Zambia visas · Visas Zambia
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Visas Zambia
Visas Zambia
Zambian visa policy is best summarized as confusing: there is a bewildering thicket of rules on who needs visas, whether visas can be obtained on arrival, and how much they cost. Local border posts also apply their own interpretations. Due to recent political turbulence in Zimbabwe, Zambia has been cashing in on the unexpected boom in its tourism industry, with visa fees hiked and the previous visa waiver program canceled: you're now expected to pay in cash on arrival at the immigration kiosks.
The upside is that once customs has figured out what category you're in, actually obtaining the visa is rarely a problem and a rule of thumb is that most Western visitors can get visas on arrival. Visa-free entry is possible for some nationalities, including Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Zimbabwe and South Africa. See the immigration department's web-site for the full list of visa-exempt nationalities. Current visa prices are US$50 for a single-entry and US$80 for a multiple-entry visa for all nationalities and is valid for 3 months; US passport holders can only apply for a multiple-entry visa, but it is then valid for 3 years.
A day entry visa is available to all nationalities at US$20, valid 24 hours
Transit visas carry the same cost as a single entry visa, valid 7 days
Do check with the nearest Zambian embassy for the latest information; the Zambian Embassy to the US has some information on their homepage , and getting the visa before arrival will reduce the uncertainty factor.
If you require a visa to enter Zambia, you might be able to apply for one at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Zambian diplomatic post. For example, the British embassies in Al Khobar , Amman , Belgrade , Budapest , Damascus , Guatemala City , Helsinki , Jakarta , Jeddah , Kiev , Prague , Pristina , Rabat , Riga , Riyadh , Rome , Sofia , Tallinn , Vienna , Warsaw and Zagreb accept Zambian visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Zambian visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in Zambia require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in Zambia can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly.
Lusaka Airport Customs and Immigration is unprepared to deal with tourists. There are four lanes, segmented by: Zambian passport holders; Residents; Tourists; and Diplomats. Tellingly, the lane for tourists is sometimes unstaffed. Although there are many immigration officers present, in the Tourist lane is often unstaffed. Be prepared for all other lanes to empty before being processed.
For those who would prefer to leave the hassle to someone else, specialist safari holiday companies can arrange immigration for you.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Zambia
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Zambia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.