Benin Ordinary Resident Card - Income-Generating Activity
For a foreign national establishing ordinary residence through a lawful income-generating professional or business activity.
- Route type
- Business & self-employment
- Can bring
- — Not stated in the official source
- Requirements
- 7 each quoted below
Who this route is for
Every item below is the government’s own wording, quoted from the official source. Whether you personally qualify depends on your full profile.
7 requirements quoted from the official source.
- Criminal Record Required
A criminal-record extract from the country of origin or last residence is required for a first application.
- Eligibility summary
Decree 2026-049 grants an ordinary resident card to a person with subsistence means, third-party support or another legitimate interest who is of good character.
- Evidence Of Basis Required
The file must contain evidence of employment, income activity, job promise, means or third-party support matching the claimed basis.
- Foreigner Identification Certificate Required
A foreigner personal identification certificate is required.
- Good Character Required
The applicant must be of good character.
- Income Generating Activity Required
Evidence of a professional or income-generating activity may establish the resident-card basis.
Paperwork you prepare — it does not rule you out.
- Passport or travel document
The resident-card file requires a passport valid for more than one year.
- Official source basis
Decree 2026-049 grants an ordinary resident card to a person with subsistence means, third-party support or another legitimate interest who is of good character.
- Passport Validity Months Min
The resident-card file requires a passport valid for more than one year.
- Report summary
Decree 2026-049 grants an ordinary resident card to a person with subsistence means, third-party support or another legitimate interest who is of good character.
Who you can bring
What the source prices
- Permit Validity Years
The ordinary resident card is valid for three years.
- Renewal or extension
The ordinary resident card is renewable.
From here to a yes
Straight answers
01Who qualifies for this route to Benin?
For a foreign national establishing ordinary residence through a lawful income-generating professional or business activity.
Every answer is quoted from the official sgg.gouv.bj page for this route, last read 2026-07-26.
We checked 12 points against the official source; 12 are quoted on this page. The other 0 are either not addressed by the source or not yet backed by a quote — we would rather show you the edge of the record than fill it with a plausible guess.
See the 0 open points
Fees and processing time are not published in the official source for this route. We publish a number only when the official text states that number.
Not stated in the official source — the official source names no exclusion for this route.
Where every quote comes from
Official government source sgg.gouv.bjLast read 2026-07-26 Every quote on this page is from this Benin government page.Business & self-employment routes in other countries
163 other countries publish at least one business & self-employment route. Nearest first.
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha4 business & self-employment routes
Ivory Coast2 business & self-employment routes
Gambia2 business & self-employment routes
Sierra Leone2 business & self-employment routes
Burkina Faso1 business & self-employment route
Cape Verde1 business & self-employment routeDoes this route fit your numbers?
That depends on your income, savings and family — the parts of the story only you know. The free 3-minute check scores your profile against every Benin route at once, this one included. Then the full Benin report takes you the rest of the way.
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