From the 1st of December 2014, a new uni-visa system will be implemented at Zambian/Zimbabwean borders and will mean that visitors to both countries will require only one visa. This applies to all 40 countries that currently require visas for either country.
The new visa regime is premised on an increasing number of joint ventures between Zambia and Zimbabwe that have looked to improve the lives of citizens in both countries in recent years, as well as on the new “open border” policy that  was used between the two countries when they co-hosted the United Nations World Tourism Organization General Assembly in 2013.
The new visa system will be applied at Livingstone and Lusaka airports and the border posts at Victoria Falls and Kazangula. The visa, which is to be called the Kaza visa, will cost $50 and will last for one month.
The system has been financed by the World Bank and has cost around USD$800,000.
Speaking during commemorations of Zambia’s 50th anniversary of Independence in Harare at the end of October, Zambia’s foreign envoy Ndiyoi Mutiti said that the new visa would boost tourism in both countries.
It is understood that Namibia, Botswana and Angola will join the scheme after the initial six months.
hi. im traveling around the world. im from Guatemala (central america)…now im in zimbabwe tomorro will be traveling to zambia, then i want to go to botswana…can i get the botswana visa in zambia. its my dream
Hi Christopher,
I have a single entry visa into Zambia (staying at the Zambia side of Vic falls). If I travel to the Zim side, can I obtain a visa then and there, and will the single entry visa still be ok to go back into Zambia?
Thanks,
Louise
Hi,
We are travelling to South Africa in February and have planned trips to Victoria Falls with some of our excursions taking us to Zimbabwe and Zambia. I have heard about a shortage of Uni-visas in Zambia – Is this true and if so will we need to use the old single/double entry visa system?
Hi,
My wife will be traveling from the US to South Africa later this year. As part of this trip, she will be spending a few days in Zambia/Zimbabwe. She will be staying in Zambia but will have a couple day trips to Zimbabwe. So she will cross that border a few times during this stretch of her trip. Will the uni-visa work for this stretch of her trip? Also, she is concerned if she will have enough blank pages in her passport for the entire trip. Do you know if they will stamp her passport each time she crosses that border?
Thank you,
Mike
Hi, Mike. Yes, the uni-visa should work for your wife. If for some reason it doesn’t (one never knows at African border posts!), then note that there is also a $20 day pass visa for Zimbabwe. Regarding the blank pages in her passport, yes they will stamp her passport each time she crosses the border, but she should be able to ask them to stamp the same page (there’s room for at least 4 or 5 stamps on one page). Hope this helps.
Hello there!We will be visiting Zambia then Zimbabwe so would be interested in the UniVisa. Unfortunately we will be arriving in Zambia from Namibia via the border at Sesheke/Katima Mulilo. Could you please confirm the UniVisa is not possible at the Sesheke/Katima Mulilo border? Will we therefore be obliged to take a multiple entry Zambian visa @ 80US$ at the Sesheke/Katima Mulilo border then the Zimbabwean visa @35US$ at the border by the Bridge? As we will only be going to Zimbabwe to see the falls from the Zimbabwean side, we still do noeed to get the visa, right? Thak you for your precious informationJean
Hi Jean. I’m afraid that the univisa is not available at that border, as far as I know. So yes you will have to get the multiple entry visa assuming you are going back into Zambia from Zim. Regarding the Zimbabwe visa, I believe it is possible to get a “day pass” or something similar which costs you less, assuming you are not planning to spend a night on that side of the falls/border. Hope this helps.
Hi
I am a zimbabwean wanting to travel from Cape Town to Zambia via Livingstone Airport. Do i need a Uni-Visa and if yes how much does it cost?
regards,
Hello,
We are jordanian planning a trip to Zambia, and nearby countries. we are not sure if we can get VISAs on arrival or not, and sadly Zambia have no embassies neigher in Jordan nor UAE (where we live), any info on that?
Hi Ahmed. You should be able to get visas on arrival without any problem. I have never had an issue doing this for Zambia, Botswana, Namibia or Zimbabwe.
Hello,
I am planning to travel to Zimbabwe in November by bus from Johannesburg. I plan on staying in Zimbabwe for a few days and then continue onto Zambia and then Tanzania. Is my only option to obtain two separate visa for Zimbabwe and Zambia or is it possible for me to obtain the Uni-visa as well?
Hi Kevin. I believe that at the moment the Uni-Visa is only available from the Zambian side, so yes if this is the case you would have to get two seperate visas. But please check with the Zimbabwean embassy – I’m not entirely sure.
Hi,Can I please confirm that when travelling from UK to South Africa, to Zambia, to Botswana, Zambia, South Africa we no longer need yellow fever jabs. If we have our visa sorted is there anything else we need to worry about? Someone mentioned the need for carrying US $ with us but unsure why! Any help gratefully received thanks.
Hi Catherine, I can confirm that you shouldn’t need yellow fever jabs for the trip you mentioned. Re the US$ thing, it’s always good to carry some just in case you don’t have local currency at any stage – around borders US$ tend to be accepted too, and it’s probably better/cheaper that way than trying to change currency at the border. You won’t need a lot, but I always travel with $100 just in case.
Hello….
Can you kindly assist me with the following?
I am from Suriname and will be travelling to Victoria Falls from Johannesburg. My flight details are as follow: Johannesburg- Livingstone. And from Livingstone to Victoria Falls.
I already have a Single Entry Visa for Zimbabwe. Should I get a visa for Zambia before hand as well?
You should have no problems getting a Zambia visa when you arrive at Livingstone.
My wife and are are travelling to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana via J\’burg in July this year. We live in UK but my wife is a US citizen. How should we best arrange visas and do we need specific inoculations to be able to travel between these countries. The trip is organised by a US travel firm who advise getting visas in advance and that we need at least jabs for Yellow Fever. I\’ve also seen info that suggests we can get a uni-visa on arrival and that the inoculations are discretionary. Can you give us some clarity on what we need? Many thanks, Ian
Hi Ian. Thanks for your query. to be honest, I think it is generally better to get visas on arrival at point of entry. This is generally very easy at major ports of entry to Bots, Zim and Zambia. It shouldn’t be any different for you or your wife as far as I am aware, either in terms of fees or procedure. Yes, you should both be able to get a uni-visa for Zim and Zambia so long as you are entering by one of the “major entry points”, which I assume you are (i.e Livingstone, Vic Falls, Lusaka, Kazungula). This is another reason I’d recommend obtaining your visas on arrival – you can speak to someone “on the ground” and check what is the best visa they can issue you for your purposes. Officials at the borders are generally very willing to assist. You no longer need a yellow fever certificate for Zambia but I believe you still do for Zimbabwe. To be honest, I think it’s always better to have it just in case. I hope this helps. Best, Chris from Zambiatourism.com
Hello!
This is a very helpful site, thanks! I have a question. I am American and will be landing at Vic Falls Airport in August. I will purchase a UNI visa then, but the same day I will go into Botswana for 7 nights. From there I will go back to Zambia via Livingstone for 5 days and then over to Zimbabwe for 4 days. My total stay will be under 30 days, but since I will leave Zambia/Zimbabwe for a short time in Botswana, will my UNI visa still be valid when I return?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Christopher . My husband and I will be traveling to Zambia via Kenneth Kaunda airport before moving on to Botswana for a 13 safari. The Uni-Visa purchased at the airport cover our return into Zambia following our safari or do we need to purchase a return visa
Hi there
I have a tricky question for you. We will be arriving in Lusaka from Rwanda and from there going down to Namiba and then Botswana for around 10 days. After this we will be going back to Livingstone and then on to Zimbabwe. Will the new univisa be applicable to us given that we’ll be leaving for Namibia and Botswana before entering either Zambia or Zimbabwe again?
Thanks so much for any help you can give me.
Heather
Hi Heather. As far as I am aware the uni-visa will be applicable for your second visit to Zambia (Livingstone) and subsequent time in Zimbabwe. However I don’t think at present the uni-visa can be used as a multiple entry visa, so you would need to buy one Zambia visa in Lusaka and then a uni-visa when you come back to Livingstone after having been in Bots and Nam. I think. However, I know there were plans to incorporate Namibia and Botswana into the uni-visa, but I can’t remember from what date. Your best bet is probably to call your nearest Zambian consulate or embassy for further visa info.
My wife and I will be visiting crossing the border from South Africa into Zambia to stay and view Victoria Falls, I understand we do not have to prove we have yellow fever vaccinations entering Zambia, but do we need such prove of vaccinations when reentering South Africa?
Hi Robert. The regulations were recently changed on this, so no you now don’t need to have a yellow fever certificate either for entering Zambia from South Africa or returning from Zambia to South Africa
My wife and I will be flying to Livingstone from Johannesburg in May 2015 and staying 2 days at the falls. Will we be able to obtain visas at the Livingstone airport?
We also want to go over to see the falls from the Zimbabwe side . I have heard that if you stay within the National Park, you don’t actually go through the Zimbabwe border station and so don’t need a Zimbabwe visa. Can you tell me if that is true? Thanks.
Hi John. Firstly, yes you should be able to obtain your uni-visa for Zambia and Zimbabwe at Livingstone airport. In terms of seeing the Zim side of the falls, you do have to go through the Zimbabwean border, whether staying in the national park or not.
Christopher– thanks for your quick reply. very helpful. John
I am traveling to 4 African countries next February and will be in both Zambia and Zimbabwe. Looking at the Zambian website for visa instructions and see the new uni-visa. Is that only available at the border, or can I get one from the embassy here in Washington, DC, USA?Thanks.
Do any of these changes apply to those with exisiting visas, such as a business visa (ie. Work Permit)?
Caleb, this applies to newly issued visitor/tourist visas only.
Hello again :-)
Another question: Can i get the new Visa also at the “Katima Mulilu” border ???
Thanks
Mathias
Hello,
let me ask one question…
I will travel to africa in december 2014.
I will cross the namibia / zambia border at Kazangula and travel after that to zimbabwe (at victoria falls, only for a day trip) and than back to zambia.
So, is it correct that i will only need one visa for this ? The new UNI – VISA ???
Thanks for your help.
Regards
Mathias
Hi Matthias. This a slightly tricky one as I’m not sure if the new uni-visa can also be bought for double or multiple entry (you are going to be entering ZAmbia twice). But I think if you are just on a day pass for the Zimbabwe side of Vic Falls you should still be able able to get the uni-visa. Best to ask when you are at the border at Kazangula.
Hello:
Planning to visit Africa in 2015 and I have a question about the new Uni-Visa used in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
I will be arriving in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and staying the nights of May 25,26,and 27. Then I will be staying the nights of May 28, 29, and 30 in Livingstone, Zambia. On May 31 I will be leaving on a safari to go to Botswana and Namibia. My question is will a Uni-Visa that I obtain in Zimbabwe upon entry also be good when I go to Zambia to stay for 3 nights before leaving on the safari?
Hi Gordon. Yes, your uni-visa obtained in Zim should be fine for Zambia too, but always be sure to double check all of this at your point of arrival.