Visas for Australian travellers

A few habits make African entry painless.

• Check Smartraveller for every country on your route. Each destination's page lists the current visa position, passport-validity rule and any health requirements.
• Mind your passport. Most African countries want at least 6 months' validity beyond your travel dates (South Africa is the exception at 30 days past departure), plus 2–3 blank pages. If your passport is getting full or close to expiry, renew it well before you go.
• Apply online where you can, and only on official sites. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia and Seychelles all expect you to arrange entry online in advance. Use the official government portal — many lookalike sites charge a hefty markup for the same document.
• Carry a payment fallback. Zimbabwe currently accepts US-dollar cash or international credit/debit cards for a visa on arrival. Carry suitable USD cash as backup because card systems can fail.
• Have your proof ready. Return or onward tickets, accommodation bookings and evidence of funds are commonly requested — keep them printed as well as on your phone.
• Allow time. Some eVisas (Tanzania, Uganda) can take 7–10 working days, so don't leave applications to the last minute.

If your trip crosses borders, regional products can help — but the first-entry rule matters.

• KAZA Univisa (US$50, valid 30 days) — Covers unlimited cross-border travel between Zimbabwe and Zambia, plus day trips into Botswana (Chobe) through the Kazungula border. Available on arrival at Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Harare, Lusaka, and Kazungula entry points (or via Zimbabwe's eVisa portal). Confirm sticker stock and availability at arrival.

• East Africa Tourist Visa (EATV) — Rwanda and Uganda currently publish a US$100, 90-day, multiple-entry visa for travel within Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. Apply through Rwanda only when Rwanda is your first entry, or through Uganda only when Uganda is your first entry. Kenya's official eTA eligibility page currently labels its East African Tourist eTA as ‘coming soon’. If Kenya is your first entry, obtain the standard Kenya eTA and ask the relevant immigration authorities what separate documents the rest of the itinerary requires.

For a single-country trip, use that country's ordinary visa or eTA.

Yellow fever certificates are about where you've been, not just where you're going — which is why they matter most on multi-country safaris.

• Uganda requires a yellow-fever vaccination certificate (ICVP) from every visitor (aged 1 year and over), regardless of where you have travelled from, both uploaded for your eVisa and inspected on arrival.
• Most other countries here — South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Seychelles — only require a certificate if you are arriving from, or have transited for more than 12 hours through, an airport in a yellow-fever risk country (such as Kenya, Uganda, or Ethiopia). Direct flights from Australia via Johannesburg, Doha, or Dubai do not trigger this requirement, nor do airside airport layovers under 12 hours in Nairobi or Addis Ababa.
• Get vaccinated at least 10 days before travel — that's when the certificate becomes valid. Since a 2016 WHO rule change, the yellow-fever certificate is valid for life, so no more 10-year boosters.
• Malaria isn't a document, but much of safari Africa is malarial — see your GP or a travel clinic 6–8 weeks ahead about anti-malarials and routine vaccinations.
• Carry the original yellow booklet (and a copy). A photo on your phone may not be accepted at the border.

If you hold a second passport as well as your Australian one, take extra care.

• Australian–South African dual nationals must enter and exit South Africa on their South African passport — this is South African law, not a preference.
• For any country, travel on the same passport you used to obtain the visa, eVisa or eTA. Mixing passports between application and arrival causes problems at the gate.
• Other dual nationalities can change the rules entirely — some passports are visa-free where the Australian one is not, or vice versa. Check both, and tell us which passports you hold so we can plan around them.

Unabridged Birth Certificates (UBC): Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique strictly enforce child-trafficking border laws. Travellers under 18 must carry an original or certified Unabridged Birth Certificate showing both parents' names alongside their passport. If only one parent is travelling, a certified Parental Consent Affidavit from the non-travelling parent is mandatory.

While Australians remain visa-free for South Africa, every traveller entering or exiting South Africa (except those remaining airside in the international transit zone) must now submit a free SARS Online Traveller Declaration at sars.gov.za/travellerdeclaration or via the SATMS app within 24 hours before their final flight bound for South Africa.

Last verified: 16 July 2026. Visa and entry rules change frequently — confirm each country immediately before booking and travel.

Key sources for this correction:

• Smartraveller, Zimbabwe — smartraveller.gov.au
• Zimbabwe eVisa FAQ — evisa.gov.zw
• Kenya eTA eligibility — etakenya.go.ke
• Rwanda Immigration, special arrangements — migration.gov.rw
• Uganda Immigration, East African Tourist Visa — immigration.go.ug