Immigration law in Angola

Entry into Angola generally requires a recognised passport or travel document valid for at least six months, the appropriate valid visa, proof of means or secured accommodation and food, an international vaccination certificate, and access through an authorised border post. An entry ban, unsuitable or false documents, missing funds or return arrangements, certain health or security concerns, or the absence of required consent for a minor can lead to refusal even when a visa has been issued. A visa creates an expectation of entry, not an unconditional right to cross the border. Angola uses different visa categories for different purposes. A transit visa is valid for 60 days and permits a stay of up to five days without extension. A tourism visa is valid for 120 days, allows multiple entries and permits up to 30 days per stay, with two possible 30-day extensions; it does not authorise employment or residence. A short-duration visa covers a stay of up to ten days, is generally valid for 72 hours and can be extended once, but it also excludes employment and residence. A study visa allows multiple entries for up to one year and can be renewed until the course ends; work is limited to training-related internships. A medical-treatment visa can cover up to 180 days but does not authorise employment or residence. A work visa permits multiple entries for up to 365 days and can be renewed until the employment contract ends. It limits the holder to the approved activity and employer and does not itself establish permanent residence. A temporary-stay visa normally allows multiple entries for 365 days and can be renewed until the stated purpose ends. A residence visa, known as Visto para Fixação de Residência, allows the holder to enter repeatedly, remain for up to 90 days for residence formalities and work lawfully. An investor visa can last up to two years and may be renewed. SME can issue a border visa as an exception for an unforeseeable and justified purpose. Visa purpose controls what the holder may do. A tourism visa covers activities such as visiting, family visits, business prospecting, scientific, cultural or sporting purposes, but not paid work or residence. In justified cases, Angola allows certain changes of status, including study to work, temporary stay to residence authorisation, and tourism to medical treatment. Visa applications generally require prior SME authorisation, while consular missions process visas issued outside Angola. Eligible nationals may receive a tourism exemption, usually limited to 30 days per entry and 90 days per year; the current nationality list must be checked before travel. The official eVISA service accepts online applications and status checks, and its stated processing time is 72 hours, but this does not replace the substantive entry requirements. Employment migration requires an employment contract or offer, proof of qualifications and a curriculum vitae, a criminal-record certificate, a certificate from the country of origin, a repatriation deposit and an opinion from the competent ministry. An adverse opinion can result when Angola has qualified national workers available or the employer does not meet tax obligations. Under the 2025 labour-migration rules, an employer may generally employ no more than 30% foreign non-resident workers, leaving at least 70% national workers. The contract is written and fixed-term, with no more than two extensions under the stated rule. Equal work requires equal pay. The employer must report contract changes and the end of employment to SME. Working for another employer without approval can lead to penalties, expulsion and employer liability for related costs. Study-based migration normally requires enrolment or an approved internship, accommodation and means of support, together with criminal-record and medical documents. A parent or legal responsibility document may be required for a minor. A scholarship or institutional agreement can remove the need to prove personal means. Family migration can cover a spouse, a recognised união de facto, dependent minor or legally incapacitated children, unmarried adult children studying in Angola, and dependent first-degree parents. Temporary stay can also cover accompanying family members connected with study, medical treatment, investment or employment, as well as certain family members of residents or the spouse of an Angolan citizen. In legally specified family and accompanying cases, employment may be permitted. Residence authorisation is requested by the applicant from SME while the applicant is present in Angola. The applicant generally needs a valid residence visa, proof of means and accommodation, an Angolan criminal-record certificate, photographs, a passport, the residence visa and the applicable fee, and must not have disqualifying security, public-order or inadmissibility findings. The stated decision target is 30 days. A residence-visa holder must register with the local administration within 15 days after entry. Temporary residence lasts two years and can be renewed for further two-year periods. Permanent residence becomes available after ten consecutive years of temporary residence; the title has no expiry date but is renewed every five years. More than six months of unjustified absence during a validity period, false information, a sham marriage or adoption, expulsion, or failure to show useful lawful activity can put residence at risk. A foreign child born in Angola to resident parents can receive the parent’s residence status, but the application and registration deadlines must be observed, including registration with SME within 180 days. International protection is governed by Lei n.º 10/15. An asylum request may be made orally or in writing at a border post, to the police, to SME or at an Angolan diplomatic mission. When the grounds arise after arrival, the request should generally be made within eight days. The non-refoulement principle protects an applicant from return to a place where persecution or the relevant serious danger would result. Irregular entry does not by itself remove access to the procedure. The process can include an interview, an interpreter, legal assistance and biometric registration. The applicant gives information or evidence about identity, nationality, previous residence, earlier applications and the reasons for flight. The Conselho Nacional para os Refugiados (CNR) decides protection matters, while the Centro de Acolhimento de Refugiados e Requerentes de Asilo (CARRA) can provide accommodation, food and healthcare. Temporary stay documents are initially issued for 60 days and extended by 30 days until a final decision. Movement outside CARRA can be restricted without permission, and applicants generally do not receive work, residence or unrestricted movement rights during this period. The ordinary instruction period is 30 days, or up to 15 days in an accelerated procedure, followed by a CNR decision target of 15 days. A rejection is served within 72 hours and normally gives 30 days for departure. An administrative complaint precedes judicial review and has suspensive effect. Recognised refugees receive temporary residence and access to work, social security, education and courts, subject to statutory movement limits; an unjustified absence from Angola exceeding six months can threaten the status or title. Angolan nationality may arise through an Angolan parent and can also be acquired through descent, adoption, marriage, a recognised união de facto or naturalisation. Marriage or union-based acquisition generally requires more than five years together with the statutory conditions. Naturalisation requires adulthood, at least ten years of lawful residence, moral and civic integration guarantees, regular personal income during the previous three years, sufficient Portuguese, an effective connection with the community, and respect for constitutional rights and duties. The applicant may need examinations on language, the people and nation, state symbols and history, followed by a public oath. Birth in Angola alone does not automatically confer nationality unless the child would otherwise be stateless or the parents are unknown. A removal decision depends on status. A non-resident may face administrative expulsion for irregular entry or stay, insufficient means or work, changing employers without permission or unauthorised employment. A resident may generally be expelled only by a court. The person normally receives a voluntary-departure order for up to eight days, followed by a court hearing within 48 hours or an administrative decision within eight days, depending on the procedure. Enforcement can take up to 15 days for a resident and up to eight days for a non-resident, and an entry ban lasts at least five years. Temporary detention may take place at a Centro de Instalação Temporária. A court expulsion decision can be challenged, while an SME decision is challenged before the competent ministry. The state covers removal costs for an indigent person, while an employer can be liable when the person was employed. Angola does not have one reliably confirmed nationwide fee table for every immigration service. Consular fees and domestic tariffs vary by visa, service and location, and agreements can provide exemptions. The relevant MIREX mission or SME office should confirm the amount before filing. Documents often require Portuguese translation and legalisation. No direct national equivalent of a general integration course or integration benefit is evidenced; integration requirements arise mainly in the naturalisation process.