Angolan e-Visa applications switch to new portal

The application process, payment and issuance of Angola’s e-Visa are now handled exclusively through evisa.ao, the online portal managed by the Serviço de Migração e Estrangeiros (SME). Processing is advertised as taking up to 72 hours, but applicants must first set up a personal account before they can proceed with any application.

Immediate site redirection

The change has already taken effect. Since 31 August 2026, any visit to the former address smevisa.gov.ao automatically redirects permanently to the new site evisa.ao. While old bookmarks will still load the old URL, users will land directly on the updated platform.

The portal is operated by Angola’s immigration service (SME), part of the Ministry of Interior, and currently handles electronic visas for tourism and business. It sits within a broader SME digital overhaul that centralises applications, payments and progress tracking on its platform.

Personal account required before you can apply

The most significant change for travellers is the mandatory personal account. Clicking “Iniciar Pedido de Visto” no longer opens a form; it leads to a login screen. Without a registered account—created via “Registar-se” using an email or phone number—you cannot proceed. Sign-in via Google is offered, yet insufficient on its own; the portal then requires identity verification. The terms also state each account is strictly personal, prohibiting one traveller from submitting applications on behalf of others, which directly affects families and groups.

The account doubles as a tracking dashboard: applicants use it to check their application status via the “Consultar Estado do Pedido” button.

Three stages, responses within 72 hours

The platform presents a three-step workflow: complete the online form and upload digital documents, pay processing fees online, then await a decision. Approved visas are issued by email. Maximum processing time is stated as 72 hours, with fees payable by card or local currency before travel.

Required uploads include your passport, yellow fever vaccination certificate, flight and accommodation reservations, along with proof of financial means. Public pages, however, do not display the fee schedule; the amount appears only once the application journey has started.

Who needs to apply on evisa.ao

Angola’s e-Visa covers travellers whose nationality does not qualify for visa-free short-term tourism stays. Since late 2023, the country exempts many nationalities—including those of the European Union, the United States, Canada and Japan—from tourist visas for visits not exceeding 30 days per entry and 90 days per year, as covered in our earlier report on the exemption entering into effect.

For everyone else, and for non-covered purposes such as business travel, applications must now go through evisa.ao. Longer-term visas (work, study or family reunification) remain outside this online process and are handled separately via consulates.

This transition joins other recent Angolan entry-formality initiatives, including the upcoming tourism tax announced earlier in the year, which is still in preparation.