Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state and government approved an agreement establishing the SADC Tourism UniVisa during the 46th Ordinary Summit on August 17.
The SADC Tourism UniVisa, once implemented, will allow eligible travellers to visit several participating countries with a single tourist visa instead of applying separately for each destination.
The agreement has been approved but implementation is still a way off. Regional authorities have yet to publish an official launch date, the application process, visa fee, validity period and number of permitted entries.
Initially, five countries have agreed to test the system through a pilot programme: Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The timetable for the pilot in these countries has not yet been announced.
The project aims to simplify travel to the region, making Southern Africa more competitive and increasing visitor stays in the region.
