Before you travel
Do you need a yellow fever certificate for Uganda and Rwanda?
Uganda's immigration service announced on 2 October 2026 that a yellow fever vaccination certificate is no longer mandatory for entry. Other official sources have not all followed: the World Health Organization's country list, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands still describe it as required, while Germany, Austria and Italy say it is not. Rwanda does require the certificate from travellers arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever, and Uganda is one, so anyone crossing from Uganda into Rwanda needs it. Malaria is present all year in both countries and the health authorities recommend preventive medication. We are a tour operator, not a medical service, so take this to a travel clinic well before you leave.
Checked against official sources on . Sources
Uganda: what each authority says
The rule is in the middle of changing, and the sources a traveller is likely to consult do not agree. This is what each one said on the day we checked.
| Source | Yellow fever certificate to enter Uganda | Source dated |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda immigration (NCIC) | No longer mandatory | 2 October 2026 |
| World Health Organization | Required for all travellers aged 1 or over | 2022 list, revised January 2023 |
| United Kingdom (GOV.UK) | Required | 2 September 2026 |
| United States (CDC) | Required for arriving travellers aged 1 or over | Reviewed 25 August 2026 |
| France (France Diplomatie) | Still required | 15 September 2026 |
| Netherlands (Nederland Wereldwijd) | Required | 9 September 2026 |
| Germany (Auswärtiges Amt) | No longer required | 28 August 2026 |
| Austria (foreign ministry) | Requirement lifted in January 2026 | 1 October 2026 |
| Italy (Viaggiare Sicuri) | No longer required | 27 July 2026 |
| Spain (foreign ministry) | Only from travellers arriving from a country with risk | 1 September 2026 |
| Uganda Tourism Board | Not currently mandatory | Press release, October 2026 |
Uganda's own page for the East African Tourist Visa still lists a yellow fever certificate among the documents to attach, although the 2 October notice says it is not required. If you already have a certificate, carry it.
Rwanda
- Required if you arrive from a country with a risk of yellow fever. The World Health Organization gives this as Rwanda's rule for travellers aged 1 or over, and its list of risk countries includes Uganda and Kenya.
- The Rwanda Biomedical Centre says the certificate is mandatory for travellers coming from endemic countries and names Uganda and Kenya.
- Arriving from one of those countries without it, the Centre says you will be vaccinated on entry at your own cost; a certificate issued less than ten days earlier means quarantine.
- Flying to Rwanda directly from Europe or North America, the World Health Organization's rule does not ask for it.
- So a trip that starts in Uganda and crosses into Rwanda needs the certificate at the Rwandan border, whatever Uganda asked for on arrival.
The Dutch government's travel advice states the Rwandan requirement without the qualification, as required for anyone travelling to Rwanda.
The certificate itself
- It becomes valid ten days after the vaccination, according to the World Health Organization, so do not leave it to the last week.
- It is valid for life. Since 11 July 2016 the validity has been the lifetime of the person vaccinated, and the World Health Organization says a booster cannot be required.
- Where a certificate is required, the rule applies from the age of one.
- Separately from any entry rule, the World Health Organization recommends the vaccination for travel to Uganda, and does not for Rwanda. The UK and US health bodies recommend it for travellers to Uganda aged nine months and over.
Malaria
- The World Health Organization describes malaria risk as present throughout the year in the entire country, for both Uganda and Rwanda, mainly from Plasmodium falciparum.
- Its recommended prevention for both is preventive medication: atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the UK's TravelHealthPro list the same medicines.
- None of those sources exempts the gorilla parks for their altitude. Bwindi lies between 1,160 and 2,607 metres and Volcanoes National Park between 2,500 and 4,000 metres, and no official source we found gives an altitude above which the advice changes in either country.
- Visit Rwanda says much of Rwanda lies too high for malaria to be a major concern, and in the same sentence that the disease is present and preventive medication is recommended.
Which medicine suits you is a question for a doctor or travel clinic, not for us.
Common questions
- Do I need a yellow fever certificate for Uganda in 2026?
- Uganda's immigration service said on 2 October 2026 that it is no longer mandatory for entry. The World Health Organization's list, the UK, the US, France and the Netherlands still describe it as required, and Germany, Austria and Italy say it is not. If you have one, carry it.
- Do I need a yellow fever certificate to go from Uganda to Rwanda?
- Yes. Rwanda requires it from travellers arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever, and both the World Health Organization and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre list Uganda as one.
- How long before travel do I need the yellow fever vaccination?
- At least ten days. The World Health Organization says the certificate is valid from ten days after the vaccine is given.
- Does a yellow fever certificate expire?
- No. Since 11 July 2016 it has been valid for the life of the person vaccinated, and a booster cannot be required.
- Is there malaria in Bwindi and Volcanoes National Park?
- The World Health Organization describes malaria risk as present all year in the entire country for both Uganda and Rwanda, and no official source we found exempts the gorilla parks for their altitude.
- Do children need a yellow fever certificate?
- Where a certificate is required, the World Health Organization gives the rule as applying to travellers aged one or over.
Safaris to start from
6-Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari
A six-day Uganda safari across Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi national parks, with game drives, the top of the falls, a Kazinga Channel boat cruise and mountain gorilla trekking.
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.
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. Entry health rules change at short notice and the official sources above did not agree with each other on the day we checked. Read your own government's travel advice and ask a travel clinic before you go.
- Uganda National Citizenship and Immigration Control — Official notice: yellow fever certificate no longer mandatory, 2 October 2026
- Uganda Tourism Board — Press release: yellow fever certificate no longer a requirement, October 2026 (PDF)
- Uganda Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control — East African Tourist Visa
- World Health Organization — Vaccination requirements and recommendations for international travellers, and malaria situation per country (PDF)
- World Health Organization — Countries with risk of yellow fever transmission and vaccination requirements (PDF)
- World Health Organization — Yellow fever, questions and answers
- Rwanda Biomedical Centre — Information note for travellers
- GOV.UK — Uganda entry requirements
- GOV.UK — Rwanda entry requirements
- TravelHealthPro (UK National Travel Health Network and Centre) — Uganda
- TravelHealthPro (UK National Travel Health Network and Centre) — Rwanda
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Uganda
- Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office) — Uganda: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise
- Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office) — Ruanda: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise
- Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs — Uganda: Reiseinformation
- 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) — Uganda
- Viaggiare Sicuri (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) — Ruanda
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Spain) — Uganda: recomendaciones de viaje
- Nederland Wereldwijd (Government of the Netherlands) — Reisadvies Uganda
- Nederland Wereldwijd (Government of the Netherlands) — Reisadvies Rwanda
- Visit Rwanda — Health
- Uganda Wildlife Authority — Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Visit Rwanda — Volcanoes National Park
Planning questions
Crossing from Uganda into Rwanda?
Tell us your route and we will set out what each border asks for, in the order you will meet them.