African Visa Charges

I while ago when I was planning my trip I enquired about visa/vehicle import charges for Africa and didn't get much response. For anyone you needs relatively up to date ones here they are so far. If anyone is interested I'll update them over the next two weeks until the trip is finished.

I'm currently making my way from Cape Town to London - Eastern African route but I did some other countries earlier in the year. These are my 2009 experiences.

I am on a British passport and the vehicle (Land Rover) has a basic carnet and is on South African registration. 3rd Party Insurance is included for places before I had yellow card insurance - Tanzania was the first place I got to where this was available - It was around $150 for basically much of Southern and Eastern Africa.

South Africa - Visa on border free.

Namibia - Visa on border free - no car charges.

Zambia - Visa on border $50
3rd Party Insurance $25
CO2 Tax $15
Regional tax $5

Zimbabwe - Visa on border $50
3rd Party Insurance $30
Temporary Import Permit (TIP) $20
At Victoria Falls we paid an additional $5 CO2 Tax but 4 months later at Mutare is wasn't asked for.

Botswana - Visa on border approx $20?? Total car and 2 passengers approx $50 (sorry lost all memory of this one)

Lesotho - Visa on border free - Vehicle approx $1

Swaziland - Visa on border free - Vehicle approx $1

Mozambique - Visa on border - $25
Third Party Insurance - $15
TIP - $20

Malawi - Visa on border free
Vehicle free with carnet
Third Party insurance which included CO2 I think was $40

Tanzania - Visa on border $50
Insurance COMESA Yellow Card $150
This covers Angola, Botswana, Burundi, DRC, Djibuti, Eqypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, S.A., Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimababwe
for three months

Rwanda - Visa not required, car free.

This is as far as I've got. S.A. plates shouldn't make too much difference to costs - if any.

Visa-wise from here we're going to try for our Libyan here in Kigali as it's nice and quiet and efficient here - might be easier than in London or Cairo.

Hope it helps someone.

many thanks for that - massively useful!

thanks ill keep a note of this,

Uganda $50 visa on border Car Approx $22 (45,000 Shillings)

Can't edit post?

Ethiopia is $20 for tourist visa - must be done prior to arrival. mine is being done in Kampala which takes 24 hours. Carnet does not apply so will tell you charges in a couple of weeks.

Kenya is $25 visa on border. There is a $10 transit visa available but only valid for 48 hours which would entail a big drive.

Car is $40 for a month, $100 for 3.

Ethiopia does now recognise carnets and we weren't asked to list electrical stuff at customs as we'd been told we'd have to. Quick and painless 20 minutes all told - but don't even think about entering without the visa already in your passport. As you cross the bridge from Kenya at Moyale it is the first question you are asked - we asked and they said they turn you straight back to Kenya.

Next up is Sudan which is meant to be a nightmare. Starts tomorrow.

good luck , and let us know when you can
safe travells,

vasbyt ou boet

Be careful in Sudan Rhubarb the Ministry of Aliens (Yep that's what they are called in Khartoum) were a pain to us a couple of years ago you needed VISA to get in and out of Khartoum maybe it's improved.

Best of luck.

Sudan Transit Visa is $100 payable in Addis or Cairo. Must be a transit or you run the risk of getting turned down.

You may need a letter of introduction from the British Embassy (Or your own.) It costs £63 and takes 15 minutes - we weren't asked for it.

You go to the Embassy on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday morning queue/wait until 1pm with a photocopy of your Egyptian visa, copy of your passport, two p./port photos and the completed app form (That they only give you when you have everything else) Return the next day (Or Monday if you went on a Friday) and collect your visa.

On the border the car is 12 Sudanese Pounds $5 approx and if you enter From Ethiopia there is immediately a toll road that costs 12.5SP

You have three days to register at Khartoum. I'm not for-seeing any problems with that as all of the documents point to us exiting at Wadi - the transit visa has become pretty commonplace.

Egypt Visa 895Birr from Addis Ababa Approx $75- You must have it already stamped in your passport to get your Sudanese visa, they will not give you the time of day if you don't have it.

Car so far R2200 for second carnet from the AA of South Africa
R100,000 deposit to AASA.

I'll be there in a week so more then, plus hopefully Libya.

Further to previous Sudan:

You must also register your visa in Khartoum when you pass through, this is a further £105 Sudanese Pounds or $50. Our hotel arranged this for us for free. There are some exit taxes too but our fixer organised them for us.

No further charges for us on entering Egypt - just 6 hours clearing medical and immigration on the ferry before they let you off.

thanks rhubarb

keep the notes coming,and will meet up for a beer when you get to the uk

cheers
john

Great advice here, keep it coming please

'vette

Egypt Car charges,

These are above and beyond Carnet which is non-negotiable - you can leave you car at Aswan and go to Cairo to get an Egyptian one for approx. $2000 - half allegedly returned on leaving Egypt but you ain't going no where without one - the ten or so overseas cars falling to pieces in the car park are testament to this. There is no blag, trick or any other method to enter/exit Egypt via Aswan without a carnet. Even their neighbours in Sudan must have one and jump through exactly the same hoops.

You really need a local fixer to this paperwork for - certainly in Aswan - it is all in Arabic and the offices are 20km from the harbour. He should cost no more than $25. We used Kamal who is well known in Aswan and a taxi driver too - handy for all the driving about.

1. £55EP Various payments to police department. (Egyptian License, (IDP's are worthless,) Hire of Egyptian registration plates)

2. £525EP Customs duty

3. £512EP Insurance (Comesa Yellow Card no longer applies, despite being printed on your card)

4. £10EP For some man to take a pencil rubbing of chassis number

£1092Ep or approx $210 - Note the passenger boat arrives Thursday evening, the barge with the cars is meant to be the next day, Friday. Obviously everything is closed on a Friday in Egypt so you can't work until Saturday when some stuff is still closed.

We started today (Sunday) as the barge was late. Opening hours are just 10am-2pm. Mr. Hamman the customs guy was late and deliberately then went slow as another couple offended him in some small way. Net result is we have to go back to finish tomorrow morning after four nights in Aswan. This is about average - if you were lucky and the barge was on time you might get away with three nights - two bikers that had their bikes on the passenger Ferry (2 motor cycles allowed only) finished this morning - I can't see with a car you would finish any earlier.

It is by far the ****tiest and most expensive border crossing in Africa.

Hi Rhubarb,
It was always a 'touch and go' situation as to run down to Cape Town the West Coast route, or through Egypt.
Sure we all get ripped off with the ridiculous carnet of 800% to drive through Egypt, but this seems to me the icing on the cake, where the Blue Nile river company just take whatever they can for the barge trip, and from the expedition persons the immigration border control also bend you over, , for the border crossing in and out which should be just so easy..

It really is looking more and more likely that the West coast, even though it is longer, is looking the more favourable route.

Any body else of this opinion ?

'vette

Before we could leave we had to pat 40EP for a police inspection ($8) This lasted less than a minute.

- Vette, the road from Abu SImbel to the Sudanese border is finished and the border crossing buildings are built. Everyone is waiting on the Sudanese end to be finished which is variously reckoned to be 3 months to 9 months, this will save some hassles.

I would try and get a carnet from another country - S.A, Germany or somewhere or simply do an indemnity with RL Davidson - 800% x 5% of the value of the car + 5% Tax. You get half of this back on discharging your carnet - for this reason I'd have two carnets. Also think something is going on in Senegal - my first carnet allows it but all carnets (S.A./Dutch/Swedish) are no longer valid if they have been issued in last 2 months.

Hi, So does that mean no more ferry crossing is required?

I hear the RAC in South Africa can give carnet for UK registered vehicles.
I don't know for sure, but could be worth looking into /

'vette

When the road is built no more ferry.

It is the AA in SA - Meliza Chegwidden handles all carnet queries - [email protected]