Angola offers visa on arrival to nationals from 61 countries

Revellers in traditional and folkloristic attires perform during the Angolan Carnival on February 13, 2018 in Luanda, Angola. The country has scrapped pre-arrival visa requirement for 61 countries in effort to boost its tourism sector. AFP PHOTO 

In Summary

• Visitors will only need to submit their accommodation and subsistence means to get the tourism visa in Luanda.
• Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, and South Africa will also benefit from the new Angola visa rule.
• Other African countries on the list are Algeria, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia.

By ARNALDO VIEIRA
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The nationals of 61 countries travelling to Angola will be granted visas on arrival, state-owned media confirmed Tuesday.

Rádio Nacional de Angola (RNA) said the visitors will only need to submit their accommodation and subsistence means to get the tourism visa in Luanda.

The international certificate of vaccination, a return ticket and a valid passport will also be required for the granting of the 30-day visa.

RNA named the beneficiary countries as including the 28-European Union state and the Portuguese-speaking countries bloc.

Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and South Africa will also benefit from the new Angola visa rule.

Other African countries on the list are Algeria, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia.

The European states of Northern Ireland, Iceland, Monaco, Norway, the UK, Russia, Switzerland and Vatican City will also benefit from the new Luanda visa rule.

American beneficiaries of the visa simplification process are Argentina, Canada, Chile, Cuba, the US, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The Middle East and Asian beneficiaries are Israel, the United Arab Emirates, China, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore.

The nationals of Australia, New Zealand and Timor-Leste will also be granted the Angolan visa on arrival.

The presidential decree, RNA added, will be in force from March 30.

An invitation letter, which will no longer be a condition for visa application, was a handicap for many tourists wishing to visit Angola.

The Angolan government hopes to create one million jobs in the tourism sector by 2020.

Angola's tourism industry is relatively new because much of the country was destroyed during the post-colonial civil war, which ended in 2002.

The tourism sector is mainly private and its development and expansion will greatly diversify the country’s economy.