Visa policy of Zambia

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Visitors to Zambia must obtain a visa from one of the Zambian diplomatic missions, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries whose citizens are eligible for visa on arrival. Visitors may alternatively obtain an electronic visa.^[1]

All visitors must hold a passport valid for at least 6 months. As of November 2014, Zambia and Zimbabwe also offer a universal visa.^[2]

Visa policy map

Visa exemption

Holders of passports issued by the following countries and territories do not need a visa to enter Zambia for up to 90 days in one year as tourists or 30 days in one year for business:^[3][4]

_{1 - As of 1 November 2022, visa requirements were waived for tourists holding a passport from the following countries and territories:^[6]}

In addition, visa exemption applies to holders of passports issued to residents of the following jurisdictions:

Visa on arrival

Nationals of following countries and territories may obtain a visa for Zambia on arrival for up to 90 days as tourists or 30 days for business:^[8]

Holders of diplomatic or official passports of any countries may obtain visa on arrival.

Electronic Visa (e-Visa)

Zambia introduced an e-Visa system in late 2014.^[9] It is an alternative to visas issued at Zambian missions abroad or on arrival.^[10]

Visa holder can stay in Zambia for the period of 90 days during a given calendar year since the date of entry into Zambia.^[11] For nationals that may obtain visas at ports of entry, the e-Visa takes 3 working days to process and for nationals that require visas prior to travel to Zambia processing time takes a minimum of 5 working days.^[12]

Universal visa

External image
Map of entry points where universal KAZA visa can be obtained

Zambia and Zimbabwe introduced a universal visa on 28 November 2014 called KAZA Visa. This visa can be obtained on arrival and is valid for both countries for visits up to 30 days while remaining within Zambia and Zimbabwe (including day trips to Chobe National Park in Botswana at Kazungula).^[13] In second phase Namibia, Angola and Botswana are expected to join the project.^[14][15] In third stage three SADC pilot countries are expected to join and in fourth stage all SADC countries are expected to become part of the universal visa project.^[16]

The universal visa project was suspended in 2015 due to running out of visa stickers and the expiry of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries. The new Memorandum was signed in December 2016, extending the list of eligible countries (including territories) from 40 to 65.^[17] In Zambia it is issued at Livingstone Airport, Victoria Falls, Kazungula and Lusaka Airport border crossings.^[18]

Eligible countries are:^[19][20]

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving to Zambia were from the following countries of nationality:^[25][26][27]

Country	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2015	2014	2013
Tanzania	169,798	118,708	206,771	161,990	222,095	166,833	219,215	184,187
Zimbabwe	139,881	185,154	424,921	340,263	242,848	225,527	208,962	191,048
Democratic Republic of Congo	75,466	48,311	108,421	82,578	96,480	96,201	89,796	—
South Africa	36,018	28,437	92,033	94,170	92,486	94,030	98,216	87,048
India	14,944	10,960	30,789	25,505	22,337	25,517	21,117	17,136
Mozambique	14,765	12,955	23,671	19,899	19,833
Malawi	12,683	13,603	26,208	32,667	28,783	31,539	29,579	—
United States	12,256	6,120	39,930	41,390	39,121	38,496	32,625	31,826
Kenya	7,848	5,530	13,924	11,754	10,626
Botswana	7,315	8,991
United Kingdom	7,226	8,510	27,019	34,789	43,487	36,997	31,280	32,309
China	6,918	7,696	34,400	27,796	26,562	20,648	30,831	27,603
Namibia	6,148	7,537				22,311	16,742	—
Uganda	4,175
Germany	2,271	1,502	7,856	9,565	7,952
France	1,956	1,623	6,142	6,460	5,092
Netherlands	1,434	1,174
Canada	1,244	1,406	6,786	6,911	5,311
Italy	933	851	4,232	5,733	3,138
Australia	677	1,644	10,614	11,059	8,547
Denmark	424	379	1,670	1,764	2,225
Total	554,290	501,606	1,266,427	1,072,012	1,009,173	931,782	946,969	914,576

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Zambia.

1. ^ "e-Visa". evisa.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
2. ^ Mulikelela, Maimbolwa (2014-05-14). "Zambia, Zim to Effect One Visa Regime". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
3. ^ "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
4. ^ "Nationals Who Do Not Require Visa". zambiaimmigration.gov.zm. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
5. ^ "Visa-free travel for Angola, Zambia citizens begins".
6. ^ parliament.gov.zm (30 September 2022). "2023 Budget Speech". parliament.gov.zm. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
7. ^ "STATEMENT of TREATIES and INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS Registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during the month of November 1972" (PDF). United Nations. 1973.
8. ^ "Nationals requiring visas on arrival or from Zambian Missions Abroad".
9. ^ "Electronic Visas to Boost Zambia's Tourism". www.zambiatourism.com. 2014-09-05. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
10. ^ "e-Visa FAQ". evisa.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
11. ^ "e-Services". Zambia Immigration Department. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
12. ^ "Zambia Launches e-Visa".
13. ^ "Sadc uni-visa takes shape". 21 November 2014.
14. ^ "Zimbabwe, Zambia to launch UNIVISA project on November 28". Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
15. ^ Zimbabwe introducing joint tourist visa with Zambia
16. ^ "Kazavisa". Archived from the original on January 22, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
17. ^ "Zim, Zambia revive Kaza Uni-Visa".
18. ^ "KAZA UNI-VISA – Mukwa Travel and Tours Zambia". Archived from the original on 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
19. ^ @WeAreWilderness (December 21, 2016). "An amazing day! Today Zambia and Zimbabwe relaunch the Kaza Visa via @Love4Africa_Zim" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
20. ^ "Zimbabwe and Zambia launch single tourist visa - Africa Review". Archived from the original on 2016-12-24.
21. ^ Including French overseas departments and territories residents.
22. ^ Including  Cook Islands residents.
23. ^ Including  Gibraltar.
24. ^ Including Puerto Rico residents.
25. ^ "Tourism Statistical Digests". Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
26. ^ "Tourism Statistics Digest 2021". Ministry of Tourism Zambia. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
27. ^ "Annual Statistics Reports". Ministry of Tourism Zambia. Retrieved 10 December 2023.