DIY: How to Apply for a Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana Visas

I applied for three African visas in one week. Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, all at once, without ever leaving my home. And honestly? It was less stressful than I expected, but only because I did my homework first.

The annoying part is that as an African, I can’t just walk into these countries the way travellers from many other places can. I also can’t get the KAZA visa, a single multi-entry pass covering all three countries, which is available to plenty of other nationalities. But the application process itself? Smoother than I thought.

If you’re planning a trip to Southern Africa with multiple border crossings, this post is for you. I’ll walk you through exactly what the visa requirements for Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana look like, what it cost me, and what I wish I’d known before I started.

Why I’m visiting all 3 countries on one trip

My base is Livingstone, Zambia – the town right next to Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. From there, it’s a quick day trip across the border into Zimbabwe to see the falls from that side too. And Botswana’s Chobe National Park, one of Africa’s best game-viewing destinations, is about an hour and a half away. Three countries. One trip. Three visas. Let’s get into it.

Zambia visa for Nigerians

Zambia requires a visa for many African passport holders, and you have two options: obtain it in advance or on arrival. For Nigerians, at the time of this writing, it is compulsory to apply in advance. The process is quite straightforward. Log on to the Zambia Department of Immigration’s online website here, fill out the application form, upload your passport bio page, a passport photo, and other supporting documents, and pay online.

This post from The Faraway Co has more step-by-step details of the entire process.

A single-entry tourist visa costs $50 USD, while both double-entry and multiple-entry visas cost $80 USD. If you’re planning to follow my itinerary, it makes more sense to go for the multiple-entry visa. Even if you don’t expect to leave and re-enter Zambia more than once, the price is the same as a double-entry visa, so you might as well choose the more flexible option.

Processing took about 7 business days in my case. You get an e-visa approval letter that you print and present at the port of entry.

A couple of things to note: your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your travel dates, and you need proof of accommodation. I used my hotel booking confirmation.

Zimbabwe visa for Nigerians

Like Zambia, I applied for a tourist visa to Zimbabwe online via the official e-visa website. The process was quite straightforward. I applied for a single-entry visa, which cost $30 USD, uploaded a passport photo and my bio page, filled out the application form, and made the payment.

My payment showed as pending for about a day, so I gave it a bit more time. It was processed the following day, and I received my visa the day after that. In total, the process took about three business days, which was surprisingly fast.

One thing to note is that I never received an email notification once the visa was approved. I had to log back into the website myself to check the status and download the approval letter.

I’ve read that if you’re crossing overland from Zambia (which I plan to do on a day trip from Livingstone), you can get the visa at the border, but honestly, I wouldn’t risk this as a Nigerian. It’s better to apply in advance to avoid being denied entry.

Botswana visa for Nigerians

Now, for the last visa: Botswana. I applied via the evisa website here. The process was the same as the first two, and I actually applied for all three visas on the same day.

I’m going to Botswana for a day trip to Chobe National Park, entering by road from Livingstone via the Kazungula border crossing. The crossing point sits right where Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia meet – it’s genuinely one of the most interesting border crossings in Africa, a ferry crossing over the Zambezi River (a bridge is also now operational).

Documents I prepared across all 3 applications

Across the three countries, here’s what I had ready:

Valid passport (with at least six months’ validity), two passport photos, hotel booking confirmations for Zambia (I used this for all three countries), a return flight ticket, my employment document, a yellow fever vaccination card, and a printed itinerary.

I’ll also be travelling with all of these documents. I know not every border officer will ask for everything, but having them prepared means you’re never caught off guard.

How much does it cost in total?

For the visa costs alone: Zambia ($80) + Zimbabwe ($30) + Botswana (~$23) = $133 USD.

Tips before you apply

• Don’t wait until the last minute. I applied about 3 weeks before my travel date and had everything sorted with time to spare. Some embassies and visa portals do go slow during peak seasons.
• Screenshot everything: approval emails, confirmation numbers, and payment receipts. Download and save PDFs of every document before you travel. Don’t assume you’ll have internet access when you need to pull them up.
• If you’re not travelling with a Nigerian passport, check the KAZA UniVisa if you’re doing both Zimbabwe and Zambia, and the day trip to Chobe. For a Victoria Falls/Livingstone trip specifically, it simplifies everything.
• Use USD wherever possible. Most Southern African visa fees are quoted in USD, and border crossings generally prefer dollar cash for on-arrival fees.

I’ll be posting the full Livingstone travel guide – where to stay, how to see the falls, and more photos – once I’m back. Follow along! 🙂