What's Illegal inEquatorial Guinea?

The single thing worth knowing first: Authoritarian state, longest-serving president in office. Drug penalties strict. Photography heavily restricted. Tourism difficult — visas hard to obtain. Significant security presence on streets. It is the kind of rule that looks minor at home and becomes a serious problem at the border or in public, which is exactly why it tops this page.

Within everyday activities and public behavior, Equatorial Guinea treats Photography of presidential palace / government, Anti-government discussion, and Public displays of affection as off-limits. Carrying or doing any of these can mean confiscation, fines, or detention depending on the case — and a foreign prescription, habit, or "I didn't know" rarely helps once you are stopped. Each entry below links to the official source it is checked against, with the verified ones marked.

Two things travelers regularly get wrong about Equatorial Guinea: Distinct from Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Papua New Guinea — different countries; and Oil wealth has not translated to development for most citizens; visible inequality is sharp. Assumptions like these are how otherwise careful visitors end up in trouble, so it is worth checking the specifics rather than guessing.

One important caveat: Spanish is the primary official language (Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish-speaking African country). Laws and their enforcement can shift between regions and over time, so treat this page as a sourced starting point and confirm anything borderline against the official links before you rely on it.