In a historic move to accelerate continental integration, the Republic of Chad has announced that it will drop entry visa requirements for all African nationals, effective January 1, 2027.
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby hailed the decision as a major step toward making the African Union’s dream of free movement a tangible reality—not just on paper, but for people and goods crossing borders every day.
“This is about turning the vision of a united Africa into practical action,” Déby said.
With this announcement, Chad becomes the eighth African nation to adopt a blanket visa-free policy for fellow Africans, joining Benin, The Gambia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Ghana, Kenya, and Togo—which itself introduced a similar measure just this past May, allowing any African with a valid passport to enter without a visa.
As momentum builds across the continent, Chad’s bold decision signals a new era of openness, trade, and shared identity for Africa’s 1.4 billion citizens.
