🇸🇴→🇱🇸Somalia→Lesotho

multiple entryup to 10d processingvalid 180d

Permits multiple journeys to Lesotho within the validity period for tourism, business visits, or other short-term purposes. Issued to ordinary passport holders requiring a visa.

Fee is M2,000 (Lesotho Maloti). Valid for 6 months with multiple entries. e-Visa system suspended; applications by email to VISA-Applications.Immigration@gov.ls. Maximum 10 working days processing. Approval results in a 72-hour visa-on-arrival letter for entry at Maseru Port of Entry or Moshoeshoe I International Airport only. Per-stay duration not specified in official source.

90 dayssingle entryup to 10d processingvalid 90d

Permits a single journey to Lesotho for tourism, family visits, or other short-term purposes. Issued to ordinary passport holders from countries not exempt from visa requirements.

Fee is M1,000 (Lesotho Maloti). e-Visa system is currently suspended; applications submitted by email to VISA-Applications.Immigration@gov.ls. Processing maximum 10 working days. Upon approval, a 72-hour visa-on-arrival authorization letter is emailed; traveller must enter via Maseru Port of Entry or Moshoeshoe I International Airport only. USD equivalent not stated in official source.

multiple entryvalid 730d

Authorises foreign nationals to reside and conduct business activities in Lesotho. Available as a two-year or indefinite permit.

Two-year or indefinite duration available. Applications processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Minimum investment not specified on official pages. After 5+ years of lawful residence, may qualify for citizenship. Fee schedule referenced in Aliens Control (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2018 but amounts not published online.

multiple entryvalid 730d

Residence permit allowing a foreign national to join a relative who is lawfully resident in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Also referred to as 'Joining Relative Permit' and 'Spouse Joining Spouse Permit' (separate sub-categories). Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru.

multiple entryvalid 730donline

Residence permit issued to a foreign woman married to a Mosotho (Lesotho citizen) man who wishes to reside with her husband in Lesotho.

Distinct residence-permit category listed on the official VFS-operated Home Affairs portal (homeaffairslesotho.com), separate from the Spouse Joining Spouse permit. Issued to a woman married to a Basotho male to reside with him; available as a two-year or indefinite permit (Married-women-permit-Indefinite.html). Requires marriage certificate, medical certificate, police clearance from Lesotho and country of origin, sponsor (husband) national ID/passport copy, and proof of payment. M2,800 service/handling charge applies via the portal; statutory permit fees payable at the Ministry of Home Affairs per the Government Gazette.

multiple entryvalid 730d

Residence permit allowing a foreign spouse to join a partner lawfully resident or working in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Distinct from the 'Married Women Permit' category, which the official Home Affairs portal lists separately (a foreign woman married to a Mosotho male). Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru.

multiple entryvalid 1460d

Authorises foreign nationals to reside in Lesotho for the purpose of studying at an accredited institution.

Valid for up to 4 years per official immigration page. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Specific eligibility requirements, supporting documents, and fees not published on official pages.

multiple entryvalid 730d

Residence permit allowing foreign medical professionals (doctors and nurses) to reside and practice in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Specific eligibility requirements and fees not published on official pages.

multiple entryvalid 730d

Residence permit allowing qualified foreign teachers to reside and teach in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Specific eligibility requirements and fees not published on official pages.

multiple entry

Authorises a foreign national to take up general employment in Lesotho. The Lesotho-based employer sponsors the application and must demonstrate the position cannot be filled by a suitably qualified Mosotho national.

General employment work permit, distinct from the profession-specific residence permits (teachers, doctors/nurses). The sponsoring employer must supply a Business Permit, valid Trader's Licence, Tax Clearance Certificate and Letter of Invitation, and complete the general visa requirements. Issued via the Ministry of Home Affairs Department of Immigration with Ministry of Labour and Employment (Labour Commissioner) involvement. Fee and validity period not published on the official page.

up to 10d processing

Issued free of charge to holders of diplomatic, official/service, UN, or Laissez Passer travel documents visiting Lesotho.

UN Passport holders, Laissez Passer holders, Diplomatic Passport holders, and Official/Service Passport holders are issued visas free of charge. UN Passport and Laissez Passer holders do not need a visa at all according to official source. Application process same as ordinary visa (email to VISA-Applications.Immigration@gov.ls).

multiple entry

Permanent residence authorisation for foreign nationals who have met the long-term residence requirements in Lesotho.

Indefinite permit categories mirror the two-year permit categories: missionaries, business, joining relative, spouse joining spouse, returning former citizens, doctors/nurses, teachers. Minimum residence period and eligibility criteria not specified on official pages. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru.

multiple entryvalid 730d

Residence permit for foreign nationals engaged in missionary or religious work in Lesotho.

Available as a two-year or indefinite permit. Processed at the Residence Permit Facilitation Centre in Maseru. Specific requirements and fees not published on official pages.

multiple entryvalid 730donline

Residence permit for a person who was previously a citizen of the Kingdom of Lesotho and wishes to return and reside in the country once again.

Listed as 'Returning former citizens' on the official Ministry of Home Affairs immigration page; available as a two-year or indefinite residence permit. Applications submitted online via the VFS-operated Home Affairs services portal (homeaffairslesotho.com/Returning-Citizens-permit.html), which cites a standard residence-permit application fee of M2,800. Requires proof of previous Lesotho citizenship, medical certificate, police clearance and passport photos. Dependants under 21 are exempt from the fee; police clearance is not required for applicants under age 16.

90 daysvalid 90d

Short-term permit for foreign nationals who require an authorised stay in Lesotho beyond a visa or for purposes not covered by standard visa categories.

90-day temporary permit listed as a distinct permit category on the official immigration page. Specific eligibility, requirements, and fees not published on official pages.