Visa on arrival extended to 28 countries

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Zimbabwe has announced that it has eased visa requirements by extending visas-on-arrival to an additional 28 countries.

What does the change mean? The list of countries that have been moved from Category C (visa required prior to travel) to Category B (visa-on-arrival) include Bahrain, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Romania, Senegal and others.

• Implementation time frame: Immediate.
• Visas/permits affected: Visas on arrival (Category B).
• Who is affected: Nationals of the 28 countries listed below.
• Impact on processing times: Designated nationals will not need to obtain a visa before traveling to Zimbabwe. 
• Business impact: Business visitors are allowed to use the visa on arrival. The sole exception is Chinese nationals because they uniquely fall into both Category B (visas on arrival) if they are tourists traveling as a group cleared by tour operators and travel agencies in China) and Category C (visa-required) if traveling on business or not as a tourist traveling as a group cleared by tour operators and travel agencies in China.

Background: Zimbabwe Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said that the country “should take advantage of the international community’s confidence in the new administration to market the country as a preferred destination for tourists and investors.”

The full updated list of all Category B nationalities may be found here.

BAL Analysis: Zimbabwe’s move toward visa liberalization is in step with the African Union’s stated goal of visa-free travel for all African nationals and also extends visa-free travel to non-African countries.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact africa@bal.com.

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