Living in Chad as a French National: Visa, N'Djamena, School, Safety and Health

Chad is a vast Central African country of more than 21 million inhabitants according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita of around USD 1,000. In N’Djamena, French families have a school network of the AEFE (the Agency for French Education Abroad; two schools) and a medico-social centre of the French embassy.

The points of caution are considerable and described unambiguously by France Diplomatie: classification of the territory into orange and red zones, rising ordinary crime in N’Djamena, terrorism in the Lake Chad region, the state of the roads, heat and medical infrastructure that does not reach European standards. Serious preparation before arrival covers the visa, housing, safety and health cover. See also the guide to the Chadian healthcare system.

N’Djamena is home to the French embassy (rue de l’Adjudant-Chef Zouala Agoyna), the Lycée Montaigne and the main services. France Diplomatie describes there steadily rising ordinary crime (thefts, assaults, burglaries, sometimes with violence), with frequent carrying of firearms or bladed weapons. It recommends avoiding on foot, at night, the districts of Moursal and Sabangali Chagoua, east of the capital, and staying away from gatherings. Avenue du Général Kerim Nassour, along the presidential palace, is heavily regulated: stopping, filming and approaching are formally prohibited there. Swimming is prohibited in the Chari and Logone rivers in N’Djamena.

According to the France Diplomatie map, Tibesti, Ennedi and eastern Borkou (except Bardaï), Lake Chad (except Bol) and several border areas are formally advised against. Bardaï, Fada, Amdjarass and Bol (access by air recommended because of mines), Abéché and Bongor, as well as western Borkou and the Wadi Fira, isolated areas without healthcare infrastructure where temperatures can reach 50 °C from February to March, are advised against except for compelling reasons. The page mentions no yellow zone.

According to France Diplomatie, entry to Chad requires a visa, to be obtained from a Chadian diplomatic or consular representation; no visa can be issued at the border. The page specifies neither the types of visa, nor their cost, nor their length, nor the existence of an e-visa, nor the required validity of the passport, nor residence permits. The passport is mandatory for intercity travel; for business travel, a mission order is strongly recommended; entering through N’Djamena airport is strongly recommended.

• Documents to carry: consular registration card and photocopy of the passport with the visa page.
• Registration: Fil d’Ariane, giving at least one permanently reachable number.
• Driving licence: the French licence is recognised and can be used during the first three months of stay.
• Driver: employing a Chadian driver is strongly recommended.

For employment, see the page on working in Chad.

The ‘Economic indicators’ block above presents inflation and the CFA franc exchange rate. The official pages consulted do not publish a rent scale: amounts should be requested from local agents and the employer, and checked in writing before signing a lease.

The France Diplomatie useful information page gives no indication on means of payment or on the currency; it is useful to ask your bank and the employer before departure. Fuel is available in large towns but often hard, even impossible, to find outside built-up areas: reserves should be planned for intercity journeys. For a family: expat family insurance.

The Lycée Français Montaigne, rue Joseph-Brahim-Seid in N’Djamena, takes 851 pupils across 16 levels, from the youngest nursery class to the final year; fifteen levels are accredited, only the youngest nursery class is not, and no level is followed through the CNED (the French distance-learning service). It follows the ‘Northern’ calendar and has agreement status (record of the AEFE). The Académie Royale, a partner school of the network, completes the offer in N’Djamena. Enrolment, tuition fees and grants should be requested directly from the school and from the consular section of the embassy.

For children, insurance is chosen with a paediatrics and vaccinations component; France Diplomatie makes meningococcal meningitis an annual risk, from the end of February to the end of May, and advises against going there with young children during this period. The page on healthcare reimbursement in Chad compares the cover options.

• travel in daytime only, in a convoy of at least two vehicles, under escort by Chadian forces for travel in the regions; prefer flying;
• avoid valuables and large sums of money; travel with doors and windows closed; always have a phone top-up card in reserve;
• outside the capital and secondary towns, roads are in poor condition or are tracks, often impassable from May to October; armed highway robbers and residual mines in the north;
• motorbike taxis (‘clando men’) to be avoided; highway code little respected;
• photographs in town to be avoided: they can lead to arrests, including for subjects of little sensitivity;
• in the event of an accident, a report must be drawn up by the Chadian police or gendarmerie, and the embassy informed as soon as possible;
• drug trafficking is severely punished; France Diplomatie also states that the penal code condemns homosexuality, with a fine or prison sentence possible;
• minors and elderly people: travel in the regions strongly discouraged.

Boko Haram is active in the Lake Chad region and in neighbouring countries; attempted attacks remain possible in the towns of the south, including N’Djamena, and the risk of kidnapping targeting Westerners is high. France Diplomatie publishes no local emergency number: the embassy number and that of your contract’s assistance provider should be saved.

France Diplomatie indicates that Chad does not have medical and hospital infrastructure that meets European standards. An assistance contract covering all medical costs (surgery, hospitalisation) and medical repatriation is judged essential; without it, access to care may be refused, even in a life-threatening emergency, and the embassy pays no costs. The medico-social centre of the French embassy in N’Djamena operates on an annual subscription, but can see French nationals passing through for consultations.

Malaria, dengue (on the rise in the rainy season), yellow fever, cholera (endemic), bilharzia and meningitis are among the risks cited. See also repatriation and assistance.