I’m travelling solo around Africa on a Swedish registered Honda Africa Twin (2003). I carry a Swedish passport. My Swedish insurance is valid for Morocco only. I travel without a carnet.

Note that the information regarding border crossings and visa applications is based on my own experience and is not set in stone.

I'm using the term Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for the document allowing my motorcycle into a country. This is also called:
Passavant or Laissez-Passer in french speaking countries.
Licença de Importação Temporária in portugese speaking countries.

Motorcycle Registration Document = Certificat d'Immatriculation in French, which is informally known as "Carte Grise".

UPDATES: Although these pages describe my own experiences I will throw in an occasional update if important information reaches my ears during this trip. However, as time goes by, the information below will inevitably be less and less up to date and updates will lose their relevance, but still I think this information will provide a fair picture of African bureaucracy for quite some time to come.

16. CAMEROON - April 2015

Visa:
Place of application: Calbàr, Nigeria. No queues, no fuzz.
Embassy/consulate location: N4° 59.779' E8° 19.431'
Duration: 3 months
Entries: Multiple entries
Cost: 20 000 NGN (95 €)
Handling time: While waiting
Valid from: Application date. Can probably be set to preferred date.
Accompanying documentation: 3 photos

Note: I first made an attempt to apply for a visa at the Cameroon High Commision in Abuja (N9° 04.283' E7° 29.379') but they were not at all accommodating and refused to issue a visa. They said that the border between Nigeria and Cameroon is closed and that no one should be let through. They seemed to be aware of foreigners crossing the border lately but it was clearly not to their liking. They suggested that I should put my motorcycle on a plane as entering by air is allowed. Trying to reason with them was of no use.

The Cameroon consulate in Calabàr was located in the suburb of Ekorinim NW of Calabàr city center (Not at the Ndidem Usong Iso as some maps have it.) They opened about 9:30 on the morning I visited. As it was Friday (Isn't it always?) I expected to have to wait until Monday for the visa but the guy I talked to was very helpful as well as informative and he had the visa issued while I was waiting. I didn't mention that I travel by motorbike but as it turned out this was of no issue at this consulate. The official told me straight away that the border was officially closed but that they have started to let tourists through since about a month back (March 2015). He asked if Sweden has an embassy in Cameroon as the immigration officers at the border sometimes call the embassy of the person entering Cameroon. Sweden do not have an embassy in Cameroon but the official at the consulate didn't think this was a major problem. It appears that it is only at the Ekok border that toursits are being let through at this point, which the official also indicated. He also gave me some tips on road conditions in Cameroon. An unusually decent consulate representative.

Border crossing: Mfum (Nigeria) - Ekok (Cameroon)

Documents needed at the border: Passport, vehicle registration document, drivers licence.

When arriving to the Nigerian side of the border, only a short distance from the bridge crossing the Cross River, I passed two or three police checkpoints with nail boards laid out over the road. One checkpoint would have been sufficient and leaving Nigeria they filled no purpose at all other than bothering me with their usual questions.
The Nigerian Customs building was almost at the bridge on the right hand side but as I didn't have a TIP to return I paid them no visit, neither was I asked to. The Nigerian immigrations building was also on the right hand side, right at the barrier before the bridge. Here I filled out a standard form before they stamped my passport without any indication that the border was closed. Across the road was a man with a ledger who took down my travel information. He tried to get something in return but I just ignored him. When they keep flipping through the pages in your passport for an unusually long time, this is a sure sign that some form of "dash" will be asked for. Then I was let over the bridge. It was actually quite a scenic place if one had the presence to appreciate it.

On the Cameroon side of the bridge was a big gate with an adjacent building. This was neither customs nor immigration. A stern official noted down my travel information on a lose bit of paper. Another guy started to make a phone call but was not successful getting through. I was asked to wait outside. Twenty minutes later my passport was returned and the gate was opened. This meant that the phone call had gotten through and that I had been approved to enter Cameroon despite that the border is officially closed. It was a BIG relief.
200 meters up a hill was the immigration and customs building. At the immigrations office a lady stamped my passport without further ado. It was this lady they had called from down by the bridge. This lady in turn had called her boss, "a high ranking immigrations officer", as she said. This officer had approved me entering the country. As far as I can tell tourists have been let through the Ekok border since about a month back (March 2015), initially with the help of a phone call to the tourists' embassy within Cameroon. Now it seems like this is not needed anymore (Sweden doesn't even have an embassy in Cameroon). They call the high ranking immigrations officer who makes the final decision to let people through. Right now, this seems to be a standard and straight forward procedure but that doesn't mean it can't change, for better or for worse.
If it hadn't been for the customs, the whole border crossing would have taken no more than an hour. Now it took three hours as a junior customs guy said that I needed a Carnet to pass. He said the only other alternative would be to pay a bond but as this bond could only be picked up at the border crossing where it was submitted we had a problem. I was asked about the value of my bike and answered a low 3 000 €. He then calculated the bond to 1 300 000 CFA (over 2 000 €).
When a senior official finally appeared, he said that a Carnet was standard procedure in Cameroon but that he could issue a TIP (Passavant) as a special case for me. It didn't look very special as they had the forms readily available and there was no hesitation filling it out. I was charged 20 000 CFA (33 €) for which I got an official receipt. It seemed a bit on the high side but I was so happy over the entry stamp that I cared little about it. At first he wanted to specify my exact route through the country on the TIP but after some discussion he agreed to only include entry and exit locations. One month validity was easily negotiated to two months.

Note: There is a brand new road connecting Ekok with Mamfé, so it should be hard surface all the way from Calabàr to Yaoundé via Ekok, Mamfé, Bamenda, Bafoussam and Bafia.

TIP: 2 months, 20 000 CFA (33 €)
TIP Extension: -
Carnet: Is the preferred method in Cameroon
International Driving License: Not asked for
Yellow fever vaccination card: Not asked for
Insurance: Not asked for
Total cost at the border: 33 €
Time to cross the border: 3 hours

Checkpoints: There were quite a few checkpoints towards the Nigerian border and I was stopped a number of times. A few times they asked to see my passport, one time they wanted to see the motorcycle insurance, they never asked for the TIP. In the south I was not stopped at any checkpoints.

17. GABON - May 2015

Visa:
Place of application: Yaoundé, Cameroon. Some queues, some fuzz.
Embassy/consulate location: N3° 53.670' E11° 31.164'
Duration: 1 month
Entries: Single entry
Cost: 50 000 CFA (82 €)
Handling time: 2 working days
Valid from: Date set at the time of application.
Accompanying documentation: 1 photo, copy of passport, copy of yellow fever vaccination card, copy of travel insurance, hotel reservation

The Gabon Embassy in Yaoundé had a number of requirements that applicants should fulfill, although none that was insurmountable. The lengthy list that was displayed outside was too long to read and it was reduced by the woman who handled my application. She wrote me an adapted list which consisted of the following:
- 1 photo
- Copy of passport
- Copy of yellow fever vaccination card
- Copy of travel insurance
- Hotel reservation
- Travel itinerary from start of my journey through to Gabon. This should be signed by the Swedish consul in Yaoundé but as Sweden does not have an embassy in Cameroon this was omitted from the list after a rather lengthy palaver.
The cost for a one month visa, single entry, two days handling time was 50 000 CFA (82 €), expedited same day delivery cost 70 000 CFA (115 €). A one month, multiple entry, two days handling time cost 75 000 CFA (123 €).

Note: Pickup time of the passport is late in the afternoon which effectively makes it 3 working days to get a visa.

Border crossing: Ambam (Cameroon) - Eboro (Bitam, Gabon)

Documents needed at the border: Passport, vehicle registration document.

The Ntem river is the actual border between Cameroon and Gabon at this crossing. There is a large bridge across the river. Just before the bridge on the Cameroon side there was a large paved area with a lone concrete hut and a bar. In the hut was customs. They had a quick look at my TIP but they didn't want to keep it. Just before the bridge was another small hut where immigration resided. They stamped my passport and I crossed the bridge.

Just after the bridge on the Gabonese side was a concrete hut where two police officers asked me to fill out a small form. They did not stamp my passport but told me to bring the form to an immigrations office in the town of Bitam 30 km along the road. About a kilometer after the bridge I came to another bar across the road. There was a building that said douane (Customs) so I paid them a visit. There was one officer there. He asked if I had a Carnet. When I told him that I didn't he looked like he couldn't care less. I asked if I needed a Passavant (TIP) but he just shook his head.
I continued to Bitam where the immigrations building was located a couple of hundred meters after the roundabout (N2° 04.769' E11° 29.547'). I left my passport and the form and within five minutes I got the passport back with an entry stamp. There was also a Customs building in Bitam but I did not go there.

TIP: Not needed for Gabon
TIP Extension: -
Carnet: Not asked for
International Driving License: Not asked for
Yellow fever vaccination card: Not asked for
Insurance: Not asked for
Total cost at the border: 0 €
Time to cross the border: 1 h

Checkpoints: I was not stopped at any checkpoints in Gabon.

18. CONGO BRAZZAVILLE - May 2015

Visa:
Place of application: Yaoundé, Cameroon. No queues, some fuzz.
Embassy/consulate location: N3° 53.265' E11° 30.807'
Duration: 2 months (normally 15 days)
Entries: Multiple entry
Cost: 50 000 CFA (82 €)
Handling time: 7 working days (express 4 working days)
Valid from: Date set at the time of application.
Accompanying documentation: 2 photos, copy of passport, copy of yellow fever vaccination card, copy of Cameroon visa and entry stamp, copy of motorcycle registration document, hotel reservation.

It was not easy to find the embassy of Congo Brazzaville as it had recently moved and was now tucked away at a side street to a side street in the Bustos area. As I chose to have my DRC and Angola visas done in my home country I needed extra time in Brazzaville to wait for the passport to get returned to me. The standard 15 days visa that this embassy normally offers was not enough for me. Initially it seemed that they would not buckle and they said that the visa could be extended in Brazzaville. But after explaining my case (traveling overland on a motorcycle, waiting for passport from Sweden, etc.) they agreed to give me a two month visa if I provided a two month hotel booking in Brazzaville. I photoshoped a hotel booking based on a real reservation, that looked convincing and it was accepted (it didn't have any contact information to the hotel).

The cost for visas was as follows:
Standard 15 day visa 7 days handling time: 30 000 CFA (50 €)
Standard 15 day visa 4 days handling time: 60 000 CFA (100 €)
2 month visa 7 days handling time: 50 000 CFA (82 €)
2 month visa 4 days handling time: 100 000 CFA (164 €)

As I had plenty of time before my passport would be returned from Sweden I opted for 7 days handling time (which in reality is 8 days as pickup time is at 14:00). As one of those days happened to be a national holiday in Cameroon (why not) another day was added to the tally without hesitation and it became 9 working days plus a weekend which added up to a total of 11 days and that after I had already spent 6 days in Yaoundé.

Note: Pickup time of the passport is 14:00 (no chance in hell getting it earlier).

Border crossing: Doussala (Ndendé, Gabon) - Ngongo (Nyangar, Congo)

Documents needed at the border: Passport

The Gabon immigration and customs post was located behind a large bar across the road 11 km before the actual border. It all consisted of one desk in a building. I got my passport stamped and they asked if I had a carnet. When I told them I did not there were no further questions. No mention of any TIP at all. Quick and easy.
Just before the border bridge there was a military post where my passport disappeared for five minutes while they noted down its information. No fuzz.

Right across the old border bridge there was another bar across the road. In a building on the left hand side there was a Congolese military post where my passport information was noted town twice in two adjacent rooms. 50 meters up a hill in the small village of Ngongo there was a police (Gendarmerie) post on the right hand side where my passport information got noted down a third time. Diagonally across the road was immigrations where my passport got stamped in. Next to the immigrations building was a equally small customs shack where they would have stamped my carnet if I had had one. They did have the forms for a TIP (Passavant) but they said I had to go to the village of Nyanga, 47 km further along the road to have it issued. The customs building in Nyanga is on the east side of the open area at the intersection. TIP was issued without fuzz.

TIP: 20 days, 10 000 CFA  (16 €)
TIP Extension: -
Carnet: Asked for but not required
International Driving License: Not asked for
Yellow fever vaccination card: Not asked for
Insurance: Not asked for
Total cost at the border: 16 €
Time to cross the border: 1½ hours

Checkpoints: I was not stopped at any checkpoints in Congo.

19. CONGO KINSHASA (DRC) - June 2015

Visa:
Place of application: Stockholm, Sweden.
Embassy/consulate location: -
Duration: 3 months validity from day of issuance, 30 days in the country
Entries: Single entry
Cost: 440 € including shipping with DHL and agency fees
Handling time: 3-4 working days
Valid from: Entry date
Accompanying documentation: 2 photos, copy of passport, copy of yellow fever vaccination card, personal letter describing route entry and exit points and estimated dates (this is required instead of airline ticket)

The big question I pondered was whether I should take the chance and get the visas for DRC and Angola locally and try to cross at small border posts. Some people do it successfully, others fail. Some only get a 15 day visa. As it is the rainy season I can't trust getting through at small border posts so in the end I decided to fork out and send my passport (I've got two) to Stockholm and get the visas there. I used a Swedish visa agent that helped me get around requirements of airline tickets and hotel reservations. I send my passport by DHL from Yaoundé, Cameroon. They said it should take 3 days to reach Stockholm which it did.
The visa fee was payable at the Ecobank according to information on a slip of paper recieved at the embassy. I went to a branch reasonably close to the embassy (N3° 52.636' E11° 30.990').

The cost was considerable:
- Sending passport from Yaoundé to Stockholm with DHL: 78 000 CFA (127 €)
- Embassy fee DRC: 700 SEK (76 €)
- Embassy fee Angola: 1 500 SEK (163 €)
- Agent fee DRC: 945 SEK (103 €)
- Agent fee Angola: 1 000 SEK (109 €)
- Misc. fees and VAT: 1 200 SEK (131 €)
- Sending the passport from Stockholm to Brazzaville: 1 200 SEK (131 €)

Total visa cost for DRC and Angola: 7 715 SEK (840 €)
Split visa cost for DRC: 3 195 SEK (384 €)
Split visa cost for Angola: 4 520 SEK (492 €)

Border crossing: Brazzaville (Congo) - Kinshasa (DRC)

The border crossing between Brazzaville and Kinshasa is notorious for taking a long time and cost a lot of money. However, I did not find it to be an outrageous scam and the experience was not particularly stressful, more tiresome. Both Brazzaville and Kinshasa are expensive cities and it is reflected in this boat crossing. The main cost is for the boat itself. On top of that come costs for different "Port taxes" and porters which can be negotiated. It seems to be more costs on the departing side of the river. This is a summary of what I paid:

Brazzaville side:
- Authorization document for my motorcycle: 20 000 CFA (33 €)
- Immigration charge for stamping passport: 2 000 CFA (3 €)
- Boat: 65 000 CFA (106 €)
- Port tax: 10 000 CFA (16 €)
- Porters: 20 000 CFA (32 €)
Kinshasa side:
- Porters: 25 USD (22 €)
- TIP: 15 USD (13 €)
TOTAL: 225 € (250 USD)

When arriving at "Le Beach" (in Brazzaville) which the port from where the passenger boat departs is called, you arrive at a 90 degree turn in the road. Straight ahead is a large, brown steel gate. This is the entrance to the boat dock. Customs is handled before entering the gate. It is through a door in the building on the left hand side. There were no charges to get my passavant stamped. To be allowed through the brown gate an authorization need to be issued. This is done in "the office", a small room on the right hand side immediately after the gate. I was asked to pay 40 000 CFA (64 €) but got it for 20 000 CFA (32 €). It was a plain hand written paper, not too official looking. But it was needed to be allowed through the gate.

After passing through the gate the road turns 90 degree left. The first door in the first building on the left hand side is immigrations. This was the first time on this trip I had to pay to get my passport stamped. It seemed to be a routine charge of 2 000 CFA (3 €) and was not negotiable. In the whole scheme it was too small an amount to spend any energy on. Next to the immigration office, the boat company had an office where passport details were noted down. Out on the street a man in a vest with the boat company's name on the back took the payment for the boat and I received a ticket with the price written on it (120 USD - 65 000 CFA).

50 meters down the street, at another 90 degree turn was a post where port tax was charged (10 000 CFA - 16 €). Straight ahead I was told I had to get my passavant stamped again. At a table a man wrote something on my passavant without charge. It didn't feel super important. Immediately after the 90 degree turn was a caged pass way to the dock. Before entering I had to pay for the porters to load my bike and luggage onto the small passenger boat (20 000 CFA - 32 €). The boat was really a small passenger boat only but had enough space for two or three big bikes in the back. The loading and unloading seemed a bit dodgy as the bike needed to be hauled on board by hand but it was probably quite safe.

There were some fixers around but they were not aggressive. I half-used one to show me the procedure but did all the negotiations and payments myself. Otherwise they like you to give them the money and they take care of the business but it will be at a higher cost. My passport was all over the place in many different persons hands during this procedure.

The crossing takes 20-30 minutes and on the other side my bike was unloaded before the price was settled. It was carried/hauled off the boat, up some steps, along a landing, down some steps and was parked outside the immigrations building together with my luggage. The porters wanted 50 USD but I got it down to 25. Apart from the Cart D`Entree (Temporary Import Permit, in a building around to the left of immigrations), this was the only charge on the Kinshasa side. Going the other way I believe there are more charges on the Kinshasa side and less on the Brazzaville side.

Documents needed at the border: Passport, photocopy of passport plus photocopy of Congo Brazzaville/Kinshasa visa. (They made the copies free of charge at the immigrations office.)

TIP: A Cart D`Entree was issued for 15 USD. Not sure how long it was valid.
TIP Extension: -
Carnet: Not asked for
International Driving License: Not asked for
Yellow fever vaccination card: Not asked for
Insurance: Not asked for
Total cost at the border: 225 € including boat, porters and taxes.
Time to cross the border: 8 hours

Checkpoints: There were police checkpoints in most larger towns but I was only stopped twice for some bike talk. I was never asked for any papers.

20. ANGOLA - June 2015

Visa:
Place of application: Stockholm, Sweden
Embassy/consulate location: -
Duration: 2 months validity from day of issuance, 30 days in the country
Entries: Single entry
Cost: 433 € including shipping with DHL and agency fees.
Handling time: 8-15 working days
Valid from: Entry date
Accompanying documentation: 2 photos, copy of passport, copy of yellow fever vaccination card, personal letter describing route entry and exit points and estimated dates (this is required instead of airline ticket and hotel reservations), confirmation from my bank that I have sufficient funds for the journey through Angola

See #19 above for details.

Border crossing: Lufo (DRC) - Luvo (Angola)

Documents needed at the border: Passport, vehicle registration document.

This was one of the most intense border crossings I have ever experienced. From the main road between Kinshasa and Matadi there was a turnoff just before the town of Songololo. There was an old dirt road in the center of town but this was said to be in bad condition. The new dirt road just outside the town was wide and fairly good. After 7,5 km the new road joins the old road and there is a gate where a road toll is paid. It is very official with posted prices. A motorcycle pays 5 000 DRC franc (5 €). After about 12 km the mayhem started. For half a kilometer before a bridge over the border river there was a massive "Congo traffic jam". There were trucks and cars at a standstill, people transporting goods at foot and on carts. On both sides of this stretch of road there was a market which flowed over onto the road where people were sitting in the shade of the stuck trucks selling stuff. This was also an area with plenty of petty theft. I had a hand in one of my pockets once and I had just pulled the zipper up when I noticed it was open again.

On the DRC side the customs is on the left hand side in a yellow building. It is not easily identifiable. Immigrations is in a building just before the bridge also on the left hand side. Once you have reached this point the mayhem is over.

The Angolan side is nothing like the DRC side. It is organized and painless. Immediately after the bridge was customs in a small building (left side). Immigrations were on the top of the hill 500 meters further down the road. Apart from the road toll there was no charges at all.

At the DRC customs I was "assigned" a local guy to show me the way and help me through the traffic jam. Soon there were three of them but I had no objections as they were indispensable to get me through. They helped clearing the way and keep an eye on my bike and belongings (but still there were attempts to pick my pockets). I was glad to pay these guys for the help. It was immensely hot, manic and insane. Have I ever been so happy to leave a country? Angola seemed like a dream in comparison.

TIP: I asked at customs if I needed any document for the bike but was told that I didn't.
TIP Extension: -
Carnet: Not asked for
International Driving License: Not asked for
Yellow fever vaccination card: Not asked for
Insurance: Not asked for
Total cost at the border: 5 000 DRC Franc (5 €) road toll 5 km before the border.
Time to cross the border: 2½ hours

Checkpoints: There were few police checkpoints and I was only stopped at one where my travel information was noted down.