Zambia Visa & Entry Requirements for US Travelers (2026)

At the time of writing (September 2026), US passport holders can visit Zambia for short tourist stays without a visa. Zambia’s visa waiver for US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian and several other nationalities took effect on 19 October 2022, so there is no application to make before a straightforward safari.

Published sources currently disagree on exactly how long a visa-free stay may last. If your trip is long, or includes time in neighboring countries, confirm the permitted length with the Embassy of Zambia in Washington, DC or the Zambia Department of Immigration before you book.

Three things still need attention: your passport, which must meet Zambia’s validity and blank-page rules; the KAZA UNIVISA, which is only worth buying if you plan to cross into Zimbabwe; and yellow fever, where the rule depends on your route rather than your nationality. Entry rules change, so treat this as a planning summary rather than legal advice, and check the official sources listed below shortly before you travel.

Work through these five questions in order. Most US travelers stop after the first or second.

1. 1

   Staying only in Zambia?

   Then you need no visa at the time of writing. Bring a passport with six months’ validity and three blank pages, your return ticket and your itinerary, and check the yellow fever question below.

2. 2

   Crossing into Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls?

   If you will spend time in Zimbabwe, even a night in Victoria Falls town or a few days in Hwange, compare the KAZA UNIVISA with Zimbabwe’s own visa. If you will cross more than once, the UNIVISA is usually the simpler choice. Our Zimbabwe section covers the Zimbabwean side.

3. 3

   Visiting Botswana’s Chobe for the day?

   Day trips into Botswana through the Kazungula crossing are one of the uses the KAZA UNIVISA was designed for. If your trip covers only Zambia and Botswana, it is rarely necessary; check Botswana’s current rules for your passport, and see our Botswana section for Chobe itself.

4. 4

   Coming from Kenya, or connecting through Addis Ababa or Nairobi?

   A safari in Kenya earlier in the trip, or a layover of more than 12 hours in a country with yellow fever risk, means you are likely to need a yellow fever certificate. The section below explains the rule.

5. 5

   Anyone in your party on another passport?

   Rules differ by nationality, and one traveler may need a visa when another does not. Check the Zambia Department of Immigration’s visitor pages for each passport in your group.

If you fly to Zambia from the United States, you do not need a yellow fever certificate. According to the CDC, you do need one, for every traveler aged one or over, if you arrive from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission, and that includes airport transits or layovers of more than 12 hours in such a country.

Two kinds of trip trigger it. The first is a multi-country safari that begins in East Africa, such as a week in Kenya’s Masai Mara before flying on to Lusaka. The second is a long connection: some convenient routings from the US connect through Addis Ababa or Nairobi, and Ethiopia and Kenya are both countries with yellow fever risk. A normal same-day connection is fine; an overnight layover beyond 12 hours can bring you under the rule.

The CDC does not recommend the yellow fever vaccine for most travel in Zambia, and generally does not recommend it for the North-Western and Western provinces, where Liuwa Plain lies. If a certificate is required, it only becomes valid 10 days after vaccination, so see a travel-health clinic early. The wider health picture, including malaria, is covered in Is Zambia safe? Safety and health advice.

Zambia’s departure tax, about US$25 on international flights, is normally built into your airline ticket, so there is nothing to pay at the airport. If you carry more than US$5,000 in cash, declare it on arrival. By law, payments inside Zambia are made in kwacha, but safari camps and many tourist businesses price in and accept US dollars.

Health screening can also change at short notice. At the time of writing, the UK government notes that Zambia may introduce entry measures, including health screening, for travelers arriving from areas affected by an Ebola outbreak that the World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern. If you are traveling from or through an affected region, check current guidance before you fly.