Visa on arrival for southern Algeria

Checked August 22, 2026 · we re-check every 90 days

Important: Bookotil does not issue visas. Requirements change and are enforced at the discretion of Algerian consulates and border officials. Always confirm with the nearest Algerian consulate before travel.

For an organised trip to the far southern wilayas, Algeria issues a visa on arrival — called a "regularisation visa" — valid for no more than 30 days. It replaces the consular visa; it is not added to it.

You may be able to get a tourist visa on arrival at some airports in Algeria if the majority of your travel is in the south of the country. You should have a confirmed reservation with an approved local travel agency.

Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Algeria travel advice · August 22, 2026

This confirmation comes from a government source updated on July 24, 2026. The Algerian announcements describing the scheme call it "exceptional and temporary" — which is why we keep re-checking.

The wilayas covered

As listed by the Embassy of Algeria in Brussels.

Tamanrasset
Illizi
Tindouf
Adrar
Béchar
Timimoune
Djanet
Bordj Badji Mokhtar
Béni Abbès
Aïn Salah
Touggourt

Source: Ambassade d'Algérie à Bruxelles — Grand Sud algérien : nouvelles mesures · August 22, 2026

Two official sources do not say exactly the same thing: Brussels lists these wilayas, while the Embassy in Tokyo writes "all the tourist wilayas of the far south". We publish the enumerated list and flag the gap rather than settle it on their behalf.

How it works

You arrange the trip with a licensed Algerian travel agency. The scheme only applies to an organised trip — never to an independent traveller.
You give the agency your identity, your travel document and the chosen itinerary.
The agency files the request on the digital platform of the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts.
The agency sends you a boarding authorisation carrying a QR code. That is what lets you board.
The visa fee is paid on arrival.

Les autorités algériennes ont décidé, dans le cadre de la promotion et la facilitation du tourisme saharien, de mettre en place, à titre exceptionnel et temporaire, et en substitution aux visas consulaires, des visas de régularisation (visa à l'arrivée), au profit des touristes étrangers qui choisissent le grand sud de l'Algérie comme destination touristique.

Source: Ambassade d'Algérie à Tokyo — annonce officielle · August 22, 2026

What the official sources do not specify

Which airports exactly. The UK FCDO writes "some airports" without naming them, and the Algerian announcements do not list them.
The amount of the fee. It is stated as payable on arrival, with no official figure. The amounts circulating come from tour operator sites; we do not repeat them.
Whether every nationality is eligible. No official source says.

What we contribute to that file

Your accommodation, confirmed and dated. It is one of the documents the agency will attach to your itinerary, and you get it in minutes.

See hotels in the south