Lesotho visa policy

Lesotho visa policy specifies all the rules that visitors entering the country must follow to ensure hassle-free entry and stay.

Depending on individuals’ nationality, travel purpose, as well as the planned duration of stay in Lesotho, different types of visas may be required.

Travelers can choose between tourist visas, student visas, business visas, and other permits, such as work and residence permits.

What is more, Lesotho introduced the e-Visa system facilitating the process of getting a visa for short-term purposes. Applying for a Lesotho e-Visa is the most convenient method of getting a visa, as it can be completed online. Currently, there are around 130 nationalities who can enjoy the benefits of the e-Visa application.

The visa policy of Lesotho also states that all foreign citizens who wish to live or work in Lesotho or need a visa for long-term purposes must obtain a relevant visa or permit directly at the nearest Lesothan consulate or embassy.

Additionally, there are around 70 countries that are exempt from the requirement to hold a visa for Lesotho. The permitted visa-free length of stay may vary depending on the traveler’s nationality.

Apart from the Lesotho visa, travelers may also need to prepare other documents necessary to enter Lesotho. One such document is a passport with at least 3-month validity extending beyond the planned exit date for Lesotho.

Please also note that if you plan to travel to South Africa before or after arriving in Lesotho, you need to have at least two additional blank pages in your passport when presenting it during immigration control, either entering or leaving South Africa.

Who can enter Lesotho?

There are no entry bans imposed on nationals of any country. Travelers from all around the globe can travel to Lesotho as long as they meet all Lesotho entry requirements.

Currently, Lesotho welcomes all travelers, both vaccinated and non-vaccinated, against COVID-19. Non-vaccinated arrivals no longer need to present a negative PCR test performed within 72 hours prior to departure.

Entry Requirements for Lesotho

To ensure smooth entry to Lesotho, all travelers should make sure to familiarize themselves with the necessary documents and have them ready on time.

Documents check-list for entering Lesotho

Following, these are the documents that you may need to gather:

• a visa for Lesotho
• travel insurance proof
• a valid passport with at least 3 months validity from the date of planned arrival (with at least 2 blank pages for stamps)
• a yellow fever certificate (applicable to all travelers who come from the infected areas, where HIV/AIDS prevails)

Additionally, all travelers visiting Lesotho for business-related purposes need to remember to register with the Directorate of Immigration 7 days prior to arrival.

Important: Entry requirements to Lesotho are subject to rapid changes. Do remember to confirm the entry rules with the Lesothan embassy or consulate before setting off for our trip.

Methods of getting visa to Lesotho

Depending on eligibility which is determined by a traveler’s nationality, one can obtain a visa for Lesotho in two ways described in detail below.

Electronic visa (e-Visa)

Lesotho enables the e-Visa application to travelers from around 130 different countries in the world. Citizens eligible for Lesotho e-Visa can apply either for a single-entry or multiple-entry visa covering tourism or business.

To get a Lesotho visa online, an applicant just needs to complete a short application form, provide supporting documents, including a digital scan of a valid passport, and cover the processing fee. The approved visa will arrive directly in the applicant’s email inbox in a PDF format.

Regular visa

If a traveler wishes to visit Lesotho for long-term oriented stays or purposes other than tourism or business, they will need to obtain a regular visa directly at the embassy or consulate of Lesotho.

Additionally, citizens of more than 40 countries not eligible for e-Visa must apply for a regular visa, even for short-term stays in Lesotho.

The regular visa application involves the need to visit a diplomatic mission in person and should be arranged well in advance prior to travel.

Countries and regions which require a visa for entry into Lesotho

Electronic visa for Lesotho

• Andorra
• United Arab Emirates
• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Armenia
• Angola
• Argentina
• Azerbaijan
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Burkina Faso
• Bulgaria
• Bahrain
• Burundi
• Benin
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Bhutan
• Belarus
• Congo
• Central African Republic
• Republic of the Congo
• Ivory Coast
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Serbia
• Cuba
• Cyprus
• Djibouti
• Dominican Republic
• Algeria
• Ecuador
• Estonia
• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Micronesia
• Gabon
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Guinea Bissau
• Guinea
• Equatorial Guinea
• Greece
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Croatia
• Haiti
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• India
• Iraq
• Iran
• Jordan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Cambodia
• Comoros
• North Korea
• Kuwait
• Kazakhstan
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Liechtenstein
• Liberia
• Lithuania
• Latvia
• Libya
• Morocco
• Monaco
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Madagascar
• Marshall Islands
• Macedonia
• Mali
• Myanmar
• Mongolia
• Macau
• Mauritania
• Malta
• Mexico
• Mozambique
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Nicaragua
• Nepal
• Oman
• Panama
• Peru
• Philippines
• Pakistan
• Poland
• Senegal
• Somalia
• Suriname
• El Salvador
• Syria
• Chad
• Togo
• Thailand
• Tajikistan
• Timor Leste
• Turkmenistan
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Taiwan
• Ukraine
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vatican City
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Yemen
• Qatar
• Palau
• Rwanda
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Romania
• Paraguay
• Sudan
• South Sudan
• Palestine
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Cape Verde

Regular visa

• Anguilla
• American Samoa
• Aruba
• Aland Islands
• Bermuda
• Cocos Islands
• Cook Islands
• Christmas Island
• Falkland Islands
• Faroe Islands
• Georgia
• French Guiana
• Gibraltar
• Greenland
• Guadeloupe
• Guam
• Cayman Islands
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Martinique
• Montserrat
• New Caledonia
• Norfolk Island
• Niue
• French Polynesia
• Caicos Islands
• Tokelau
• British Virgin Islands
• Samoa
• Mayotte
• United States Virgin Islands
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• Isle of Man
• Guernsey
• Saint Martin
• Saint Helena
• Reunion
• Puerto Rico
• Jersey
• Curacao
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• Saint Barthelemy
• Sint Maarten
• Bonaire

Visa-free entry

• Austria
• Australia
• Barbados
• Bangladesh
• Belgium
• Bahamas
• Botswana
• Belize
• Canada
• Switzerland
• Cameroon
• Czech Republic
• Germany
• Denmark
• Dominica
• Spain
• Finland
• Fiji
• France
• United Kingdom
• Grenada
• Gambia
• Guyana
• Hong Kong
• Ireland
• Israel
• Iceland
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• South Korea
• Saint Lucia
• Sri Lanka
• Luxembourg
• Mauritius
• Maldives
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Namibia
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• New Guinea
• Sierra Leone
• San Marino
• Swaziland
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• United States
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Vanuatu
• Samoa
• South Africa
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Singapore
• Seychelles
• Portugal
• Sweden
• Brunei Darussalam
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Solomon Islands
• Antigua and Barbuda

Entry requirements for children

There are no separate requirements applicable for minors traveling to Lesotho.

They should meet the same travel requirements as their parents or legal guardians, who are also responsible for gathering all required documents for every underage traveler.

Transit information

Passengers planning a trip to Lesotho must transit through South Africa either by land or air.

They are highly recommended to check the latest entry restrictions for South Africa before traveling to Lesotho.

Important information

• Obtaining a visa for Lesotho is possible either online or upon an in-person embassy or consulate appointment.
• Certain travelers from visa-exempt countries can enjoy a stay in Lesotho without a visa, which may be either up to 14 or 90 days (depending on the nationality).
• Apart from a valid Lesotho visa, one also needs to hold a passport with a validity extending beyond 3 months from the date of planned entry to the country.
• The traveler’s passport must have at least 2 blank pages as it must be stamped both upon their arrival and departure.
• Since entry to Lesotho is possible only from the territory of South Africa, a traveler should also learn the entry requirements introduced by the South African authorities.