

Short-term / business

Embassy Visa Channel Check

Short-term / business

Liberia visitor-visa channel check for travellers who may need to use a Liberian embassy instead of Visa on Arrival.

Confirm timing, appointments, validity and entries with the relevant Liberian embassy or the official LIS source before travel.

Liberia Immigration Service · reviewed 2026-08-18

Visa on Arrival

Short-term / business

Official Liberia Immigration Service online pre-application route for Visa on Arrival at Roberts International Airport.

Approval is valid for entry within 3 months; the stay granted is determined at the airport based on the visit, commonly 30 or 90 days according to the LIS portal.

Liberia Immigration Service · reviewed 2026-08-18

Work (sponsored)

Work Permit

Work (sponsored)

Official Liberia Ministry of Labour work-permit route for foreigners who intend to work in Liberia.

Sponsor requiredThe Liberia work-permit portal states the work permit is valid for 1 year.

Ministry of Labour, Liberia · reviewed 2026-08-18

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