Angola is changing its visa rules, having passed a new resolution to offer visa-free access to tourists from nearly 100 countries.
Citizens of 98 countries can now visit Angola visa-free for tourism (up to 90 days). Just need passport, return ticket and vaccination certificate (not sure if that’s covid or Yellow Fever to be honest!) Still, amazing news for Angolan tourism! 🇦🇴 #Angola#Luanda https://t.co/tbCmW9s6wO
— Bradt Angola Guide (@BradtAngola) October 4, 2023
Tourism presents new opportunities
The Portuguese-speaking republic on the west-central coast of southern Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, recovering from the quarter-century civil war that followed the obtention of independence from Portugal in 1975. Despite the country’s GDP reaching $117.88 billion in 2023, much of the population, especially in rural areas, remains poor.
As well as being driven by oil and other fossil fuels, the Angolan economy benefits from diamond reserves and precious metal mining. But as the world begins to take seriously the need to leave fossil fuels in the ground, tourism presents a new way forward for a country with an enviable offer to holidaymakers including secluded tropical Atlantic beaches, the Namib desert, lush rainforest and rich wildlife.
Priority markets
Until now, tourists to Angola have faced long and difficult admin processes before being able to travel. Now, thanks to Presidential Decree Number 189/23 of September 29, 2023, more visitors than ever will be able to enjoy visa-free holidays to Angola as a destination. In tandem with the dismantling of the country’s notorious bureaucracy, Linhas Aereas de Angola Airlines, or “TAAG”, the country’s national air carrier is opening or re-opening European routes including to London Gatwick.
Brazil, Cape Verde, China, Portugal, the United States and Russia have been named as the country’s priority target markets. (The US and China are already its biggest trade partners.)
Beneficiaries across the continents
Other citizens set to benefit from the new visa rules include those from:
- Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, Lesotho, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, and the Seychelles, among African nations
- India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, and Timor-Leste in Asia
- Argentina, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay in The Americas
Meanwhile Europe has the largest number of visa-exempt countries listed (35). The Caribbean, Pacific and Oceania are also all represented.
Applicable immediately
Applicable immediately, the new visa-waiver directive applies to tourist trips only, for up to 90 days. President João Lourenço has directed the country’s foreign affairs ministry let beneficiary countries know about the new exemption.
Foreign citizens visiting Angola for other reasons such as work, study, medical treatment or those seeking a residential permit, will still need to apply through formal channels.
