Government increases immigration fees

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The government of Angola has increased its administrative fees for immigration services and changed its methods of payment.

What does the change mean? Some of the new fees represent a substantial increase, in some cases quadrupling old fees.

• Implementation timeframe: Jan. 9, 2014.
• Visas/permits affected: All visas.
• Who is affected: Potentially all immigration applicants.
• Impact on processing times: None.
• Business impact: The increased government fees will impact costs of assignments in Angola.

Background: The Angolan government ordered the new fee schedule on Jan. 9 in Joint Executive Decree 7/14. The decree repeals a fee schedule dating back to 1995, and some of the new fees are significantly higher. For example, a work visa will cost 40,000 Angolan kwanza (AOA), equivalent to about 410 U.S. dollars. This is up from 9,207 AOA (approximately 100 USD). The new law also mandates the form of payment. Fees must be paid to the Immigration Service (Serviço de Migração e Estrangeiros) in a single payment by cash deposit or wire transfer.

BAL Analysis: Employers should factor the new fees into business costs in Angola.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Angola. For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@bal.com.

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