Visa Planning Guide · 2026–2028

How to Identify Official African Visa and eTA Websites

Avoid visa scams and excessive agent fees by checking official government domains, fee warnings, application records and secure payment pages.

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Travel scene supporting How to Identify Official African Visa and eTA Websites
Direct answer: Use government immigration portals, not advertisements or lookalike domains. Tanzania Immigration warns that an Ordinary Visa invoice above USD 50 may indicate an agent or unauthorised link. Kenya states that eTA applications should be completed through its official website or official mobile application. No safari company can guarantee approval or override an immigration decision.

Read the domain before entering passport data

Official addresses generally use government or immigration domains and identify the responsible ministry. Search advertising can place commercial services above the government result. Type the known address directly or follow a link from the country’s immigration department rather than trusting a sponsored listing.

Compare the fee with the government schedule

Excessive service fees are a common warning. Tanzania publishes USD 50 for an Ordinary Visa and USD 100 for its Multiple Entry Visa. Kenya publishes eTA prices on the eligibility page. Third parties may lawfully charge assistance fees, but the traveller should know the government fee and the separate service charge before paying.

Protect application IDs and approval files

An application number, passport scan and date of birth can be abused. Do not post approval letters in public chats or send them to unknown social-media accounts. Use the portal’s status-check function, and contact the immigration department through details shown on its own website.

Understand what a tour operator can do

A DMC can explain route timing, provide accommodation confirmations and identify the official portal. It cannot issue a visa, promise approval or make a border officer admit a traveller. The applicant remains responsible for accurate declarations and for submitting personal data to the government system.

Red flags that justify stopping

Stop when a site guarantees approval, asks for cryptocurrency, uses a free email address, requests remote access to your computer or pressures you to pay immediately. Also stop if the currency, visa category or nationality rules conflict with the immigration authority’s published information.

Primary source: Review the latest government guidance at the official authority.

Questions travellers ask

We provide planning information and trip documents, but personal immigration applications should be submitted through the official authority.

No, but they may charge additional fees and cannot guarantee approval.

Contact your card issuer, preserve receipts and report the site to the relevant immigration authority.

Check your itinerary’s entry sequence

The Luxury Africa DMC provides travel-planning information and itinerary documents. We do not issue visas, guarantee approval or replace an immigration authority. Submit sensitive identity documents only through the relevant official government portal.