Pakistan → Mali: Short-stay tourist

A recent passport-style photo. The pages we read differ on how many they want: a single photo is listed by the Embassy in Japan (January 2026) and the Embassy in India, while the Embassy in Rome asks for two colour photos on a white background. Check with the mission that handles your application.

Source: Embassy of the Republic of Mali in Japan, How to apply the visa (January 2026)

A passport valid for at least six months (the Embassies in Rome and India both say six months). Upload a copy of its data pages: the Embassy in Rome specifically asks for both biometric pages.

Source: Embassy of Mali in Rome, visas

On 11 October 2025 Mali's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Mali would introduce a visa programme identical to the US pilot visa-deposit programme for Malian travellers, with the same conditions and requirements for US nationals. The statement describes the US programme as a deposit of US$5,000 or US$10,000 for B-1/B-2 business or tourist visas. It gives no Mali amounts or start date, so ask the Embassy of Mali in Washington what applies to you now.

Source: Embassy of the Republic of Mali in the United States, Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement of 11 October 2025

You pay the visa fee as part of the online process (the Embassy in India lists "payment of visa fees" as a step). The Malian missions' pages quote different fees, in different currencies and with different payment methods, and the amounts vary by visa type, so this page doesn't quote one: check the fee with the mission that handles your application.

Source: Embassy of Mali in India, new visa application procedure (effective 11 March 2025)

The embassy pages differ on what they want: a hotel reservation in Mali (the Embassy in Rome, which asks for an invitation letter only for business trips); either a legalised invitation letter from Mali or a hotel reservation (the Embassy in India); or both a hotel booking confirmation and an invitation letter from a local partner or travel agency bearing an authentication stamp (the Embassy in Japan, January 2026). The Embassy in Rome also asks for your hotel's address and phone number on the application form.

Source: Embassy of Mali in India, new visa application procedure (effective 11 March 2025)

Apply through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' consular portal (diplomatiemdc.gouv.ml/vitrine), which sends you to the Malian embassy or consulate that covers your country of residence. On its start page you choose what you are visiting Mali for ("Venir au Mali pour", with tourism as one option). The Embassy of Mali in India lists the steps as: create a user account, choose the visa type, fill in the online form, upload your supporting documents (PDF or JPG), book an appointment if one is needed, pay the visa fee, then receive the visa. It says this system applies from 11 March 2025, that handwritten or paper applications are not accepted unless they go through the portal, and that average processing is 5 to 10 business days (excluding urgent cases).

Source: Embassy of Mali in India, new visa application procedure (effective 11 March 2025)

Unless your country is on the short no-visa list published by the Embassy of Mali in the United States (citizens of ECOWAS countries, Algeria, Cameroon, Andorra, Monaco, Chad, Gambia, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia), you need an entry visa. The Embassy of Mali in Japan tells applicants to get it from the Malian embassy that covers their country of residence before they leave for Mali. The embassy pages we read describe applying through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' online portal (next item).

Source: Embassy of the Republic of Mali in Japan, visa information

A copy of your flight reservation for the round trip (the Embassy of Mali in India). The Embassy in Japan asks for a confirmation of flight reservation, and the Embassy in Rome for a flight ticket.

Source: Embassy of Mali in India, new visa application procedure (effective 11 March 2025)

The Embassy in Japan notes that an additional document may be required at the discretion of the Malian authorities, and the Embassy in India lists "other documents depending on the visa type requested". Watch for any request from the mission that handles your application.

Source: Embassy of the Republic of Mali in Japan, How to apply the visa (January 2026)

The Embassy of Mali in the United States' no-visa list names "ECOWAS countries' citizens" plus Algeria, Cameroon, Andorra, Monaco, Chad, Gambia, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia. Burkina Faso and Niger are not named. Both left ECOWAS in January 2025 and are Mali's partners in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and we found no Malian page stating the visa rule for their passports. So citizens of those two countries are shown this checklist rather than an exemption: ask a Malian embassy whether you need a visa.

Source: Embassy of the Republic of Mali in the United States, visas

The portal's public start page has a "do I need a visa?" form (nationality, passport type, country of residence) and the application itself, but no published document list, so we could not read the Ministry's own list for each visa type. This checklist is compiled from the public pages of the Malian embassies in Japan, India, Rome and the United States, so what your mission asks for may differ. None of those pages says how long a tourist may stay on each entry, or asks for proof of funds or travel insurance.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Mali, Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts portal

The Embassies in Rome, India and Japan all list a yellow fever vaccination certificate among the documents; the Embassy in Rome words it as international vaccination certificates, above all for yellow fever.

Source: Embassy of Mali in Rome, visas