As with all research conducted for academic purposes in the Ivory Coast by foreign nationals, research in the National Archives should be undertaken only with permission of the government. Such research can be carried out with a fair degree of ease in an atmosphere very conducive to research. The archives are centralized in Abidjan, which is not only the capital city but also is the point of entry for passengers who travel to the country by airplane, ship, and, to a large degree, rail. The personnel of the archives do not spare any effort to aid researchers from abroad.

To the uninitiated, explanations of its workings not only make the accrediting process appear more formidable than it really is, but also unnecessarily cumbersome. The process entails a number of separate steps. Though not mandatory, an exploratory stage, to learn if the government has any reservation about the research, is strongly recommended. In it, the researcher should file a synopsis of the proposed research with the nearest Ivoirien embassy or directly with the Ministry of the Interior. The embassy will refer the proposal to the Interior Ministry for its guidance; thus, if the researcher is in a hurry to commence his or her work, it might be wise to bypass the embassy and negotiate directly with the Ministry. However, embassies are usually more responsive to enquiries than more distant bureaus. A statement similar in form, though not necessarily as detailed, of the research design should be appended to the synopsis. It should detail the research topic, the methodology to be followed, reasons for the research, the anticipated duration of the research, affiliations with academic or research institutions at home and in the Ivory Coast, and the sources of financial support.