How many blank pages in passport?

Hi,

I and others answered the Kenya portion of your same question on Tripadvisor a few days ago, it's officially two blank facing pages, one for the visa sticker and one for the entry and exit stamps but you will probably get away with one if you are nice to the Immigration officer, more details on the Tripadvisor thread

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g294206-i9216-k6494138-How_many_blank_pages_in_passport-Kenya.html#49516759

What I think you are asking is whether those 9 pages will be enough for all the countries you intend to visit.

You can base your calculation on how many times you plan to cross a border. Kenya and Tanzania both issue large visa stickers that take up an entire page, so you've lost two pages right there.

In my experience at least, Malawi and Uganda don't use big stickers. They just put a small stamp on your page and write something next to it in pen. So these countries will each take up half a page or less.

I haven't visited Zambia or Zim in two decades, so I can't advise you on their policies. Perhaps someone else can weigh in.

But it looks to me like 9 pages is more than enough.

I think a lot of this depends on whether you get visa-free access or whether you'll have to buy a visa. If visa-free, all you usually end up with is a little stamp. If you have to buy a visa, they usually come as full-page stickers. But assuming you don't cross borders repeatedly, 9 pages should be sufficient.

If crossing between Tanzania and Malawi, DO NOT change money with the MONSTERS on the Songwe bridge, no matter how anxious you are to be rid of your Tsh or your kwacha. DO NOT take out any money. Those people are thieves and will steal your money in broad daylight if given half the chance. They will surround you and distract you while one person makes off with your money. They'll also try to intimidate you by sheer strength of numbers and by shouting at you. If you're caught in such a situation, ignore everyone and head straight to the border police. You must also be able to identify at least one of the thieves.

Appalling behavior really. I've crossed numerous African borders. In fact, I live at the Kenyan-Ugandan border but I've never experienced anything quite like the Tz-Malawi border. Shame, given how much I love Tz (the first African country I ever visited).

I know that border crossing well, and have heard of other people being robbed/cheated too. But you don't have to deal with them. The Malawi government operates a forex bureau a stone's throw from their immigration office and they offer pretty good rates. There is also a privately run forex near the Tanzanian customs, also with good rates. You can change your money securely at either one.

When I was there in March this year, the forex on the Malawian side didn't have any Tsh. Neither did the bank next to the immigration office. I was eager to get rid of my kwacha and I had changed money on the black market so many times that it never even crossed my mind that they would try to scam me.

The Tz police were surprisingly helpful and I was able to recover all my money because I was able to identify the big belligerent thug who had been particularly nasty. It wasn't until I had crossed the bridge that I saw the forex on the Tanzanian side, which is where I ended up changing my money for real.

But apparently, this has been going on for a long time so I don't really believe that the police wouldn't know who the usual suspects are. Might even be in on the scam.