Before you start

A full, valid foreign driving licence (the original, which you surrender at the exchange)
An original attestation d'authenticité for that licence, issued by your home authority or by its embassy in Abidjan — this is the step to start first
An Ivorian identity document: your ONECI carte de résident, or a consular card if you are an ECOWAS national
Residency. French government guidance is that a French licence is fine for under six months and must be converted beyond that; we could not find an Ivorian text stating the six-month limit, so treat it as guidance rather than statute

Step-by-step

1
Get your licence certified as genuine, at home
The DGTTC will not act without an original attestation d'authenticité from the authority that issued your licence, or from its embassy in Abidjan. French applicants may be asked for the ADCS (attestation de droits à conduire sécurisée) from the Mes points permis service. Nothing in Côte d'Ivoire can accelerate this step, so start it before you fly.
In personWho: You, via your home authority or embassyThe unpredictable step — weeks in some casesVaries by country
2
Buy the autorisation d'échange from the DGTTC
Pay at the Ministère des Transports' trésorerie principale in the Immeuble Le Général, Plateau, 5th floor, then file at the DGTTC in the Cité administrative, Tour E, 16th floor. You submit a photocopy of the foreign licence, the original attestation d'authenticité, and a copy of your Ivorian ID document.
In personWho: You48 hoursXOF 10,000
3
Exchange at a Centre de Gestion Intégrée
Present the autorisation, your original foreign licence and your ID at a CGI. The Ministry's published tariff splits the fee into an examen line of XOF 3,500 and an édition line of XOF 85,000; the government service portal quotes the same total as a single XOF 88,500 with a one-day turnaround. Note there is no medical certificate on the exchange route — that requirement belongs to the learner route.
In personWho: YouAbout one working dayXOF 88,500 (3,500 + 85,000)
4
Learn the 12-point system before you drive
The permis à points came into force on 1 March 2023 under décret n° 2016-864, reorganised by décret n° 2022-631. You start with 12 points. A handheld phone or 20–25 km/h over the urban limit costs 2; refusing to stop when signalled costs 3; 40 km/h over on a rural road costs 4; blood alcohol above 0.8 g/l costs 6. Points come back after two clean years, or through an approved course costing XOF 100,000, capped at four points and one course a year.
In personWho: YouOngoingXOF 100,000 for a recovery course
5
Put the car through its contrôle technique
SICTA runs the computerised inspection lines, with stations at Abatta, Angré, Marcory and Plateau in Abidjan (and one in Yamoussoukro). The Ministry's cahier des charges sets the periodicity: annual for a private car, semi-annual for any vehicle carrying passengers commercially. Payment is due before the inspection and is not refunded if the car fails.
In personWho: YouAnnually for a private carCommonly quoted at XOF 13,100–15,500 for a light vehicle, but SICTA's own site was unreachable, so treat that as indicative and confirm at the station

Documents you’ll need

Original foreign driving licence (surrendered at the exchange)
Original attestation d'authenticité from the issuing authority or its embassy
ONECI carte de résident, or consular card for ECOWAS nationals
Receipt for the XOF 10,000 DGTTC authorisation
The original autorisation d'échange, which the CGI requires in hard copy

Things most newcomers don’t know

The XOF 10,000 authorisation is a prerequisite document, not an optional extra.

Almost every guide quotes only the XOF 88,500 headline. The CGI will refuse your file without the original DGTTC autorisation d'échange, and that is a separate payment, a separate building and a separate 48-hour wait. Budget XOF 98,500 and two trips to Plateau.

Source: DGTTC + Service Public de Côte d'Ivoire

No medical certificate is needed to exchange — only to learn.

The Ministry's tariff sheet attaches the certificat médical to the learner route. Guides that send you for a medical before an exchange are costing you a day and a fee you do not owe.

Source: Ministère des Transports — permis de conduire tariff sheet

Popular Ivorian motoring sites get the points system wrong.

Widely-read local sites date the permis à points to 2021 and claim points return after six months. The Ministry's own announcement says 1 March 2023 and two years. If a site is wrong about that, do not trust it on the licence format either — there is no official announcement of a biometric licence, only the 2014 secure card format.

Source: Ministère des Transports

The exchange cannot be done online, even though other DGTTC services now can.

The eDGTTC counter handles the international permit, the attestation de non-retrait and the points-commission appointment — but not licence exchange, duplicates or carte grise. Do not plan a remote conversion.

Source: eDGTTC portal

Common mistakes to avoid

Budgeting XOF 88,500 and being blocked by the separate XOF 10,000 authorisation
Leaving the attestation d'authenticité until you arrive — it is outside Ivorian control and gates everything
Getting a medical certificate you do not need for the exchange route
Driving past six months on a foreign licence and an IDP once you are clearly resident
Using an intermediary — the Ivorian embassy's own licence communiqué explicitly warns against them

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.