United States to Central African Republic visa requirements

Yes. U.S. ordinary passport holders need a visa obtained in advance before traveling to the Central African Republic. Visa on arrival is no longer available, and there is no reliable, government-endorsed self-service eVisa channel confirmed for U.S. citizens. Apply through the Embassy of the Central African Republic in Washington, D.C. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is mandatory for entry. A U.S. ordinary passport holder traveling to the Central African Republic (CF) for tourism must obtain a visa before departure. The U.S. Embassy in Bangui has issued an alert confirming that visas are no longer available upon arrival and that travelers must secure a visa in advance to avoid excessive fees and possible entry refusal at the port of entry. The U.S. State Department reiterates that a visa is mandatory, with stay options of 30, 60, 90 days, or 1 year. While commercial websites advertise an electronic visa portal (evisa-centrafrique.com), the official U.S. government sources do not endorse this channel for U.S. citizens and continue to direct travelers to apply through the Embassy of the Central African Republic in Washington, D.C. Given this conflict, the conservative and accurate verdict is visa-required via the embassy. Entry also requires a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond arrival with at least one blank page, and a valid International Certificate of Vaccination for yellow fever (mandatory for all travelers at least 9 months old). The CAR is not in the Schengen area, so no Schengen 90/180 rule or ETIAS applies. Note that the State Department maintains a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory for the CAR due to crime, civil unrest, and kidnapping.