ANGOLA · MIGRATION AND LABOUR
Key Facts
- —What is happening Angola will launch a one-off programme on Thursday, 5 November 2026, to regularise foreigners who already work for legal companies without valid papers, its spokesperson said on state radio on Friday, 23 October.
- —Why it matters It is a one-off chance for companies and foreign staff to fix their status in a country that expelled 809 irregular foreigners from one province in a year.
- —The numbers State radio says the process will last three months, and Cunene province expelled 809 irregular foreigners in 12 months, 315 more than the year before.
- —Who is who The Migration and Foreigners Service (SME) is Angola’s immigration agency, run under the Interior Ministry, and the programme is called PRETE, the Extraordinary Regularisation Programme for Foreign Workers.
- —What to watch Watch for the portal opening on 5 November, the full rules, and whether the authorities explain the differing three month and one year timelines.
- —What it means for you US companies with foreign staff in Angola should check employee papers now; the tourist visa exemption for US citizens does not cover work visas.
Angola will let foreigners who already work for legal companies without valid papers regularise their status. The one-off programme starts on Thursday, 5 November.
Angola is opening a one-off regularisation for foreigners who already work in the country without valid papers. It is not a general offer of Angola work visas, and it starts on Thursday, 5 November 2026.
The programme is called PRETE, the Extraordinary Regularisation Programme for Foreign Workers. Its Portuguese name is Programa de Regularização Extraordinária de Trabalhadores Estrangeiros.
What Angola Announced on 23 October
Katiana Victoriano, a migration sub-commissioner, is the spokesperson for the programme. She gave the launch date on the morning show of state broadcaster Rádio Nacional de Angola (RNA) on Friday, 23 October.
The Interior Ministry (MININT) posted her remarks that day under the headline “PRETE will be launched on 5 November”. Its text says the aim is to strengthen the ways foreigners in irregular status can be regularised.
Novo Jornal, an Angolan newspaper, published the details on Friday, 23 October, at 13:18 local time. RNA, the state radio, also put the announcement online that day.
The programme falls under Law 13/19 of 23 May, the 2019 law that sets the legal regime for foreign citizens in Angola. The ministry says the usual requirements for work visas under that law still apply.
Who Can Apply and Who Is Excluded
Novo Jornal says the programme covers foreigners who have been in Angola irregularly for at least six months on the launch date. They must also do paid work, and the employer must be a legally registered company.
Unemployed foreigners and people who work in the informal sector are not covered, Novo Jornal reports. People who were expelled from Angola, or who have criminal records in Angola or abroad, are excluded too.
RNA reports that not every foreigner can benefit from the programme. Its written report does not spell out the exclusions.
The stated purpose is to help workers at legal companies that contribute to the Angolan economy. Novo Jornal says a digital platform will register both the companies and the foreign citizens.
How Long It Will Take and Where Sources Differ
Novo Jornal says the online platform will be available for three months. It adds that the whole process, up to the issue of the visas, will last one year.
RNA reports the spokesperson as saying that the process will last three months. The sources do not explain the difference, which may reflect different stages of the process.
If the platform opens on Thursday, 5 November, three months would run to about early February 2027. No closing date has been published, so that is only a calculation.
RNA reports that applications will be made on the SME portal. The sources reviewed give no portal address and no fee.
The sources also differ on the abbreviation, with RNA printing PERT in its written report. The ministry and Novo Jornal use PRETE, which this article follows.
Who Is Who in Angola’s Migration System
The Migration and Foreigners Service (SME) is Angola’s immigration agency. It handles visas and residence permits and carries out expulsions of foreigners who break the rules.
The Interior Ministry (MININT) is the ministry through which the SME runs the programme. Law 13/19 sets the rules that the SME applies to every foreign citizen.
A work visa is the permit that lets a foreigner work legally in Angola. The SME website lists 13 documents for a work visa, including an employment contract and a criminal record certificate.
What the Latest Enforcement Figures Show
Figures from one border province give a sense of the system in which the programme sits. ANGOP, the state news agency, said on 5 May 2026 via allAfrica that the SME in Cunene province expelled 809 irregular foreigners.
That covered 12 months and was 315 more than the previous period, and Cunene shares a 460 kilometre border with Namibia. The same report says the SME office there monitors 519 foreigners, including 195 holders of work visas.
Those numbers cover one province, not the whole country. No source gives a national estimate of how many foreigners might apply.
What It Means for US Readers
US citizens are among 98 nationalities that Angola exempted from tourist visas in 2023, for up to 30 days per entry. The government says the exemption covers tourism only, and work visas go through Angolan missions abroad.
Nothing in the sources indicates a change to those entry rules. The sources also do not say whether US nationals face any special conditions in the programme.
US companies that employ foreign staff in Angola should check their employees’ papers now. The programme is limited to workers at legal companies, and Novo Jornal reports a six-month minimum in irregular status.
Short business trips are not the target of the programme. It is aimed at people who already hold paid jobs in Angola.
What Is Not Known
No source gives the number of foreigners who could qualify, the cost, or the portal address. The ministry’s own news item, as read, does not state the exclusions or the durations.
The sources differ on the timeline, with one giving three months for the platform and a year for the process. Another reports the spokesperson as saying the process lasts three months.
The list of exclusions rests on Novo Jornal alone. So does the requirement of six months in irregular status.
It is not stated whether visas will be granted for fixed terms, or whether applicants can keep working while cases are processed. No reaction from employers’ groups or foreign embassies was found.
What Comes Next
The programme is due to launch on Thursday, 5 November 2026. Nothing is confirmed about how many applications will be accepted or how fast they will be handled.
Readers should watch for the portal opening and the full rules from the SME. The sources reviewed contain nothing beyond the statements of 23 October.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PRETE in Angola?
PRETE is the Extraordinary Regularisation Programme for Foreign Workers. It is due to start on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and aims to legalise foreigners who work for legal companies.
Who can apply to the Angola programme?
Novo Jornal says foreigners who have been irregular for at least six months and do paid work for a legal company. Unemployed people, informal workers, expelled people and those with criminal records are excluded.
How long will the process take?
Novo Jornal says the platform will be open three months and the process up to the visas will last one year. RNA reports the spokesperson as saying three months.
Does the programme change entry rules for US visitors?
Nothing in the sources indicates that it does. US citizens can enter without a tourist visa for up to 30 days, but that exemption does not cover work visa applicants.
Where do applications go?
RNA reports that applications will be made on the portal of the Migration and Foreigners Service (SME). The sources reviewed give no portal address and no fee.
Sources: Interior Ministry (MININT), “PRETE será lançado a 5 de Novembro”, 23 October 2026; Novo Jornal, 23 October 2026 (Portuguese); Rádio Nacional de Angola, 23 October 2026 (Portuguese); ANGOP via allAfrica, Cunene expulsions, 5 May 2026 (French); SME, work visa requirements; Government of Angola, tourist visa exemption for 98 countries (Presidential Decree 189/23), 2 October 2023 (Portuguese) (all accessed 24 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
Part of our ongoing coverage
Africa: The New Scramble — the great-power contest over the continent.