Zambia waives visa requirements for 53 countries, aiming for tourism growth!

The Zambian Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security has announced a visa waiver for citizens of 53 countries under Statutory Instrument No. 78 of 2024. This decision raises the total number of countries with visa-free access to Zambia to 167. The new policy will come into effect on 01 January 2025.
Zambia anticipates a rise in international tourist arrivals, aiming to reach three million annually by 2026. In comparison, the country recorded over 1.5 million tourist arrivals in 2023.

"While the government is committed to opening doors to international travellers, we are also mindful of the need to maintain national security. This is the reason why the department of immigration is focusing on implementing a mix of pre-entry and post-entry migration management measures", said Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu

The 53 countries whose nationals will no longer require a visa to enter Zambia are: 

1. Albania
2. American Samoa
3. Andorra
4. Argentina
5. Aruba
6. Bhutan
7. Bosnia and Herzegovina
8. Bouvet Island
9. Brunei Darussalam
10. Cape Verde
11. Christmas Island
12. Cocos (keeling) Islands
13. Comoros
14. Cook Islands
15. Costa Rica
16. Dominican Republic
17. Faroe Islands
18. French Polynesia
19. French Southern Territories
20. Greenland
21. Guam
22. Guatemala
23. Guyana
24. Hungary
25. Iceland
26. Israel
27. Laos
28. Liberia
29. Liechtenstein
30. Macedonia
31. Madagascar
32. Micronesia
33. Moldova
34. Monaco
35. Morocco
36. Netherlands Antilles
37. New Caledonia
38. Northern Mariana Islands
39. Palau
40. Panama
41. Papua New Guinea
42. San Marino
43. Sandwich Islands
44. Sao Tome and Principe
45. South Georgia And the South Sandwich Islands
46. Suriname
47. Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
48. Switzerland
49. Turkey
50. Ukraine
51. Vatican City State
52. Virgin Islands
53. Wallis and Futuna Islands

Malawi lifts visa requirements for travellers from 48 (?) countries! [update]

update (09 February 2024): According to Minister Kamtukule, visa waiver for 48 countries have been introduced. The Immigration (Amendment) Regulations, 2024, lists 67 countries as well as nationals from the Southern African Developement Community (SADC) except for those countries that subject Malawians to a visa requirement.

The Malawian Minister of Tourism, Vera Kamtukule, announced on Facebook that the Government of Malawi is lifting visa requirements for travellers from selected countries from around the world in order to boost tourism and trade. According to Immigration (Amendment) Regulations, 2024, Malawi is now granting visa waivers to 48 countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the UK and the US. The new requlation also includes nationals from the Southern African Developement Community (SADC) except for those countries that subject Malawians to a visa requirement. The new visa regulation became effective on 07 February 2024.

Mozambique announces visa exemption for 28 countries!

The Government of Mozambique has introduced a visa waiver for citizens of 28 countries that present a low risk of illegal immigration. The visa exemption applies to visitors holding ordinary passports and allows for a 30-day stay, renewable to an additional 60 days. Travellers wishing to visit Mozambique and take advantage of the visa waiver must register on a pre-selection electronic platform at least 48 hours before travelling and pay a 650 MZN (equivalent to £8.50 | 9,55€ | 10,20 US$ | R186) processing fee.

The visa waiver applies to citizens of the following countries:

1. Belgium
2. Canada
3. China
4. Denmark
5. Finland
6. France
7. Germany
8. Ghana
9. Indonesia
10. Israel
11. Italy
12. Ivory Coast
13. Japan
14. Netherlands
15. Norway
16. Portugal
17. Russia
18. Saudi Arabia
19. Senegal
20. Singapore
21. South Korea
22. Spain
23. Sweden
24. Switzerland
25. Ukraine
26. United Arab Emirates
27. United Kingdom
28. United States of America

Russia and Botswana to go visa-free!

A visa-waiver agreement between Russia and Botswana will take effect on 08 October 2019. Under the agreement, citizens of Russia and Botswana who don't plan to work, study or permanently reside in the other country, don't need a visa to enter and stay in the country or travel by transit, provided that their stay does not exceed 30 days. The total duration of stay cannot exceed 90 days in any 180-day period. The  intergovernmental visa waiver agreement was signed by the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, and Botswana's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Unity Dow, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2019.