Chad to scrap African entry visas from January 1 2027

The announcement was made by President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno at the opening of the African Water Forum in N'Djamena.

What the president announced

It was from the podium of the African Water Forum, which met in mid-July in Chad’s capital, that the head of state unveiled the reform. Facing delegations from across the continent, he stated that Chad “opens its borders and scraps entry visas for all Africans effective 1 January 2027.”

The phrasing is sweeping: it covers every national of African countries, not just those in the region or a particular economic bloc. The president framed the decision within a push for continental integration and the free movement of people and goods, positioning Chad as a central hub in Africa.

What this means for an African traveler

Until now, almost every foreign traveler has needed a visa to enter Chad. Since 11 May 2026 this visa has been issued exclusively online via the official portal or an agency; paper applications are no longer accepted and the e-visa is the only channel for non-exempt nationalities. A small list of African countries already enjoys an exemption, but most travelers from the continent currently apply online and pay the associated fee.

From 1 January 2027, every African national should be exempt from this requirement when entering Chad. In practice, travelers covered by the new rule will no longer have to:

• submit an e-visa application before departure;

• pay any visa fee for the trip;

• face the same entry regime already granted to a handful of exempt African nationalities.

A valid passport and other entry documents—particularly the yellow-fever vaccination certificate required on arrival—will remain mandatory. Removing the visa requirement does not eliminate border checks.

Unanswered questions remain

The announcement establishes a principle and a date, but the practical details have yet to be published by Chadian authorities. Several issues still need official clarification before January 2027:

• the permitted length of stay without a visa and conditions for any extension;

• the status of countries already exempt and how the new policy will mesh with existing rules;

• the documents required for entry once the visa is scrapped;

• whether any electronic registration (such as digital arrival cards used elsewhere) will still be required.

Until these rules are published, travelers planning a trip to Chad in early 2027 should verify the exact requirements at the time of booking rather than assume the exemption will apply in every case. We’re tracking the story at Visamundi.

A move in a wider continental trend

Chad is not acting alone. The country joins a still-small group of African states that have scrapped or substantially eased visas for other Africans, including Rwanda, Benin, the Gambia, Kenya and the Seychelles.

This momentum aligns with an objective championed by the African Union: making free movement of people a cornerstone of economic integration, in step with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AU advocates a protocol on free movement whose entry into force still depends on ratifications not yet secured. Without a binding continental framework in place, it is national decisions—like Chad’s—that are advancing border openness today.

For travelers, the effect is immediate and practical: the need for a visa can vanish from one year to the next. Hence the importance of checking the requirement in force for one’s nationality and destination before every trip rather than relying on last year’s rulebook.