Russia’s visa policy for Africa is more relaxed than those of the US and EU. But the citizens of most African countries still need some kind of visa for travel to Russia.

MARY ALEXANDER • 20 MAY 2024

Russia is now visa-free for all African countries. That’s the claim in two YouTube videos going viral on Facebook since April 2024.*

One, on the channel The New Tourist, is titled: “West in PANICK As Russia Announce VISA FREE For All AFRICAN COUNTRIES…” Text on the video reads: “Russia is now visa free for all Africans.”

The other is on the Displore channel and titled: “West In Panick As Russia Opens VISA FREE ACCESS TO ALL AFRICAN COUNTRIES.” The video’s text adds: “Russia is now visa free for African countries.”

A visa is a permit issued by one country that allows citizens of other countries to travel to and stay there for a limited period of time. There are several different kinds of visa, depending on the reason for the visit: travel, business, study or work, for example.

Most countries have agreements that allow citizens of other selected countries to enter and stay without a visa. They do still need a passport.

The claim can also be seen here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

But can citizens of all of Africa’s 55 countries now enter Russia visa-free?

Only six African countries completely visa-free

In March Russia’s foreign ministry announced that it was in talks to open up visa-free travel to 11 Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries. But the only African country on the list is Zambia.

Russia’s visa agreements with other countries depend on the type of passport the traveller has. These are:

• Diplomatic passports, issued to members of the diplomatic corps
• Service passports, issued to government officials
• General or ordinary passports, issued to everyone else

According to the Russian foreign ministry’s consular services website, citizens of only six African countries can travel to Russia visa-free on all three types of passport.

They are Botswana, Namibia and South Africa on the mainland, and the island countries of Cape Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles. But travellers from these countries can only stay in Russia for, at the most, 90 days.

Holders of diplomatic passports, or diplomatic and service passports, from 26 more African countries can travel to Russia visa-free. Again, the stay is limited to 90 days at the most. But people with ordinary passports still have to apply for a visa.

In Zambia only diplomatic passport holders can enter Russia without a visa. The new negotiations are presumably to extend this to people with service and ordinary passports.

A visa is required for citizens in the rest of Africa – 22 countries – no matter what passport they hold. The only country not mentioned by Russia’s consular services is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a self-declared state that claims authority over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

The claim is false. Russia is completely visa-free for only six African countries. For another 26, only diplomats – and sometimes government officials – can enter the country without a visa.

But Russia’s visa policy for Africa is more relaxed than those of western countries. Not a single African country is included in the United States’ visa waiver programme. And citizens of only two – Mauritius and Seychelles – can enter the European Union visa-free.

* Some Facebook and Instagram users may have deleted their posts after Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program rated their claims as untrue.

Published by Africa Check on 6 June 2024