I actually managed to get one of these wonderful things and through a post was just reminded that they aren't always easy to come by.

First, I'll say I got the visa in Cape Town since I think that makes a difference. Going South, and getting it in Nigeria or something might just make for a generic 5 day (and explain the dirth of tourist visas since most travel is N-S) In CT they want:

-A letter of introduction in Portuguese with a copy of the person's ID card (front and back) that is notarized in Angola. The Embassy is happy to have them faxed directly (make sure to have a copied e-mailed to you).
-A letter in Portuguese from you stating why you want to go to Angola, where you are going, etc. I gave them a here-to here-to here list and also mentioned that after watching the Africa Cup matches I just really wanted to see more of what Angola had to offer.
-a copy of your yellow fever cert.
-2 passport photos
-Proof of money (they say they do, but they gave me back my bank statements and said they didn't care)

Now, for the good stuff...

The guy to get the translation done is:
Germano Menezes
gamenezes@telkomsa.net
He is a true gentleman and knows what to write. Maybe tell him to do the same layout for you as he did for me (The Canadian David Radford in mid/late August of 2010). His prices are very good (under 200 Rand for a 1.5 page translation with full wax seal, etc).

The lady to get the invite done is:
Nancy Gottlieb
nancysschool@gmail.com
It will cost you about $55USD all in.
She will get you a properly notarized and filled out letter of invitation send from Angola to the embassy in CT. While I haven't met her yet, she has been fantastic at getting the visa done and being available over e-mail. She also trusts 'us' and so I expect anyone who uses her services to remember that- it's not just you, it's all the rest of us too.

Okay, yes- I know you can do it cheaper and easier, but in CT they are rather strict and I did get a 30 day visa.

Big P.S.
Get a printed copy of your letter of invite!!!!
I almost got denied entry because I didn't have a copy of my letter of invite- not at the Angola border, but at the Namibian one since they wouldn't let me stamp out without one. It took a while and some tense moments, but if it wasn't for luck I would have been denied entry.

__________________
DRad
http://gsguy.wordpress.com

Well done. Hopefully it was a multiple entry visa if you're travelling through.

__________________
F650GS for Sale in USA
http://sanfranciscomotorycle.com

Thanks DRad for that quite useful post. We're currently a bit stuck in Brazzaville without an Angolan visa, I'll now start finding out if going after a fully-fledged tourist visa is not the way to go, rather than a transit one that they only want to give out in Matadi (DRC).

On that Matadi note- do you know if you can quickly get a transit visa there for Cabinda? Do you need all the supporting stuff (letter of invite, etc) or is it fairly painless? I've decided that I want to go through there if I can and skip the whole Brazzaville/Kinshasa mess if possible.

__________________
DRad
http://gsguy.wordpress.com

Hi,

After i tryed 6 weeks to get a transitvisum at the embassy in germany i told them to send my passport back and went to capetown. Here i used the Angola Gateway agency who prommised me the visa within 5-7 workingdays to do the paperwork for me.

Now, two weeks later i still do not have my visa and im worried my congovisa might espire. The onely thing i got is a bill about R1150 again.

After phoning the embassy directl a very rude lady shouted to me. "You people have just have to wayt..." It will be the last time i want to visit angola. Im going up east next time again...

cu, Tobi

Yeah, the Angola visa is a huge pain in the rear to get, but so far I've got to say that it was worth it- I'm loving the country and the people are great- zero hassle, one guy insisted on buying my gas (30 liters!), ad the cops have actually been very friendly!

If you are in Cape Town and go and do the visa yourself at the embassy downtown. They have a form they give you with everything they want (as listed in my first post) and they aren't too bad to deal with in person. The Embassy is in a square behind the Engen building with easy bike parking and around here:
S33 55.205 E18 25.448

Good Luck!!

__________________
DRad
http://gsguy.wordpress.com

Any other suggestions for people to help with the invitation letters?

Nancy (above) hasn't replied to emails or text.

Cheers, dj

__________________
Kiwi, 7 years around Africa. Overlanding channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/roamingyak

yes I also still don't have an answer from her either!!

This comes terribly late after the fact (a bit over 2 months), but I wanted to report that (after entering the DRC at Mindouli and crossing the Congo at Luozi), we obtained 7-day transit visas from the Angolan consulate in Matadi. The process was totally random: told to get lost on the first day on account of my wife's passport being "full", we showed up again the next day to hear a very different tune: a suitable space was found in her passport, and mine was processed as well. We got them back the following day with 7-day transit visas. A Czech couple, waiting to submit their applications on the day we came to retrieve our passports, was summarily turned away, told to try in Kinshasa (and subsequently took a different route through DRC to Zambia).

it is good to hear that but was going to try all the way down in both Acrra, Abuja and Matadi anyway and see what I can get, i'm lucky to have 2 UK passports (a privilige some might say) so it might be a small advantage

We are now waiting nearly a month for our Ang visas still no answer and same when calling the embassy in Pretoria.

__________________
12 reasons to follow us www.pikipiki.co.za