Living in Angola as a French National: Visa, Luanda, School, Safety and Healthcare

Angola attracts French nationals with its career opportunities, its Atlantic coastline and the presence of a French school network in Luanda. The official language is Portuguese: administrative procedures, lease contracts and civil-status documents are therefore prepared in that language, with translations and legalisations to arrange before departure. The French embassy in Luanda (31/33 Rua Reverendo Pedro Neto) offers a section entitled ‘Living in or coming to Angola’, a civil-status service, social support and a register of French nationals living abroad.

The points of caution fall into three areas. First, safety: France Diplomatie describes a high level of crime linked to the economic crisis, especially on the outskirts of Luanda. Second, health: healthcare facilities do not yet meet international standards, and most serious conditions require medical evacuation. Third, getting around: the road network is in poor condition and public transport is not recommended. Serious preparation before arrival, focused on the visa, housing and health cover, makes the difference. See also the guide to the Angolan healthcare system.

Luanda is home to the embassy, the French lycée, most international employers and the country’s widest range of healthcare. France Diplomatie places the whole territory under heightened vigilance, with particular caution at the end of the day in the Ilha area, where restaurants and nightclubs are located, and at night in the municipalities on the outskirts. Expatriates are not specifically targeted, but the outskirts are the most affected by assaults, although the city centre is not spared.

According to the travel advice map, the provinces of Lunda Sul and Lunda Norte, diamond-mining areas where traffickers have been reported, as well as the province and city of Cabinda, are advised against except for compelling reasons. The overland road linking Cabinda to the rest of the country crosses the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the corresponding visas must be requested before departure from the embassy concerned, failing which entry may be refused. For the inland provinces, check with the local authorities that no movement restrictions are in force, and remember that mines may remain away from the main roads, generally marked.

According to France Diplomatie, many nationalities, including France, have been exempt from a tourist visa since 30/09/2023: up to 30 days per entry and 90 cumulative days per year, for family visits, business prospecting, scientific or technological activities, or recreational, sporting and cultural visits. Beyond 30 consecutive days, a tourist visa is requested online before arrival, and it is renewed with the migration and foreigners service (SME) before it expires.

• Other purposes of stay: a visa is mandatory. It is best requested before departure from the Consulate General of Angola in Paris, with a mandatory visit for fingerprinting.
• Visa at Luanda airport: since April 2018, nationals of the European Union can obtain it on pre-authorisation issued through the smevisa.gov.ao portal, for USD 120 paid at the airport and on presentation of supporting documents (resources, invitation or hotel booking, return ticket).
• Ordinary multiple-entry visa: three months, issuable up to 60 days before arrival (application advised 15 days before departure); or one to three years, with guarantees of resources and accommodation and a letter of sponsorship from an organisation operating in Angola.
• Yellow fever: since the decree of 25/10/2023, vaccination is no longer required of travellers who do not come from a country at risk; others must present their vaccination record.
• Customs: tourists may not import more than USD 5,000 or the equivalent.

The conditions for a residence or work permit should be confirmed with the Consulate General of Angola in Paris and the SME; see the page on working in Angola. Registering on the register of French nationals living abroad and with the Ariane system makes it easier to receive alerts and consular services.

The ‘Economic indicators’ block above shows inflation and the kwanza exchange rate. The official pages consulted do not publish a rent scale or consumer prices: amounts should be requested from local agents and the employer, and checked in writing before signing a lease. Employed expatriates often benefit from housing or a housing allowance provided for in the contract; a self-employed person negotiates for themselves, taking into account the safety of the neighbourhood, guarding services and the distance to the workplace and school.

For payments, France Diplomatie indicates that cards are increasingly accepted in hotels but rarely in shops in the capital, and advises carrying cash in foreign currency. It also recommends not carrying large sums of money and being extra vigilant when withdrawing or depositing money at a bank branch. For a family, the page on expat family insurance helps to estimate health cover, which weighs heavily on the budget.

The Lycée Français Alioune-Blondin-Beye, located in the 1er-Mai school district of Luanda, takes 1,035 pupils across 16 levels, from the youngest nursery class to the final year; fifteen levels are accredited, only the youngest nursery class is not, and no level is followed through the CNED (the French distance-learning service) (AEFE record; AEFE is the Agency for French Education Abroad). The school has agreement status. A second school of the network, with partner status, takes young children in Luanda.

Enrolment, tuition fees and grants should be requested directly from the school and from the consular section of the embassy, which publishes information on school grants. For pupils, health cover usefully includes paediatrics, vaccinations and access to emergency care: see the page on healthcare reimbursement in Angola.

• do not carry valuables or large sums of money; travel with windows closed and doors locked;
• do not drive at night or walk alone, including in the city centre; do not park in quiet or poorly lit places;
• in the event of an assault, do not resist; thefts mostly target money and phones;
• use safe, identifiable taxis; two companies offer geolocated booking through an app in Luanda;
• avoid public transport, because of the high number of accidents, and do not leave the main roads outside towns;
• stay away from gatherings: calls to demonstrate are frequent in Luanda and the large cities, with possible tensions as elections approach.

As for driving licences, a French licence is accepted for three months with an international permit; beyond that, an Angolan licence is needed. Drug use and resale carry heavy prison sentences. The France Diplomatie pages do not give emergency numbers: it is useful to save those of the assistance provider in your contract, of the healthcare facility identified in advance and of the embassy (+244 226 425 557).

France Diplomatie describes an assistance contract covering medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation as essential: without cover, access to care may be refused, even in a life-threatening emergency, and the embassy pays no costs. The rainy season runs from October to May, with floods that make travel risky. Cholera has recurring outbreaks (in several provinces including Luanda), measles has occasional surges, and malaria is on the rise: mosquito protection and prophylaxis should be discussed with a doctor before departure.

The French vaccination schedule must be up to date; yellow fever, hepatitis A, typhoid and meningitis ACWY are discussed according to profile. Expavy helps to match these needs against the available contracts; see also repatriation and assistance.