How To Get A Comoros🇰🇲Visa On Arrival At Hahaya International Airport

I finally arrived in Comoros in July 2025! It was the third country of my Rainy Summertime tour and my 235th recognised country on this whackpacking odyssey on a ball.

What Is Comoros? What are Comoro Islands?

It’s actually a bit similar to the whole British Isles, Britain, Great Britain, United Kingdom argument and there can be confusion here. The Union Of Comoros itself is a separate independent country off the east coast of Africa. The Union of Comoros has its own international football team and is recognised by France, the EU, the UN and FIFA. However that Union is part of the Comoro Islands, a few of which are separately known as Mayotte, which is claimed by both France and Comoros. I personally recognise both Comoros and Mayotte as two completely separate countries. If you backpack Mayotte you are backpacking the EU in Africa!

The Comoro Islands are located in the Mozambique Channel to the north-west of Madagascar and facing Mozambique. They are volcanic islands, covering a total area of 2,034 km^2. The ones in green below are the ones I visited. They can be classified as follows:

Union Of Comoros (Comoros)

• Ngazidja (also known as Grande Comore): the largest island of the Union of the Comoros, with its capital Moroni
• Ndzuwani (also known as Anjouan): part of the Union of the Comoros
• Mwali (also known as Mohéli): part of the Union of the Comoros

Mayotte Part (French claimed, officially part of France and the EU)

Mayotte (also known as Maore) is a French overseas department. Mayotte is composed of two islands –

• Grande-Terre (where the capital city Mamoudzou lies)
• Petite-Terre (also known as Pamanzi), where the Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airport is located.

The Glorioso Islands

The Glorioso Islands are the most confusing one. It’s officially a French overseas territory, but they are also claimed by Comoros, Madagascar and formerly by Seychelles!! The Glorioso Islands are Grande Glorieuse, Île du Lys and eight little rock islets, they were administratively attached to the archipelago before 1975, and, geologically speaking, form a part of the archipelago.

The Comoros flag looks like this and the four stars represent the four islands, therefore the Mayotte islands group is one of those stars!

Who Needs A Visa for Comoros?

As of 2025, the visa requirements are as follows, very straight forward by the way – nicely run policy here!

• All visitors regardless of nationality to Comoros are required to have a valid visa (unless otherwise exempted).
• Nationals of any country can obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 45 days at a cost of Euro 30 each.
• All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months and return or onward tickets.

So basically, EVERYONE needs a visa, but also EVERYONE can get it on arrival! Unless of course you have been banned from Comoros!

Where Is Hahaya International Airport?

Hahaya International Airport is the main airport in Comoros and is situated in the north east coast of Grande Comore, the largest island of the Comoros hat-trick. It is about a 30 minute /20 kilometre drive north of Moroni, the country’s capital.

How To Get A Comoros Visa On Arrival At Hahaya International Airport

I touched down in Hahaya International Airport shortly after noon. It’s a small airport. Oddly, on an international flight, we entered the country through the building of the Domestic Airport, which is on the right hand side, 5 minutes walk from the international airport. I flew in from Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania with Air Tanzania.

On the flight in, I was given (included in flight price) a beef sandwich, a glass of cola, a bottle of water and a hygenic wipe.

At immigration, it became obvious I was the only foreigner here, which made things so fast and easy. There was one side of immigration for locals or those who don’t need a visa – that was on the right-hand side. I was the only person who went to the desk on the left-hand side – VISA on ARRIVAL for foreigners. Surprisingly, there was no form to be filled in! The official just asked me why I was here (tourism), where I was staying (Farida Lodge) and how many days I was staying for (I said 5, even though I was staying for 4, as I am so used to flight delays and cancellations). I paid him 30 Euros in cash (I don’t know if the local currency is also accepted, or US Dollars – paying 30 Euros is the standard). And with that, the immigration officer took a photo of me and stamped me on entry into the Union of Comoros. The stamp is red and looks like this:

Then you go out the door and into a room on the left, and left again. Here, they check the stamp and issue you with the visa sticker in the small room. It was all done smoothly, fast, without fuss and in a matter of minutes. Wow! Well done Comoros, finally on this trip a country that made me smile. The visa itself looks like this:

Then, also without fuss, my driver is here and he takes me straight to Farida Lodge, my home for the next 3 nights/4 days

Here are some videos of my arrival into Comoros: