Senegal Criminal Record Certificate (Casier Judiciaire) for Ecuador Tourist Visa

Senegal's official criminal background check document is called the Extrait du Bulletin No. 3 du Casier Judiciaire — commonly referred to simply as the "casier judiciaire." It is a personal criminal record extract that any individual can request about themselves.

Senegal's judicial record system uses three bulletins: - Bulletin No. 1 — Complete record, restricted to judicial authorities only - Bulletin No. 2 — Issued to administrative authorities and employers - Bulletin No. 3 — The personal extract that individuals request for themselves. This is the version you need for your Ecuador visa application.

The document is issued in French, as Senegal is a Francophone country. For Ecuador immigration purposes, the Bulletin No. 3 must be: - Apostilled by Senegal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Translated from French into Spanish by a certified translator - Issued within 180 days before your visa application date

Important: Ecuador's 180-day validity window pauses while your visa application is under review. The clock does not run during processing — it only counts the days before and after Ecuador is actively reviewing your file.

The casier judiciaire is issued by the Greffe (Clerk's Office) of the court in the jurisdiction where you were born or where you reside. There are three categories:

1. Senegalese citizens born in Senegal Apply at the Greffe of the Tribunal Régional (Regional Court) in the jurisdiction of your place of birth. For example, if you were born in Dakar, you apply at the Greffe du Tribunal Régional Hors Classe de Dakar.

2. Senegalese citizens born abroad Apply at the Greffe of the Cour d'Appel de Dakar (Dakar Court of Appeals). Only the Court of Appeals handles the special criminal record bulletin for Senegalese nationals born outside the country.

3. Foreigners who resided in Senegal If you are a non-Senegalese national who lived in Senegal during the last five years, you also apply at the Greffe of the Cour d'Appel de Dakar. This is relevant if you are from another country but need a Senegalese background check because you resided there.

The request is formally addressed to the Procureur de la République (Prosecutor of the Republic) attached to the relevant court. The Greffe processes the request on behalf of the Prosecutor's office.

Option 1: In-Person at the Tribunal Régional (Standard Route)

This is the traditional method and the one officially described by the Senegalese government:

1. Go to the Greffe (Clerk's Office) of the Tribunal Régional in your place of birth
2. Submit a written request addressed to the Procureur de la République
3. Present your required identity documents (see Required Documents section below)
4. Purchase the required fiscal stamp (timbre fiscal) of 200 FCFA at the court
5. Pay the 200 FCFA delivery fee
6. Wait for processing — the official government timeline indicates delivery within one working day when applying in person at the correct court

For Dakar residents born in Dakar, the location is the Greffe du Tribunal Régional Hors Classe de Dakar, inside the Palais de Justice de Dakar.

Option 2: Online via the e-Senegal Portal

Senegal launched the e-Senegal digital government platform, which allows citizens to request the casier judiciaire online without physically visiting the court. This portal is operated by the Ministry of Justice.

1. Visit the official e-Senegal platform
2. Create an account and verify your identity
3. Submit the criminal record request electronically
4. Pay any applicable fees online
5. Receive your document digitally or schedule pickup

This is a newer service and availability may vary. If you encounter issues with the online portal, the in-person route at the Tribunal Régional remains the reliable fallback.

Important Warning: Unofficial third-party websites offer to obtain the casier judiciaire on your behalf. The Senegalese Ministry of Justice has publicly stated it is not associated with these services and that no structure other than its own services is authorized to intervene in the criminal record issuance process. Use only official government channels.

For Senegalese citizens born in Senegal: - Original or certified copy of your Carte Nationale d'Identité (national identity card), OR - An Extrait du registre de naissance (extract from the birth register / birth certificate)

For Senegalese citizens born abroad: - Original or certified copy of your Carte Nationale d'Identité, OR - Extract from the birth register or birth certificate - These are submitted to the Cour d'Appel de Dakar rather than the Tribunal Régional

For foreigners who resided in Senegal (born outside Senegal): - Original national identity card from your country of citizenship, OR - Certified copy of your national identity card, OR - Extract from the birth register (birth certificate) - These are submitted to the Cour d'Appel de Dakar

Additional items to bring: - Cash to purchase the 200 FCFA fiscal stamp (timbre fiscal) — if a single 200 FCFA stamp is unavailable, two 100 FCFA stamps are accepted - Cash for the 200 FCFA delivery fee

No passport-sized photographs are required for this application.

In-person at the correct Tribunal Régional: typically same day to one working day.

The Senegalese government's eRegulations portal indicates that counter service time at the Greffe is approximately 5 to 10 minutes, with total wait time of 5 to 10 minutes. When applying in person at the Tribunal Régional in the jurisdiction of your birth, the document can often be issued the same day.

Factors that may extend processing time: - Applying at the Cour d'Appel de Dakar (for those born abroad or foreigners) may take slightly longer due to additional verification steps - Periods of high demand at the court - Incomplete documentation requiring a return visit - Using the online e-Senegal portal — digital processing times may vary as the platform is relatively new

After obtaining the Bulletin No. 3, you still need to complete the apostille and translation steps before submitting your Ecuador visa application. Factor those additional timelines into your planning (see the Apostille and Translation sections below).

The casier judiciaire (Bulletin No. 3) is one of the least expensive background check documents worldwide:

If a single 200 FCFA fiscal stamp is not available at the court, you may present two 100 FCFA stamps instead.

Note: The Bulletin No. 2 (requested by employers/authorities) is free and paid from the public treasury. You do not want the Bulletin No. 2 — you need the Bulletin No. 3 for personal visa purposes.

Additional costs for apostille and translation are covered in the respective sections below.

Senegal is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. The Convention entered into force for Senegal on March 23, 2023, following the deposit of its instrument of accession on July 13, 2022. This means Senegalese documents can be apostilled rather than going through the longer consular legalization chain.

Since Ecuador is also a Hague Convention member, an apostille from Senegal's designated authority is sufficient — you do not need to visit the Ecuadorian embassy for legalization.

Apostille Process

The competent authority for issuing apostilles in Senegal is the Ministère de l'Intégration Africaine et des Affaires Étrangères (Ministry of African Integration and Foreign Affairs), specifically the Direction des Affaires Juridiques et Consulaires (Directorate of Legal and Consular Affairs).

Designated officials authorized to issue apostilles: - The Director of Legal and Consular Affairs - The Chief of the Chancellery Division - The Chief of the Civil Registry Office

Steps: 1. Obtain your Bulletin No. 3 from the Tribunal Régional or Cour d'Appel 2. Bring the original document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dakar 3. Request an apostille for the casier judiciaire 4. The apostille is affixed as a square stamp (minimum 9 cm per side) in French and English, bearing the heading "Apostille" and referencing the 1961 Hague Convention

Cost: The apostille service is currently provided free of charge, pending the future establishment of a stamp fee by the competent Senegalese authorities. This may change — verify the current fee at the Ministry when you apply.

Important note: The apostille system in Senegal is relatively new (operational since April 3, 2023). Three European countries (Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands) have announced they will not accept Senegalese apostilles. However, Ecuador has not objected — Senegalese apostilles are valid for Ecuador visa applications.

This is a critical step that applies specifically to Senegalese documents. The casier judiciaire is issued entirely in French. Ecuador requires all visa documents to be in Spanish.

You need a certified translation from French to Spanish — not French to English, and not a machine translation.

Requirements for the translation: - Translated by a certified or sworn translator - The translation must cover the full document including the apostille - Translator's certification, signature, and credentials must be included - The translated document must accompany the apostilled original when submitted

[EcuadorTranslations.com](https://ecuadortranslations.com) provides certified Spanish translation and notarization services. Their translators are familiar with Ecuador's immigration document requirements and handle the French-to-Spanish path for Francophone African documents.

Translation turnaround: Typically 2-5 business days depending on document complexity and volume.

Do not attempt to translate the document yourself or use Google Translate, DeepL, or any other machine translation tool. Ecuador immigration will reject non-certified translations.

Ecuador requires that your background check be issued within 180 days of the date you submit your visa application.

Critical note on the 180-day validity window: The 180-day clock measures from the casier judiciaire's issue date to the date you submit your visa application — not to the date Ecuador approves or denies it. Ecuador's visa processing time does not count against the 180-day window. The clock pauses while Ecuador is actively reviewing your application. You will not be penalized for Ecuador taking several weeks or months to process your file.

Be aware of the Senegalese validity period: Senegal considers the casier judiciaire valid for only 3 months (approximately 90 days) for domestic purposes. However, for Ecuador immigration, the relevant validity period is Ecuador's 180-day rule, not Senegal's 3-month rule. As long as the document is less than 180 days old when you submit your Ecuador visa application, it meets Ecuador's requirement.

Practical implication: Because the casier judiciaire can typically be obtained same-day in Senegal and the apostille process is straightforward, you do not need to apply months in advance. A reasonable timeline is to obtain the document 4-8 weeks before your planned visa submission date, leaving time for apostille and translation.

Ecuador requires a background check from every country where you have lived during the past five years — not only your country of citizenship.

If you are Senegalese and have lived only in Senegal for the last five years, one casier judiciaire from Senegal is sufficient.

If you have lived in other countries during the last five years, you must obtain a separate criminal background check from each of those countries, in addition to the Senegalese casier judiciaire. Each document must be individually apostilled (or legalized, if the country is not a Hague Convention member) and translated into Spanish.

Common scenarios for Senegalese applicants: - Lived in France: Obtain a French casier judiciaire (Bulletin No. 3) from the Casier Judiciaire National in Nantes. France is a Hague Convention member, so apostille is available. - Lived in another Francophone West African country (e.g., Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Cameroon): Check whether that country is a Hague Convention member. If not, you will need consular legalization instead of apostille. - Lived in the United States: Obtain an FBI Identity History Summary (or state-level background check). The US is a Hague Convention member.

All documents from all countries must meet Ecuador's 180-day validity requirement individually.

Plan your timing carefully. The casier judiciaire itself is fast to obtain (same day in most cases), but the apostille and French-to-Spanish translation add time. Work backward from your planned visa submission date and allow at least 3-4 weeks for the full chain: document issuance, apostille at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and certified translation.

Bring the correct identity document. The Greffe will not process your request without a valid national identity card or birth certificate extract. If your CNI (Carte Nationale d'Identite) has expired, renew it before attempting to obtain the casier judiciaire.

Apply at the correct court. If you apply at a Tribunal Regional that does not have jurisdiction over your birthplace, you will be turned away. Verify which court covers your birthplace before traveling.

Keep the original and make certified copies. Submit the apostilled original with your visa application and keep a high-resolution scan as backup. EcuaGo accepts scanned uploads, and having a digital copy speeds up the application process.

If you are currently outside Senegal, you may need to contact a family member or trusted representative in Senegal to obtain the document on your behalf at the Tribunal Regional, then have it apostilled at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dakar before mailing it to you for translation. Alternatively, check if the Senegalese consulate or embassy in your country of residence can assist — some consulates offer attestation services, though the apostille itself must be issued in Senegal.