Before you start

Your original foreign licence, which you surrender at the exchange
An original attestation d'authenticité from the issuing authority or its embassy in Abidjan — start this before you fly
Your ONECI carte de résident, or a consular card if you are an ECOWAS national
Residency. French government guidance treats six months as the limit for driving on a French licence; no Ivorian text stating that limit could be found, so treat it as guidance

Step-by-step

1
Have your licence certified as genuine
Nothing moves without an original attestation d'authenticité from the authority that issued your licence, or from its embassy in Abidjan. French applicants may also be asked for the ADCS from the Mes points permis service. This step is outside Ivorian control and is the one that actually determines your timeline.
In personWho: You, via your home authority or embassyWeeks in some casesVaries by country
2
Buy the autorisation d'échange in Plateau
Pay at the Ministère des Transports' trésorerie in the Immeuble Le Général, Plateau, then file at the DGTTC in the Cité administrative, Tour E. You need a photocopy of the foreign licence, the original attestation, and a copy of your Ivorian identity document. Turnaround is 48 hours, which for a Yamoussoukro resident means either two trips or two nights.
In personWho: You48 hoursXOF 10,000
3
Exchange at a Centre de Gestion Intégrée
Present the autorisation, your original foreign licence and your ID. The Ministry's 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 XOF 88,500 with a one-day turnaround. No medical certificate is required on the exchange route — that belongs to the learner route.
In personWho: YouAbout one working dayXOF 88,500
4
Learn the 12-point licence before you drive the Autoroute du Nord
The permis à points took effect on 1 March 2023. You start with twelve. Speeding 40 km/h over a rural limit costs four points and blood alcohol above 0.8 g/l costs six — both easy to accumulate on a long, fast, lightly-policed-looking motorway that is in fact monitored by ANPR cameras. Points return after two clean years, or through a course costing XOF 100,000 that restores at most four, once a year.
In personWho: YouOngoingXOF 100,000 for a recovery course
5
Do the contrôle technique locally
SICTA operates a station in Yamoussoukro, so this is the one motoring formality that does not involve Abidjan. The Ministry's cahier des charges sets annual inspection for a private car and semi-annual for anything carrying passengers commercially. Payment is due before the test and is not refunded if the car fails.
In personWho: YouAnnuallyCommonly quoted at XOF 13,100–15,500 for a light vehicle; SICTA's own site was unreachable, so confirm at the station

Documents you’ll need

Original foreign driving licence (surrendered)
Original attestation d'authenticité from the issuing authority or embassy
ONECI carte de résident, or consular card for ECOWAS nationals
Receipt for the DGTTC authorisation, and the original autorisation d'échange

Things most newcomers don’t know

Both licence steps are in Abidjan; the vehicle inspection is not.

SICTA lists a Yamoussoukro station alongside Abatta, Angré, Marcory, Plateau, Bouaké and Korhogo. Knowing which formalities are local and which are not is the difference between one trip south and three.

Source: Ministère des Transports / SICTA station list

The XOF 10,000 authorisation is a prerequisite document, not an optional add-on.

Most guides quote only the XOF 88,500. The Centre de Gestion Intégrée will refuse your file without the original DGTTC autorisation, which is a separate payment, a separate building and a separate 48-hour wait — an expensive thing to discover after a three-hour drive.

Source: DGTTC + Service Public de Côte d'Ivoire

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. The gap matters if you are counting down to a clean licence.

Source: Ministère des Transports

Common mistakes to avoid

Driving to Abidjan for the licence and discovering you needed the DGTTC authorisation first
Leaving the attestation d'authenticité until after you arrive
Paying for a medical certificate you do not need on the exchange route
Treating the Autoroute du Nord as unpoliced — it is camera-monitored, and the points come off a national database
Night driving between Yamoussoukro and Abidjan: poorly lit roads and stray livestock make it the single riskiest routine thing you will do here

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

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