Passport validity requirements for international travellers in Southern Africa!

In order to give you an overview on the passport validity requirements for international travellers in Southern Africa, we compared the information the UK, the US and Germany are providing regarding the validity and the number of blank pages a passport needs to have when entering Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Angola:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive in Angola and have at least 2 blank pages.
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid for at least the planned duration of stay and must have one blank page.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt", your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the day of departure.

Botswana:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least 3 blank pages. Dual nationals must enter Botswana on the same passport they used to exit the previous country.
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid for at least 6 month and must have three or more unused pages; one blank page per entry.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt", your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of entry and should have at least four blank pages.

eSwatini:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport should be valid for 3 months from the date you arrive and have at least 2 blank pages. If you intend to visit South Africa before or after travelling to Eswatini, you’ll need to have an additional 2 blank pages to enter and leave South Africa.
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid for at least 6 month and must have 2 blank pages per entry.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt", your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of entry and have at least two to three free pages.

Lesotho:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 90 days after the date you arrive. You need at least 4 blank pages for passport stamping. Lesotho border control need to stamp your passport and so do South African border control on your way to and from Lesotho.   
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid at time of entry; 3 months of remaining validity suggested. It must have one blank page per entry stamp.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt", your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of entry and have two blank pages for entry/exit stamps.

Malawi:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport must have an "expiry date" at least 6 months after the day you arrive in Malawi.
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid for at least 6 month and must have one blank page for entry stamp.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt", your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of entry.
  

Mozambique:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive. You need at least 2 blank pages for entry stamps.
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid for at least 6 month from entry into Mozambique and must have 2 blank pages for visa and entry/exit stamps.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt", your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of entry.

Namibia:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive. It must also have at least one blank page. If you’re travelling to South Africa, you will need an additional 2 blank pages.
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid for at least 6 month and must have three blank pages.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt", when entering Namibia your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the trip and must contain at least two free pages. Your passport must also be in good condition - it should neither be damaged nor difficult to read.

South Africa:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice",  your passport should:
• be valid for at least 30 days beyond your intended date of exit from South Africa
• have 2 blank pages
• If you hold South African citizenship, you must use your South African passport to enter and exit the country. It is illegal for a South African citizen aged 18 or over to enter or leave the country on a foreign passport.
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid 30 days beyond your intended date of exit from South Africa and is must have 2 consecutive empty visa pages per entry (not including endorsement pages).
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt",  your passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond the date of exit from South Africa and have at least two blank pages for visa stamps.

Zambia:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive. It must have at least 2 blank pages for entry stamping.  
• Zambia recognises dual nationality. However, to avoid delays at the airport you should leave Zambia on the same passport you used to enter.
• According to the US Department of State, your passport must be valid for at least 6 month and must have three blank pages per entry for Zambia.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt", your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.

Zimbabwe:

• According to the UK "Foreign travel advice", your passport must:
• be valid for at least 6 months from the date of your arrival
• have 3 blank pages, in case you need to enter Zimbabwe and exit through one of the neighbouring countries or if you need to leave at short notice
• The US Department of State is recommending a passport validity of 6 month and two blank pages.
• According to the German "Auswärtiges Amt",  your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the intended stay.
• If you are entering Zimbabwe on a transit flight and/or your return flight is via South Africa, both the South African and Zimbabwean immigration authorities require you to have at least six blank pages in your passport. Zimbabwe and South Africa each require two consecutive blank pages in each passport for entry and exit. In addition, both countries require two additional blank pages.
• The Ausweärtige Amt also advises that for transit flights via South Africa and return flights via South Africa your passport must have at least six blank pages. If you are entering Zimbabwe without a transit flight, your passport must have at least four blank pages.

sources (as of 16 February 2024):

• UK "Foreign travel advice" https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
• US Department of State https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html
• Auswärtiges Amt https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-und-sicherheitshinweise