SADC moves closer to launching common tourist visa for Southern Africa

The UniVisa project is now moving toward consideration by heads of state, though no launch date has been set

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has moved closer to adopting a common tourist visa that would simplify travel across the region's 16 member states.

According to an article on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) website, published on May 20, 2026, the SADC UniVisa has taken "significant steps towards adoption and implementation" after being reviewed by tourism ministers. The announcement does not mean the visa is already available to travelers, but it confirms that the initiative is advancing through the regional institutional process.

SADC announced the latest developments on the sidelines of Africa's Travel Indaba, the major African tourism trade show held each year in Durban, South Africa, during a joint event with the Southern Africa Tourism Alliance.

Moving up the political chain

The SADC UniVisa is being presented as a tool to simplify trips involving several Southern African countries, making cross-border itineraries smoother for international travelers who combine multiple destinations during the same trip.

Marygoreth Mushi, the SADC Secretariat's officer for policy and market development, said the SADC Tourism UniVisa was moving toward the stage of consideration by heads of state. The project is no longer being discussed only within the tourism sector but appears to be advancing through the regional political decision-making chain.

SADC has 16 member states: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Visas, air access, and borders among priorities

At the event in Durban, discussions focused on three areas considered essential to developing regional tourism: visas, air access, and border efficiency. These issues are regularly cited by tourism stakeholders as obstacles to multi-destination trips in Southern Africa, despite the geographic proximity of several major attractions.

The regional program also includes a study on air access, recommendations on the harmonization of air transport policies, and an audit of border posts expected to begin in July 2026. The goal is to produce best-practice guidelines for the region's main points of entry.

Participants also discussed the need for more consistent border procedures, dedicated tourist lanes, and stronger coordination among member states. The Southern Africa Tourism Alliance is now expected to work with the SADC Secretariat to develop a coordinated, data-driven regional position on visas, air access, and border efficiency ahead of the August summit.

Building on the KAZA UniVisa

The SADC UniVisa project echoes momentum already seen on a smaller scale with the KAZA UniVisa. The common visa currently allows eligible travelers to visit Zambia and Zimbabwe with a single visa, with the option of taking day trips to Botswana through certain border points. The visa costs US$50 and is valid for up to 30 days, subject to conditions.

In 2024, the countries of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which includes Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, announced their intention to expand that mechanism. The SADC UniVisa initiative would go further, aiming for a more ambitious regional approach that could potentially apply across the Southern African community.

For travelers, such a system could reduce the number of separate visa applications, make multi-country trips easier, and make regional itineraries more attractive. For tourism professionals, it could encourage the development of multi-country products, particularly around transfrontier parks, Victoria Falls, safaris, and Southern Africa's major tourism corridors.

No launch date or eligibility rules yet

At this stage, SADC has not announced a launch date, a list of eligible nationalities, a fee, a validity period, or an official application platform for the future SADC UniVisa. There are therefore no practical procedures in place yet for travelers to apply.

Entry rules remain those of each destination country. Travelers should continue to check the applicable requirements with the relevant national authorities before any trip to Southern Africa, especially when planning travel involving several countries in the region.

Still, the signal from SADC is significant. The common tourist visa project is no longer being presented simply as a long-term facilitation idea: it is now tied to a regional work schedule, ministerial discussions, and complementary measures on borders and air access.