Fees and charges

Passenger charges at Banjul International Airport

Last checked 24 October 2026 · 10 sources

Short answer

Passengers at Banjul International Airport meet two kinds of charge. The Airport Security Fee of US$20 is paid in person at marked kiosks on arrival and again on departure, according to UK travel advice updated 7 July 2026 ¹. The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority lists a £10 passenger service charge, a £1.50 security charge and a €20 airport development fee for each departing passenger ². A plan announced in January 2023 to raise some of these charges has not been confirmed as in force ³.

Airport Security Fee: US$20 on arrival and US$20 on departure ¹
Where the security fee is paid: Marked kiosks in the terminal ¹
Passenger service charge: £10 per departing passenger ²
Security charge on GCAA list: £1.50 per departing passenger ²
Airport development fee: €20 per departing passenger ²
Exempt from the security fee: Children aged 1 or under and transit passengers ¹

The charge paid in person at the terminal

The Airport Security Fee is US$20. It is due when a passenger arrives in The Gambia and again when the passenger leaves. It can be paid in US dollars, euros, British pounds or Gambian dalasi ¹.

Payment is made at marked kiosks inside Banjul International Airport. Visa credit cards are accepted, but the UK government says card machines are often out of service ¹.

The charge started as the Immigration Security System Levy. A Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) letter to airlines in September 2020 said the levy was being collected with immediate effect. Booths were set up in the terminal to collect it by hand ⁴.

On 15 January 2026, Information Minister Ismaila Ceesay said passengers still pay the fee at the airport. He said the government was working to move it into the ticket price ⁵.

Charges listed by the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority

The GCAA publishes a one-page schedule of airport charges for Banjul International Airport. The file was posted in January 2024. It carries no date, no legal reference and no note on how the charges are collected ².

Charge	Amount	Who pays	Status
Passenger service charge ²	£10 ²	Each departing passenger ²	Listed on GCAA schedule ²
Security charge ²	£1.50 ²	Each departing passenger ²	Listed on GCAA schedule ²
Airport development fee ²	€20 ²	Each departing passenger ²	Listed on GCAA schedule ²

Increases announced but not confirmed

In January 2023 the GCAA announced new rates from 1 May. The passenger service charge was to rise from £10 to £15. Security charges were to rise from £1.50 to US$25 per departing passenger and US$25 per arriving passenger. A new Passenger Safety Levy of US$5 per departing passenger was to fund the country's contribution to the Banjul Accord Group Safety Oversight Organisation ³.

The GCAA schedule posted in January 2024 still shows the £10 and £1.50 rates ². This site found no official notice that the 2023 rates took effect. Treat them as announced, not live.

In May 2025 the Banjul Accord Group, which includes The Gambia, agreed a US$1 passenger safety charge on international departing flights. Gradual rollout was set to start on 1 January 2026, with full enforcement expected by 2030 ⁶.

Who collects the money

The security fee is run under a contract between the government and Securiport. The National Audit Office (NAO) reported in February 2023 that the contract required the government to direct airlines to collect the fee on Securiport's behalf. Airlines did not add it to tickets, so Securiport staff collect it in cash at the terminal ⁷.

The contract splits the fee 75 percent (US$15) to Securiport and 25 percent (US$5) to the GCAA through a joint bank account, according to the NAO report ⁸.

Visa and entry clearance fees

Visa and entry clearance fees are separate from airport charges. They are set by the Gambia Immigration Department, which lists its visa types on its official visa page ⁹. In December 2022 the finance minister proposed raising the entry visa and entry clearance fee from D3,000 to D7,000 ¹⁰.

Common questions

How much is the airport fee in The Gambia?

The Airport Security Fee is US$20 on arrival and US$20 on departure ¹. The GCAA lists a £10 passenger service charge, a £1.50 security charge and a €20 development fee for departing passengers ².

Is the US$20 security fee included in my air ticket?

No, as of the latest sources. The UK government said in July 2026 that it is paid at kiosks in the airport ¹. The information minister said in January 2026 that the government was working to add it to tickets ⁵.

Can I pay the Banjul airport fee by card?

Visa credit cards are accepted, but card machines are often out of service. Cash in dollars, euros, pounds or dalasi is accepted ¹.

Do babies pay the Banjul airport security fee?

Children aged 1 or under are exempt, and so are transit passengers ¹.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@gambiaairportguide.com.

Sources

The Banjul airport security fee
How the US$20 Airport Security Fee at Banjul works, how to pay it, who runs it, how the money is split and what the National Audit Office found.
Airport development fee and other departure charges at Banjul
The €20 development fee, £10 service charge and £1.50 security charge for departing passengers, plus announced increases and their status.
Exemptions from airport charges in The Gambia
Who does not pay the US$20 security fee at Banjul: infants, transit passengers and diplomatic passport holders, plus customs allowances and visa fee rules.
Receipts for airport charges at Banjul
How the US$20 security fee is paid and receipted at Banjul, what the National Audit Office found about missing receipts and deposits, and what to keep.
Banjul airport charges inside and outside the air fare
Which Banjul airport charges sit in your ticket and which you pay at the airport, the plan to move the US$20 security fee into fares, and ECOWAS tax cuts.