Before you travel
East Africa Tourist Visa, or two separate visas?
The East Africa Tourist Visa costs US$100, lasts 90 days and lets you move between Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya as often as you like. You apply through the country you enter first, and it ends when it expires or when you leave the three countries. Whether it saves money depends on your passport and your route. Rwanda gives citizens of Commonwealth, African Union and Francophonie countries, among them France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, a free 30-day visa on arrival, while German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and American citizens pay US$50. Uganda's single-entry visa is also US$50. So going from Uganda into Rwanda and back costs US$150 in separate visas for the passports that pay, against US$100 for the one visa.
Checked against official sources on . Sources
What the visa covers
- Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya only. Tanzania is not part of it.
- US$100, valid for 90 days, and usable any number of times between the three countries.
- It is not renewable when it expires, or once you leave the three countries.
- The country that issues it should be the first one you enter.
- Uganda asks for a passport with at least six months' validity, a passport photograph, a return ticket and your itinerary. Its page also still lists a yellow fever certificate, although Uganda announced on 2 October 2026 that the certificate is no longer mandatory for entry.
Where to apply
- Entering Uganda first: apply online through Uganda's immigration portal before you travel. Uganda requires travellers who need a visa to obtain it online, and the approval is presented at the border.
- Entering Rwanda first: Rwanda's immigration service says the visa can be applied for online, obtained on arrival at the border, or issued by a Rwandan diplomatic mission.
- Germany's foreign office tells its citizens to apply through Rwanda's online portal before travelling, and the Dutch government points to the Rwandan embassy in The Hague. Applying online before you leave satisfies all three.
- Entering Kenya first: Kenya now uses an electronic travel authorisation. Its portal lists an East African Tourist version as coming soon and sells a standard single-entry authorisation at US$30, so check that portal before relying on the one visa from Kenya.
What Rwanda charges, by passport
Rwanda issues a visa on arrival to nationals of every country, at Kigali International Airport and at all land borders. The fee depends on your nationality.
| Passport | Rwanda visa on arrival | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg | 30 days, single entry | Free |
| United Kingdom, Canada, Australia | 30 days, single entry | Free |
| Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands | 30 days single entry, or 90 days multiple entry | US$50 single, US$70 multiple |
| Austria, Ireland, United States | 30 days single entry, or 90 days multiple entry | US$50 single, US$70 multiple |
The waiver is for member states of the Commonwealth, the African Union and La Francophonie. Austria and Ireland are observers of La Francophonie, not members, and are not on Rwanda's published list. France's foreign ministry adds that the free visa must be requested again each time you leave Rwanda.
Which is cheaper for your route
A single-entry visa covers one entry, so returning to Uganda after Rwanda means a second Ugandan visa. That is what makes the one visa cheaper on a round trip for the passports that pay in Rwanda.
Citizens of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta are on Uganda's visa-exempt list and need no Ugandan visa at all.
| Route | Passports that pay in Rwanda | Passports with the free Rwanda visa | East Africa Tourist Visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda only | US$50 | US$50 | US$100 |
| In through Uganda, home from Kigali | US$100 | US$50 | US$100 |
| Uganda, into Rwanda, and back to Uganda | US$150 | US$100 | US$100 |
Crossing by road
- The three main crossings between Uganda and Rwanda are Katuna (Gatuna on the Rwandan side), Cyanika and Mirama Hills (Kagitumba).
- Katuna/Gatuna and Mirama Hills/Kagitumba are one-stop border posts, where both countries' formalities are done in one place.
- Entering Rwanda by road, the visa on arrival is issued at the land border.
- Entering Uganda by road, the online approval is needed first: Uganda's border offices complete the visa from the approval letter.
Common questions
- Does the East Africa Tourist Visa cover Tanzania?
- No. It covers Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya only, and it ends if you leave those three countries, so a side trip to Tanzania or Zanzibar ends it.
- Can I get the East Africa Tourist Visa on arrival in Rwanda?
- Rwanda's immigration service says it can be issued on arrival at the border as well as online or at a diplomatic mission. Germany's foreign office advises applying online before travel, which satisfies both.
- Is the Rwanda visa free for French, Belgian and Swiss citizens?
- Yes. Rwanda waives the fee for a 30-day single-entry visa on arrival for citizens of Francophonie, Commonwealth and African Union member states, and its published list names France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
- How much is a Rwanda visa for German, Dutch, Italian and Spanish citizens?
- US$50 for a single-entry visa of 30 days, or US$70 for a multiple-entry visa of 90 days, issued on arrival.
- Can I trek gorillas in both Uganda and Rwanda on one visa?
- Yes. The East Africa Tourist Visa allows repeated entry to both countries for 90 days, provided you applied through the country you entered first.
- Is one visa or two cheaper for Uganda and Rwanda?
- For passports that pay US$50 in Rwanda, two separate visas cost US$100 on a one-way route and US$150 on a round trip back into Uganda, against US$100 for the one visa. For passports with the free Rwanda visa, separate visas cost US$50 one way and US$100 for the round trip.
Safaris to start from
16 Day Uganda Rwanda Safari
A sixteen-day journey across Uganda and Rwanda combining gorilla and chimpanzee tracking with savanna game drives, the Nile, Lake Kivu, Nyungwe Forest and Akagera. The route ends in Kigali with a city tour and Genocide Memorial visit.
6 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
A six-day safari through southwestern Uganda and into Rwanda, combining mountain gorilla tracking in Bwindi with a game drive and Kazinga Channel boat safari in Queen Elizabeth. It ends with a visit to Kigali's Genocide Memorial.
8-Day Rwanda Gorillas and Chimps Safari
An eight-day Rwanda journey that pairs chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe with gorilla trekking in the Volcanoes, alongside Lake Kivu and cultural stops. It runs from Kigali across the south and northwest of the country.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked on against these sources. Visa rules and fees change, sometimes at short notice. Apply through the official government portals linked here, and check them again before you apply.
- Uganda Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control — East African Tourist Visa
- Uganda Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control — Tourist visa
- Uganda Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control — Mandatory online visa applications
- Uganda Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control — Visa-exempt countries
- Uganda National Citizenship and Immigration Control — Official notice: yellow fever certificate no longer mandatory, 2 October 2026
- Rwanda Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration — Visas issued under special arrangement (East Africa Tourist Visa)
- Rwanda Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration — Visa on arrival
- Rwanda Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration — Visitor visa
- Rwanda Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration — Communiqué on the visa regime naming the fee-waived countries, 10 March 2020 (PDF)
- Rwanda Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration — Border management (list of border posts)
- Uganda National Citizenship and Immigration Control — Borders by region
- Uganda Revenue Authority — One-stop border posts
- Kenya Electronic Travel Authorisation — Eligibility and fees
- Organisation internationale de la Francophonie — Liste des 93 États et gouvernements (PDF)
- The Commonwealth — Member countries
- Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office) — Ruanda: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise
- France Diplomatie — Ouganda : conseils aux voyageurs, entrée et séjour
- France Diplomatie — Rwanda : conseils aux voyageurs, entrée et séjour
- Viaggiare Sicuri (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) — Ruanda
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Spain) — Uganda: recomendaciones de viaje
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Spain) — Ruanda: recomendaciones de viaje
- Nederland Wereldwijd (Government of the Netherlands) — Reisadvies Rwanda
Planning questions
Planning Uganda and Rwanda in one trip?
Tell us where you want to start and finish, and we will work out the route and the visas that go with it.