01Free
The 30-second card
Visa · United States passport
Visa on arrivalSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 25 Oct 2026 ↗SIM and eSIM
MTN, Orange and Guinétel sell prepaid SIMs almost everywhere; calls between networks can be unreliable.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in Guinea-Bissau
West African CFA Franc · XOF
Most ATMs serve only local account holders; Ecobank machines in Bissau take foreign Visa and Mastercard.
Western Union is widespread but charges a 10% commission.
The franc is pegged to the euro, so euros are the easiest cash to bring and exchange.
Central African CFA notes are accepted at par alongside the West African ones.
Collect West African CFA Franc in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Thu, 24 Dec 2026 · Christmas Eve
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Thu, 31 Dec 2026 · New Year's Evey New Year's Eve
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Wed, 20 Jan 2027 · National Heroes' Day
Mon, 8 Mar 2027 · International Women's Day
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday
Sun, 28 Mar 2027 · Easter Sunday
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day International Workers' Day
Fri, 24 Sept 2027 · Independence Day
Tue, 2 Nov 2027 · All Souls' Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Guinea-Bissau say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 22 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 22 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Reconsider travel
Calm
Caution
Serious ●
Don’t go
Level 3 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 10 Dec 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 10 Dec 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 10 Dec 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 10 Dec 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Yellow fever proof required on entry; malaria risk. Hepatitis A and B, typhoid and measles shots advised.
Vaccinations
Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required on entry; hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid and measles shots are recommended, plus meningococcal vaccine for the dry season and rabies for some travellers.
Malaria
RiskTalk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: GOV.UK
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
04Travel layer
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What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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05Free
Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $2.5 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $1,124Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | coconuts/brazil nuts/cashews, fish, fish oil, processed crustaceans, malt extract (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 2.2 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 18.5 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 64.5 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Muslim 46.1%, folk religions 30.6%, Christian 18.9%, other or unaffiliated 4.4% (2020 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 36,125 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan windsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | mostly low-lying coastal plain with a deeply indented estuarine coastline rising to savanna in east; numerous off-shore islands including the Arquipelago Dos Bijagos consisting of 18 main islands and many small isletsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | semi-presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +245Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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