Top 5 African Countries That are the Hardest to Get into

As holiday season approaches, the desire to pack up and get on a plane to see the world beyond yours generally soars. Depending on the colour and ranking (oh, there is such a thing) of your passport, you can easily travel to most countries and have a remarkable holiday. But there are some countries whose visa requirements and application processes are so tedious you start to wonder if they’re really acting on principle or they just don’t like you.

For an African, travelling to other African countries is virtually seamless – kind of a nobrainer, one might say. But for Foreigners, while it is pretty much easy to travel to some African countries, there are some that are borderline excruciating to get into. The pesky visa application process could make you reconsider your safari dreams or seek them elsewhere.

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Here at hotels.ng, we have identified the top 5 African countries that are the hardest to get into for foreigners:

1. Chad

Unless you possess a passport from any the visa exempt countries – which are African, to begin with (sorry) – getting a Chadian visa is not going to be the easiest thing you’ve ever done. When you get to any of the chadian diplomatic missions, they often require the visa applicant to submit a letter from a sponsor or hotel in the country’s capital, N’Djamena, inviting him or her to visit, and stating the relationship and the reason for the trip.

2. Somalia

 

Because of all the civil unrest and that has ravaged Somalia in the recent past, it is increasingly harder to travel to Somalia as a foreigner. The kicker is, the government isn’t making it difficult for foreigners to get in because of some xenophobic ideal and whatnot – they could always use the foreign exchange; it’s just that they can’t guaranty your safety, and no one wants to be in the spotlight for the unnecessary death of a foreigner on their land. It doesn’t make for good press. So, if you can show that you can guaranty your own safety while you’re around – like you have a security team to protect you – your visa application should be a tad easier.

3. Sudan:

The Story is pretty much the same as that of Somalia except that there’s also the tiny issue of paranoia which makes the officials reluctant to let in anyone who seems like a journalist. If you’re toting a camera and all about that bohemian life, you very likely won’t get in. Sudan has a lot of civil rights issues weighing on their national image and the thought of granting entry to some foreigner who will very likely add to the narrative isn’t particularly exciting.

4. Eritrea:

Eritrea is an enchanting country with extraordinary architecture and lovely coasts. It is located on the horn of Africa. Travelling there as a foreigner is a tad tricky though. You will have to endure a rather grueling visa application process that may span anything from six to eight weeks – and get rejected most of the time. This may largely be a result of the country not being great on foreign relations. But if your application does get approved, it may well turn out to be worth the hassle. Security isn’t that much of a problem there as well.

5. Angola:

First off, if you’re American, you and Angola are not going to be best of friends from the get go. The country actually kind of placed an embargo on Americans tourist visas for many years after it learned that America favoured the rebel groups in the 27- year long civil war that ravaged the country since the war began in 1975. Also, coupled with the fact that every foreigner is naturally suspected of arriving to poach diamonds – which Angola has lots of, by the way – visa applications and travelling to Angola is pretty much a hard nut to crack for foreigners.