Senegal: passenger data rules and border system records
- Data protection law
- Loi n° 2008-12 du 25 janvier 2008 sur la protection des données à caractère personnel 1. The government said in 2020 it planned to replace it 2
- Agency that receives API/PNR
- Not published. Resolution 2396 requires states to have airlines send API to national authorities 7
- API/PNR status
- Not confirmed as of 21 October 2026. No published API or PNR system found against the resolution 2396 duties 7
- Biometric collection at entry
- Yes. Decree 2011-652 funds an integrated computer and biometric system on departures and arrivals 3
Data protection law and oversight
Senegal's main data law is Loi n° 2008-12 du 25 janvier 2008 sur la protection des données à caractère personnel 1. The Commission de Protection des Données Personnelles (CDP) is the body the records name for personal data matters 2,5.
On 4 March 2020 OSIRIS, reproducing Pressafrik, reported that the government considered the 2008 law outdated and was preparing a new law to replace it 2. Proposals discussed at a seminar included renaming the CDP as the Autorité de protection des données personnelles 2. This page found no record that a replacement law has been adopted as of 21 October 2026 1,2.
The airport security fee and biometric system
Decree No. 2011-652 of 26 May 2011 created a security fee for running an integrated computer and biometric system on departures and arrivals at Senegal's airports 3.
As reported by Cheikh Yérim Seck in Dakaractu on 16 September 2011, the fee was US$12 per passenger and was included in the ticket price 4. Airlines collected it and paid it to Securiport LLC, a company based in Washington, D.C., starting on 4 July 2011 4. Seck quoted article 1 of the decree as saying the fee funds only the investment in setting up and running the system 4. He reported projected revenue of about US$20.4 million a year at Dakar's airport, based on 1.7 million passengers 4.
The records opened for this page do not state where the system's passenger data is hosted or which agency controls it 3,4 6.
Complaints and audit records
On 9 August 2015 OSIRIS, reproducing Dakaractu, reported that the IT professionals' group Restic said it had filed complaints with the CDP since December 2012 over gaps in the protection of the personal data collected 5.
This page found no published text of the Securiport contract and no published audit report, prosecution or court ruling on it as of 21 October 2026 4,6.
Contract expiry and current status
On 24 October 2025 Seneweb, citing the daily Libération, reported that the Securiport contract would end on 11 January 2026 6. The report carried no statement from Securiport or the government 6.
This page found no published government decision on renewal or replacement as of 21 October 2026 6.
Reported inspectorate report
On 7 August 2015 the daily Libération reported that the State General Inspectorate (IGF) had examined the Securiport contract and recommended legal proceedings. OSIRIS reproduced the article, which carries no reporter's name 8.
The IGF has not published the report. This page could not open it or confirm its contents, so it does not list the findings Libération described 8. This page found no public record of a prosecution or court ruling based on it as of 21 October 2026 8.
Chronology
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 25 January 2008 1 | Law 2008-12 on personal data adopted 1 |
| 26 May 2011 3 | Decree 2011-652 creates the airport security fee 3 |
| 4 July 2011 4 | Airlines begin collecting the fee for Securiport 4 |
| December 2012 5 | Restic files complaints with the CDP 5 |
| 7 August 2015 8 | Libération reports an unpublished IGF report on the Securiport contract 8 |
| 4 March 2020 2 | Government plan to replace the 2008 law reported 2 |
| 11 January 2026 6 | Reported contract expiry date 6 |
Common questions
What is Senegal's data protection law?
Law No. 2008-12 of 25 January 2008 on the protection of personal data 1.
Who enforces data protection in Senegal?
The Commission de Protection des Données Personnelles (CDP) 2.
Does Senegal collect biometrics at airports?
Yes. Decree 2011-652 of 26 May 2011 funds an integrated computer and biometric system on departures and arrivals 3.
Is the Securiport contract still running in Senegal?
It was reported to end on 11 January 2026 6. No published decision on renewal was found 6.
Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email hello@passengerdataexplained.org with the official link.
Sources
- OSIRIS: Loi n° 2008-12 du 25 janvier 2008 sur la protection des données à caractère personnel (text page)
- OSIRIS, reproducing Pressafrik: Protection des données à caractère personnel, la loi de 2008 jugée obsolète (4 March 2020)
- OSIRIS: Décret n° 2011-652 du 26 mai 2011 instituant une redevance de sécurité (text page)
- Dakaractu, Cheikh Yérim Seck: Le décret signé en catimini, la redevance et la destination des milliards (16 September 2011)
- OSIRIS, reproducing Dakaractu: Irrégularités du contrat de Sécuriport, le Restic souligne d'énormes pertes (9 August 2015)
- Seneweb, citing Libération: Sécurisation des frontières, la bataille secrète pour un contrat stratégique (24 October 2025)
- United Nations: Security Council resolution 2396 press release SC/13138 (December 2017)
- OSIRIS, reproducing Libération: Affaire Sécuriport, l'IGF préconise des poursuites judiciaires (7 August 2015)
Related
- Biometric data at borders
Which fingerprints and facial images border agencies collect from travellers, the legal basis, who holds the records and how long they are kept.
- Passenger data clauses in border contracts
The terms that decide who holds passenger data in border systems: data location, fees, funding, gateway providers and what official records publish.
- Who oversees passenger data
The bodies that check how governments use API and PNR data: data protection authorities, data protection officers, courts and UN standards.
- The Gambia: passenger data rules and border system records
Data protection law status, the Securiport airport contract, National Audit Office findings and official and company responses in The Gambia.
- UN Security Council Resolution 2396 and ICAO Annex 9
What Resolution 2396 (2017) asks of states on API, PNR, watch lists and biometrics, and how ICAO Annex 9 sets the passenger data standards.
- Guinea: passenger data rules and border system records
Guinea's Loi L/2016/037/AN on cybersecurity and personal data, the 2025 data security decree, the border police e-visa and fingerprint capture at Conakry.