galego

I too am in the process of getting a transit visa, so would love any help

I got a ridiculously cheap flight to Mozambique.... but like an idiot I ended up booking an option with an overnight in Luanda (arrive 18:30, depart next day at 9:50)

I'm here scratching my head over visa requirements (and I'm a fluent Brazilian Portuguese speaker whose office is right next to the Angolan embassy...guess I'm lucky)

The Angolan Embassy website in Germany (where I reside) doesn't mention a transit visa. But a paper guide I picked up does, and says the 'visto de transito' costs €60 (guess it's cheaper in Portugal?)

Does the transit visa required a yellow fever certification for all travellers? I suspect my travel buddy doesn't have one.... I got one in 2005. According to recent WHO guidelines, yellow fever vaccinations are now valid for life. Any recent experience of that?

Does it really take 8 weeks to get a transit visa?! I'll need a Mozambican visa first in order to get the Angola transit visa.

Due to how expensive everything is in Luanda, i was thinking of getting an airbnb near the airport anyway..... sounds like I need to be at the airport plenty early the next day to catch the flight to Maputo?

Hoping I can pull this off....or I just forget the whole thing

Palal

In Portugal the visa cost 30€ or something like that. They did ask for a valid yellow fever cert at the embassy and before going through the border in LAD. In my case the visa took 8 working days to get done, as advertised.

You'd have to ask the embassy about the availability of a transit visa., and they'll probably want to see the Mozambique visa. You could always overnight at the airport, though not the the most pleasant experience, it won't be the end of the world.

They have a gray currency rate in Angola, so ideally if you arrange accommodation, you'd pay in cash at the gray rate.

Good luck!
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Cheetah_SA

Oh my... Hold the mayo!

galego

Thanks! as my certificate is from 2005, it's essentially hand written by a doctor. Hope that's alright. I'll show the original, take a photocopy as well?

Overnight at the airport sounds brutal.... could you even do that?

Where can I read more on this 'grey' currency rate? Should I take cash in Dollars/Euros with me? I was thinking of getting an airbnb....so I'd pay through the site?

Palal

They did ask me for a copy of everything when applying, so make copies.

You should be able to, theoretically. The airport is small and not super comfy, so I would advise against that.

Not sure, as I was with friends and only for a few hours/beers. If you're doing Airbnb then you'd pay through the site. If you have a large amount of currency, be sure to declare it when entering, so that they don't confiscate them on exit. When leaving, they will also ask you if you have any kwanzas. They don't want you taking any out.

galego

Great thanks, will take note.... I'm only overnight in Luanda so hopefully wont require much cash.

The cheapest hotel on Booking.com for the night I need is the below. Looks quite nice too

http://www.booking.com/hotel/ao/thom...use.pt-br.html

But that far from the airport, on the Ilha, would that be a good idea considering any potential traffic in the morning? (i arrive at 18:30, leave in the morning about 9am i think)

Palal

The drive without traffic is 15-20 min. For a 9am flight with boarding passes in hand, I'd get there by 7am at the latest, so maybe leave at 6- 6:30 from ihla. Just make sure to arrange a taxi beforehand.

galego

hmmm not a long drive. but still paranoid!

Has anyone got any experience of using Airbnb in Angola? I've seen a couple of decent deals in Luanda, but none have any reviews. Good price and includes an airport shuttle....I just want to be sure that they're not 'too good to be true'

jphripjah

I visited Luanda a month ago and thought the warnings about bad traffic were mostly quite overrated. The owner of the hotel I stayed at said that a lot of people/cars have moved away from the city because of the collapse in oil prices.

cargueiro

Traffic in Luanda has improved markedly in last 1-2 years. This is due to many foreigners leaving the country as companies downsize due to collapse in oil price.

But it just takes one car to breakdown in an inconvenient location and it can cause a huge bottleneck. Many poorly maintained cars on Luanda's roads so you can get snarled up badly every now and again.

I'd leave at 6am (0630 latest) from Ilha to get to airport for 9am departure.

I would recommend staying on Ilha - nice drive from airport even if traffic is bad and you will see the city a bit. Ilha has nice restaurants - Cais de Quatro, Coconuts or Lookal etc. I do not know that hotel but it seems fine and I am sure would help with transport on the Ilha to restaurants.

Official exchange rate is AOA165 to US$1. Unofficial rate is AOA600+ to US$1. If you are buying Kwanza unofficially Angola is now a very cheap country to visit. It is technically illegal to buy currency on the street (unofficially) and it does pose certain risks - the police might catch you or you may become the victim of crime as a perceived wealthy foreigner. I would not recommend it to novices! Most hotel receptionists will probably help introduce you to to hotel security guards who will complete transaction for you for a modest fee. If it all goes tits up, you'll be out of pocket though with no recompense!

Angola does not understand that YF vaccination is for life. They seem to accept any document though so long as is within last 10 years. Mine is so dishrevelled it should not be accepted but they seem happy with it. In Angola it is important to have all documents in order - they love document checks!

cargueiro

I would not recommend overnighting at airport.

But some oil workers do it regularly.

So desperate for some beer after their 28 day shift offshore, they get denied boarding as they have had 10 too many. They sleep it off in the airport and the next day buy a ticket on SA's daily to JNB and onwards back to wherever they come from...

It is not a comfortable night though unless you are completely plastered!

galego

Thanks for all the tips on Angola!

re: YF. my document (also snarled) is from July 2005

WHO now says the YF vaccine is valid for over 10 years:

http://www.who.int/ith/updates/20160727/en/

Angola is a State Party to the IHR:

http://www.who.int/ihr/legal_issues/states_parties/en/

so could they really take issue with my yellow fever cert? In theory the embassy here could be cool with it, give me a visa, and then they bar me from entry once I land in Luanda?

Palal

What WHO says and what the bureaucrats in Angola think/do are three different things. Either get a doc to sign the cert to extend the validity (a doc, based on the WHO statement should be able to sign it, no?), or get another cert with a date in the future.

gregdeklerk

I am considering flying from Cape Town to Porto on TAAG and transiting in Luanda.

The problem is that there is only 90 minutes between when the Cape Town flight arrives and the Porto flight departs. I am very nervous about such a short transfer time.

Would I need to collect baggage and is this enough time to get all the formalities done? What if the flight is late?

Palal

If it's all on one ticket, 90 minutes is more than enough - the airport is tiny. According to my friend who's based there, they also tend to hold flights if one is running late.

On a single ticket, bags go through automatically, you'd go through security and up to the departure lounge. About an hour before the flight, you'd be called to board.