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

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  Zambia
  Visa not required
  Visa on arrival / eVisa
  eVisa

Visa exemption

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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:

Holders of the following British passports:

British Overseas Territories Citizens:
British Citizens:

Holders of the following New Zealand passports:

Holders of the following Australian passports:

Visa on arrival

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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)

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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

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KAZA visa eligible countries
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

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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

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Sources

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References

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  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 (21 December 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.