UK Announces 32 African Countries Whose Citizens Must Get an Airport Transit Visa
- The UK government published the full list of countries whose nationals must obtain a visa before transiting through a UK airport
- Several African countries appear on the official list, covering nations from West, East, Central, and Southern Africa
- Travellers from the listed African countries risk being denied boarding if they transit through the UK without the required visa
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The United Kingdom government has released a list of countries whose nationals are required to obtain a visa before entering or transiting through UK airports, with dozens of African nations included on the document.
The official guidance covers nationals of countries across multiple continents, but the African entries are significant in number.
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Citizens from the following African countries are required to have a valid UK transit or entry visa before travelling through the country:
African countries that need a UK transit visa
1. Angola.
2. Botswana.
3. Burundi.
4. Cameroon.
5. Congo.
6. Democratic Republic of Congo.
7. Egypt.
8. Eritrea.
9. Eswatini (Swaziland).
10. Ethiopia.
11. Gambia.
12. Ghana.
13. Guinea.
14. Guinea-Bissau.
15. Ivory Coast.
16. Kenya.
17. Lesotho.
18. Liberia.
19. Libya.
20. Malawi.
21. Namibia.
22. Nigeria.
23. Rwanda.
24. Senegal.
25. Sierra Leone.
26. Somalia.
27. South Africa.
28. South Sudan.
29. Sudan.
30. Tanzania.
31. Uganda.
32. Zimbabwe.
UK: What this means for African travellers
The requirement means that citizens of these countries cannot simply pass through a UK airport without holding a valid visa, even if their final destination is another country entirely. Airlines are also bound by UK carrier liability rules, meaning they can be penalised for boarding passengers who do not meet the entry or transit requirements.
The list is addressed to international carriers as a reference guide for checking passenger eligibility before departure. Travellers from the listed African countries are advised to verify their visa status well in advance of any travel that involves a UK airport stopover, regardless of whether they intend to leave the transit zone.
The full document, which also covers requirements for nationals from other regions, is available on the UK government's official website.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that the UK had published a list of 73 countries whose citizens must obtain an airport transit visa.
Countries allowed faster UK border clearance
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the UK had named 23 countries whose citizens are allowed faster border clearance.
The guidance, published on the UK government's official website, sets out the conditions applicants must meet. Beyond holding an eligible passport, every applicant must be at least 18 years old.
They must also either hold a valid UK visa, if they require one to visit the country, or have entered the UK on at least four separate occasions within the past 24 months, if they are visa-exempt.
Source: Legit.ng
