Living in Togo as a French National: Cities, Budget, Visa and Residence Card, Schooling and Safety

France Diplomatie presents Togo as a country of 56,785 km² whose capital is Lomé and whose official language is French, with Ewe and Kabiye spoken depending on the region. The port of Lomé acts as a transit hub for the landlocked countries of the Sahel, and the currency, the CFA franc, is pegged to the euro at the fixed parity of 655.957 CFA francs to €1: an amount in CFA francs is always converted the same way. The main cities are Lomé, Kara, Sokodé, Kpalimé, Atakpamé and Dapaong.

The points of caution are prepared before departure. France Diplomatie reports thefts with or without violence, frequent road accidents, dangerous currents off the coast and health risks to anticipate: malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Lassa fever, meningitis, cholera. It states that an assistance or insurance policy covering all medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation is imperative: see the guide to the Togolese healthcare system.

Plans by French families to settle in Togo centre on Lomé, where the embassy, the consular section and the French schools are located. Each place is read alongside France Diplomatie’s advice by zone.

• Lomé, capital and port: French embassy, accredited schools, administration. France Diplomatie advises walkers against the seafront, particularly in the evening, the surroundings of the nearby hotels and the border with Ghana, and recommends avoiding walking at night.
• Kara, Sokodé, Kpalimé and Atakpamé: the main towns outside the capital, which fall under heightened vigilance like the rest of the country outside the Savanes. Read the Safety page before any plan, and organise access to care and schooling before settling in.
• Dapaong and the Savanes region: France Diplomatie advises against the whole region except for compelling reasons, including stays in Dapaong. A state of emergency has been extended until 13 March 2027 and foreigners’ movements there require a written travel authorisation. The Triple Border zone (Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana) and the border crossing at Sinkassé-Mandouri are formally advised against.

The SMIG and the guaranteed agricultural minimum wage are set at the same amount of 52,500 CFA francs a month since 1 January 2023, or about €80 at the parity of 655.957 CFA francs to €1. An order made public on 2 January 2023 raised it to this level from 35,000 CFA francs, following discussions between the private sector and the trade unions (Ministry of Finance). According to CLEISS, the French liaison centre for international social security, it corresponds to 40 hours of work a week. It gives the order of magnitude of the local labour market; the pay of expatriate managers is negotiated position by position.

The official sources consulted publish neither a rent scale nor a standard budget: visit several properties before signing and ask for a written lease. The guide to budgeting for health abroad helps you set aside a separate line for health cover, a full item in an expat’s budget.

A French national needs a visa before departure, requested online on the official voyage.gouv.tg platform at least 5 days before the planned date, with a passport valid for at least 6 months after the return and the yellow fever vaccination certificate. Express visas and visas on arrival have been suspended since April 2024. Short-stay visas (48 hours or 7 days) can be extended by up to one month with the Directorate General of National Documentation (DGDN) in Lomé; beyond 90 days, a long-stay visa with a residence card is required (France Diplomatie).

To reside, the foreigner applies to the DGDN for a residence card: the Togolese public services portal gives a processing time of 30 to 45 days, an application completed online, a valid passport, an identity photo, a criminal record extract less than three months old, a medical certificate and proof of sufficient resources. The temporary card (1 year) costs 200,000 CFA francs, the ordinary card (3 years) 500,000 CFA francs and the privileged card (5 years) 800,000 CFA francs; students pay 100,000 or 250,000 CFA francs depending on the duration. For work, see the page on working in Togo.

Registration on the register of French nationals living abroad makes consular procedures easier and lets you receive information in case of an alert; it is also a condition of school grants. The checklist for the first 90 days helps you put these steps in order.

The order of 19 June 2026 establishing the list of accredited French establishments abroad names four establishments in Lomé: the French lycée of Lomé and the Cours Lumière establishment, from the first nursery year to the final year, the Arc-en-ciel international school, from the first nursery year to troisième (the last year of lower secondary school), and the Mariam international school, lower secondary only (sixième to troisième). For Arc-en-ciel, the accreditation covers only the stream following the French curriculum. Tuition fees are requested directly from the establishments.

A child of French nationality enrolled in an establishment accredited by the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) or by the Mission laïque française can obtain a school grant, subject to conditions (French embassy). Children’s health cover is prepared with the guide to children’s cover abroad ; the yellow fever vaccination applies to all family members, children included.

France Diplomatie publishes advice by zone, updated in September 2026, to be read before any trip. It distinguishes three levels.

• Formally advised against: the Triple Border zone (Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana) and the border crossing at Sinkassé-Mandouri, because of the terrorist threat in the north of the country and a risk of kidnapping.
• Advised against except for compelling reasons: the whole of the Savanes region, including stays in Dapaong, with a written travel authorisation for foreign nationals and night-time travel prohibited.
• Heightened vigilance: the rest of the country, including the Lomé seafront, where stabbing attacks have been reported.

The general recommendations include: avoiding night driving, as road accidents are frequent; not swimming off the coast because of strong currents; not photographing military and police personnel and buildings, or public buildings; and requesting authorisation to use a drone. The French embassy in Lomé answers on +228 22 23 46 00, and registration on the Ariane portal lets you receive alerts.

With French as the official language, administrative procedures and schooling take place in a familiar language; Ewe and Kabiye are widely spoken depending on the region. France Diplomatie recommends protecting yourself against mosquitoes all year round (covering clothing, repellent) and reports frequent cases of meningitis, especially in the dry season, hence the value of the ACWY meningitis vaccine.

On driving, a French or international licence is valid for a stay of 3 months at most; beyond that, a Togolese licence must be obtained. France Diplomatie reports very poor sections on the Lomé-Dapaong route and advises buying fuel only at approved stations. The law severely punishes the use, possession and trafficking of narcotics, including cannabis, with up to 20 years in prison, and modest dress that covers the body respects local custom. Checking your health cover remains the priority before settling in: see our page on expat health insurance.