General security presence on set to ensure the safety of crew, equipment, and production assets.
Abidjan
Bouake, San-Pedro, Korhogo, Daloa, Abengourou, Divo, Ferkessédougou, Abobo
French
West African CFA franc
Tropical
Start your Visa Application here.
Accreditation is required for all international crew members.
The Municipal Council
Not available.
Our local fixer will handle negotiations with the private owner.
Our local fixer will handle negotiations with the private owner.
It is recommended to use a local operator and their drone.
Bringing a personal drone is not advisable, as it may be seized at the airport without a valid drone permit.
Required Information/Documentation for Local Drone Application
Civil Aviation Authority of Ivory Coast
10 to 15 working days
Approximately $350 (subject to change without notice)
Yes, Guinea-Bissau is a carnet country.
General Process for Carnet Countries
Airport Customs Department
Ivory Coast is known for its welcoming and hospitable atmosphere. However, like in many places worldwide, petty theft can occur. It is advisable to take necessary precautions, particularly when filming on location.
General security presence on set to ensure the safety of crew, equipment, and production assets.
No rebate / incentive
Fill in our client brief and we’ll get back to you with everything you need to start filming in this region.
Africa Film Production Case Studies are most valuable when they show what actually…
Ivory Coast is a visually rich West African filming destination with modern cityscapes, Atlantic coastlines, lagoons, tropical roads, heritage architecture, markets, plantations, beaches and strong regional character. For documentaries, commercials, branded content, travel campaigns, factual entertainment and television productions, Ivory Coast offers a practical mix of urban energy, coastal beauty and cultural depth.
Hoodlum provides Film Production Services in Ivory Coast for documentaries, commercials, branded content, travel campaigns and television productions across Abidjan, Grand-Bassam, Yamoussoukro, Assinie, Man, Taï National Park and coastal lagoon locations. Our team manages visa support, crew accreditation, municipal film permits, local fixers, location scouting, ATA Carnet customs planning, drone coordination, airport protocol support, crew sourcing, transport logistics, on-set security and full on-ground production management.
Ivory Coast is a welcoming and production-friendly country, but professional filming still requires proper approvals. Productions should plan early for visas, crew accreditation, municipal film permits, equipment documentation, drone permissions, private location agreements, airport customs handling and on-set security.
Hoodlum helps international productions connect the creative plan with Ivory Coast’s permit, customs, drone, location and safety requirements before the crew arrives.
Ivory Coast works well for productions that need West African urban texture, coastal access, Francophone production support, heritage locations, markets, tropical roads, business districts and cultural energy. Abidjan is the main production base, offering modern infrastructure, city movement, hotels, offices, bridges, lagoons, residential districts and strong commercial visuals.
The destination is particularly strong for:
Abidjan gives crews a dynamic city environment with business districts, traffic movement, nightlife, bridges, waterfronts, lagoons and commercial interiors. Grand-Bassam offers colonial-era architecture, coastal heritage and historic streets. Assinie provides beach and resort visuals, while Yamoussoukro brings wide boulevards, institutional architecture and landmark locations.
Ivory Coast works best when productions have strong local coordination, especially for municipal approvals, language support, transport, customs handling and private location negotiations.
Ivory Coast has a tropical climate, with warm temperatures throughout the year and seasonal rainfall patterns that should be considered for exterior filming. Coastal locations can be humid, while inland areas may involve different heat and road conditions.
Productions should plan around:
The drier months are usually more practical for commercials, travel content, exterior city filming and coastal shoots. The rainy season can still work, but productions should build in weather cover, flexible timing and transport buffers.
Hoodlum helps crews assess the best filming window and build weather, access and movement contingency into the production schedule.
International crew require a visa to enter Ivory Coast. The visa application can be completed online, and the approved visa must be presented on arrival.
Typical visa documentation may include:
Visa processing is generally estimated at 5 to 15 working days. Costs depend on the visa option selected and may range from USD 30 to USD 150.
Hoodlum helps productions prepare crew travel documentation so visa paperwork, filming dates, accommodation and production planning are aligned before arrival in Ivory Coast.
Crew accreditation is required for international productions filming in Ivory Coast. This process helps confirm the crew, production activity, locations and equipment entering the country.
Typical accreditation documentation may include:
Accreditation processing is generally estimated at 3 working days. The supplied guidance lists the cost at approximately USD 350 per crew member.
Hoodlum helps productions prepare accreditation documents, align crew lists with visa scans and make sure equipment lists match the customs and permit documentation.
Film permits in Ivory Coast are issued through the Municipal Council, depending on the filming location and public-space requirements. Public locations, city centres, administrative buildings and high-visibility areas need careful coordination.
Typical film permit documentation may include:
Permit processing is generally estimated at 5 to 10 working days.
Indicative permit costs include:
Public filming in Ivory Coast should be planned with clear location information and realistic timing. A street, market, coastal area, administrative zone and private property may each require different permission steps.
Hoodlum helps productions prepare permit submissions and coordinate with municipal authorities before the crew reaches location.
Abidjan is the main production base in Ivory Coast. It offers modern city visuals, business districts, bridges, lagoon views, traffic, markets, hotels, offices, residential neighbourhoods and nightlife.
Useful Abidjan filming looks include:
Abidjan is useful for commercials, branded content, documentaries, corporate films, interviews, fashion, music, lifestyle work and television productions.
The main planning issues are traffic, parking, public filming permissions, crowd control, equipment loading, sound management and security. Hoodlum helps productions build realistic city schedules instead of treating Abidjan like a neat line on a call sheet.
Grand-Bassam is one of the most visually useful heritage locations in Ivory Coast, with historic architecture, coastal atmosphere, old streets and cultural texture. It works well for travel campaigns, documentaries, fashion shoots, historical content and premium visual sequences.
Assinie offers beach, resort and coastal production value. Yamoussoukro adds institutional architecture, wide roads and landmark buildings, while Man and Taï National Park can provide forest, mountain and nature-focused visuals with the right planning.
Regional filming can support:
Regional shoots need planning around permissions, transport, accommodation, language support, security, road conditions and local liaison. Hoodlum helps crews assess whether a regional route is practical before the schedule becomes a glossy map with hidden teeth.
Private location filming in Ivory Coast is negotiated directly with property owners, managers or authorised representatives. This may include homes, hotels, restaurants, offices, beaches, resorts, warehouses, private estates, commercial interiors and event spaces.
The private location process usually includes:
Costs are negotiated directly with the private owner and depend on the location, shoot duration, crew size, equipment footprint and exclusivity requirements.
Written location agreements are strongly recommended. They should confirm:
Hoodlum’s local fixer negotiates with private owners and secures filming permission so the location can actually support the shoot.
Drone filming in Ivory Coast is permission-based and should be planned carefully. It is generally better to use a local drone operator and locally available drone equipment rather than importing a drone.
Drone importation is not advisable without a permit, as a drone may be seized at the airport if there is no valid drone permit supporting it.
Drone approvals are handled through the Civil Aviation Authority of Ivory Coast.
Typical documentation for local drone use may include:
Processing is generally estimated at 10 to 15 working days. The supplied guidance lists drone permit cost at approximately USD 350, although this may change without notice.
Hoodlum helps productions assess whether drone filming is practical, whether a local operator should be used and how drone plans connect with film permits and location permissions.
Ivory Coast is a Carnet country. An ATA Carnet can support temporary import of professional film equipment, provided the equipment is re-exported correctly within the required timeframe.
Equipment clearance is handled by the customs office at the airport during arrival and departure. Productions should prepare a clear equipment list with serial numbers so customs handling is smooth.
Typical customs documentation may include:
Timing is handled during arrival and departure, depending on customs workload, equipment volume and paperwork accuracy.
Costs may include the airport protocol officer fee and related local handling costs.
Hoodlum helps productions prepare equipment documentation, coordinate airport protocol and reduce the risk of equipment delays at arrival.
Ivory Coast does not currently offer a formal film rebate or tax incentive programme for international productions based on the supplied production guidance.
Productions should not build budgets around automatic rebate recovery. Instead, planning should focus on accurate local costs, permit fees, location rates, crew support, transport, airport protocol, equipment handling, security and drone approval.
Before budgeting, productions should confirm:
Hoodlum helps productions understand the real cost structure and avoid assumptions around incentives that do not currently apply.
Ivory Coast is generally friendly and welcoming, but standard production precautions should be used, especially around public spaces, markets, busy city locations and equipment-heavy shoots.
Petty theft can occur anywhere, so productions should plan sensible on-set security and equipment supervision.
Security considerations may include:
Hoodlum helps productions plan practical security without overcomplicating the shoot.
The biggest mistake visiting crews make is assuming that one approval covers the whole production. It does not.
A visa may allow a crew member to enter Ivory Coast, but it does not approve filming. Accreditation may recognise the crew and project, but it does not replace the municipal film permit. A municipal permit may approve a public location, but it does not replace a private location agreement. An ATA Carnet may support equipment entry, but it does not approve where the equipment can be used. Drone approval from the Civil Aviation Authority must be handled separately from film permits and location permissions.
A proper production plan connects every approval:
Hoodlum’s role is to connect these separate requirements into one workable production plan so the crew can focus on filming instead of discovering an approval tangle at the airport.
Ivory Coast is a strong choice when a production needs Francophone West African city life, coastal settings, heritage streets, markets, tropical landscapes, business environments and regional cultural access.
The destination is especially suitable for:
The country may be less suitable for productions that need automatic drone importation, formal rebate support or spontaneous public-space filming without local coordination. Those shoots may still be possible, but they require early planning and experienced local support.
For many international crews, the destination works best when used for its natural strengths: Abidjan’s city energy, Grand-Bassam’s heritage texture, Assinie’s coast, local fixer networks and accessible West African production value.
Small mistakes can create avoidable delays.
Avoid:
Most issues are preventable with early paperwork, accurate documentation and local production support.
Hoodlum provides practical support for international crews filming in Ivory Coast, from early planning through shoot execution. The aim is to make the production workable before the crew lands and keep every moving part aligned once filming begins.
Support may include:
Film production in Ivory Coast requires more than strong locations and cultural access. A successful shoot needs accurate visas, crew accreditation, municipal permits, customs planning, drone authorisation, location agreements, on-set security and reliable local coordination.
Hoodlum helps productions reduce guesswork and plan the shoot as a practical operation from the first stage of prep.
Yes. International crew need a visa, which must be presented on arrival. Applications can be completed online.
Typical documents include a passport valid for at least six months, passport photo, hotel booking, flight details, payment card, medical certificate and Yellow Fever card.
Yes. Accreditation is required and generally needs a production company profile, script or synopsis, passport scans, passport photos, visa scans and a detailed equipment list.
Film permits are issued by the Municipal Council, depending on the filming location.
Film permits are generally estimated at 5 to 10 working days.
Yes, but drone use requires permission. It is usually better to use a local drone operator and local drone equipment.
It is not advisable to bring drones without a valid drone permit, as the drone may be seized at the airport.
Yes. Ivory Coast is a Carnet country, and an ATA Carnet is recommended for temporary import of professional filming equipment.
No formal film rebate or tax incentive is currently listed in the supplied production guidance.
The country is generally friendly and welcoming. Standard precautions and general on-set security are recommended, especially for equipment-heavy shoots and busy locations.
Planning a shoot in Ivory Coast? Contact Hoodlum for visa guidance, crew accreditation, Municipal Council film permits, local fixers, location scouting, private location negotiations, ATA Carnet customs planning, airport protocol support, Civil Aviation Authority drone coordination, local drone operators, on-set security and full on-ground production management. You can also view the Hoodlum Film Fixers Ivory Coast Google Business Profile for local production details.