Angola is a Southern African country full of natural wonders. In the north you have the Kalandula Waterfalls, the third tallest falls in Africa and in the south the Tunda-Vala gorge which boasts spectacular views of the Chela Escarpment.
The country has an impressive variety of beaches on their 1600 kilometres of coastline, in Sangano you have white sandy beaches with gorgeous views of the local fishing boats. Angola is also rich in culture and historical sites as well as wildlife parks such as the Quicama National Park.
It used to be notoriously difficult to get a Visa for Angola, but thanks to the new online application system it is now quick and easy.
This information piece tells you everything you need to know about visa requirements for visiting Angola.
It is important to familiarise yourself with all legal requirements of entry before your visit, since in most cases, you will have to obtain an Angola visa prior to your travels.
Visa requirements are governed by the Angolan Embassy or Consulate located in the area you reside, or you can apply online at the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Angola. These requirements may be subject to change without prior notice.
WHAT IS A VISA?
A visa is issued to international travellers visiting Angola for a short stay on a temporary basis for tourism, business, study or medical reasons. Visas are normally issued for a maximum 30 or 90 days, depending on your country of residence.
A valid visa allows you to enter the country through a port of entry and stay in the country for the time period specified in your visa.
Note that you are restricted to the activity or reason stated in your application, for example, if you applied for a visa for a holiday or family visit, you are not allowed to work in the country during your stay.
VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR VISITING ANGOLA
The Angola tourist Visa is granted by the Angolan diplomatic and consular missions to foreign citizens wishing to enter the Republic of Angola.
The Angola tourist visa is issued for short-term visitational purposes and is valid for up to 30 days. You must use your visa within 60 days of obtaining it. It is valid for one or multiple entries and can be extended only once for another 30 days.
Passports must have a validity of nine months beyond your stay and at least two blank pages.
The time it takes to process your visa depends on which one you have applied for and if you want to pay extra for express processing.
The tourist visa takes a standard eight working days to process or an express time of five working days. A business visa takes fifteen working days to process or an express time of eight working days.
The short-term visa takes a standard eight working days to process or an express time of three working days.
The time is takes to process an e-visa is six working days, however you can pay double for ‘rush processing’ which is four working days, or you can pay triple for ‘super rush processing’ which is only two working days.
Visitors from countries that require pre-approval will have to wait up to 30 days. Â
If you are traveling through Angola you will not need a transit visa if you are continuing your trip to a third country by the same or first departing plane, in this case you will not be allowed to leave the airport.
Nationals of certain countries are exempt from applying for an Angolan tourist visa prior to travel, but they still have to obtain a visa if they want to stay long-term.
Visitors holding passports from countries that are classified as ‘exempt’ do not need to apply for a visa prior to arriving in Angola. Instead, they are issued with a short-stay visa at the point of entry for a period of time relevant to the status of the visitor’s country.
COUNTRIES EXEMPTED AND COUNTRIES THAT NEED VISAS
There are only 11 countries whose citizens do not need to get a visa when traveling to Angola, all other visitors to Angola must have a visa in order to enter the country. These citizens may enter Angola without a visa for stays of up to 30 days.
These exempt countries are Botswana, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
All visitors are required to have a passport when entering Angola.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF VISAS
When applying for an Angola visa, you need to know which one to apply for according to your reason for travelling to Angola:
Angola visas are issued as single entry or multiple entry which means you can enter Angola once or unlimited times within the validity of your visa.
HOW AND WHERE TO APPLY FOR VISAS WHEN VISITING ANGOLA
There are a few different ways to apply for your Angola visa, you can apply at your nearest consulate or consular section of the nearest Angolan embassy. This must be done in person, by a third party or agency or via registered post.
In March 2018 the Migration and Foreigners Service Office of Angola began issuing tourist e-visas on arrival for citizens of 59 countries. Once the application is submitted and accepted, the applicant will receive an e-receipt, which must be printed and shown to the immigration officers upon arrival.
You can get an e-visa online before you travel if you are from a EU country, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, São Tomé and PrÃncipe, South Korea, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.
How to apply for an Angola Visa at an embassy or consulate
The application process depends on which country’s embassy or consulate you use to submit your visa application. However, the following is a guideline:
How to apply online (e-visa)
You must apply for an Angola e-visa at least seven days before you intend to travel, through the Angolan Ministry of Interior’s website, but also not more than 30 days prior to your visit.
After clicking on ‘apply for visa’ it will take you to a security page to verify you are not a robot, from there you will have to accept the terms and conditions and then begin the process of filling in forms and submitting documents.
You will pay the processing fee and then receive an e-receipt which you will have to print out and take with you, along with all the other documents that you had to submit and passport in order to receive your visa which is only issued once you arrive in Angola.
Please note you can only get your e-visa issued at one of the following entry points:
DOCUMENTS NEEDED FOR APPLICATION FOR VISA
When you apply for an Angola visa, you need the following documents to support your application. Note that the exact required documents depend on the purpose of your travel as well as the embassy or consulate in which you apply.
COST OF AN ANGOLA VISA
The Angola visa fees may vary depending on the consulate or embassy, therefore check with them first. The below is a guideline:
VACCINES NEEDED WHEN VISITING ANGOLA
An international yellow fever vaccination certificate is the only vaccination certificate required for entry into Angola.
A yellow fever certificate is valid 10 days after the vaccination is administered, making it important to get the vaccination in time before leaving for Angola. You may be refused entry if you leave it too late and arrive in Angola within the ten-day waiting period.
The CDC recommends the following vaccines before traveling to Angola:
measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, typhoid vaccine, hepatitis B vaccine and the rabies vaccine.
Angola is a high-risk country for Malaria, so it is recommended that you take prescription medicine before, during, and after your trip to prevent malaria. Your doctor can help you decide which medicine is right for you, and also talk to you about other steps you can take to prevent malaria
OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS WHEN VISITING ANGOLA
VISITING ANGOLA WITH MINORS
If you are traveling to Angola with a minor, you will need the following documents in order to obtain entry into the country:
WHAT HAPPENS IF ONE OVERSTAYS ON A VISA IN ANGOLA
Foreign visitors who overstay on a visa in Angola are normally declared ‘undesirable persons’ and may incur a fine of up to 15,000 Kwanzas (Angolan currency) per day. You will not be allowed to leave the country until your fine has been paid. If you fail to pay your fine legal action may be taken against you. This may include being detained, deported or not being allowed to re-enter Angola.
Individuals who have been affected by the overstay visa regulations of a country can usually lodge a visa overstay appeal.
Angola has a strict policy when overstaying a visa, so it is highly recommended that you extend your visa well in advance.
ENJOY A SAFE HOLIDAY IN ANGOLA WITH A REPUTABLE TOUR OPERATOR
MoAfrika Tours is a leading tour operator in South Africa that offers an outstanding selection of tours to Angola. We have a close association with the most reputable tour operators in Angola who make safety a priority.
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