Money and duty free for Gabon

Currency and Money

Currency information

CFA (Communauté Financière Africaine) Franc (XAF; symbol CFA) = 100 centimes. Notes are in denominations of CFA10,000, 5,000, 2,000, 1,000 and 500. Coins are in denominations of CFA500, 100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1.

Only currency issued by the Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale (Bank of Central African States) is valid; currency issued by the Banque des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (Bank of West African States) is not. The CFA Franc is tied to the Euro.

Note: Libreville is one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Credit cards

American Express, MasterCard and Visa are not widely accepted.

Travellers cheques

To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in Euros.

Banking hours

Mon-Fri 0730-1130, 1430-1630.

Currency restrictions

The import of local currency and the import and export of foreign currency is unlimited, subject to declaration. The export of foreign currency is limited to CFA200,000.

Currency exchange

Gabon is part of the French Monetary Area.

Gabon duty free

Overview

The following goods may be imported into Gabon without incurring customs duty:

• 400 cigarettes/cigarillos and 125 cigars and 500g of tobacco.
• 3L of wine and 1L of spirits.
• 500g of personal jewellery.

Banned Imports

Prohibited imports include counterfeit goods, child pornography, non-prescription drugs, and unlicensed arms and ammunition.

Plants, animals and their products require certification.

Banned Exports

If exporting any goods of cultural significance, you require a certificate from the Ministry of Culture and Communication.