East Africa Tourist Visa: How to Apply, What It Costs and the Rules (2026)

If your trip takes in gorillas in Uganda, the volcanoes of Rwanda and the plains of Kenya, the East Africa Tourist Visa lets you cover all three countries on one document instead of three. It costs US$100, allows multiple entries for up to 90 days, and is issued online by the immigration services of Uganda and Rwanda. This guide explains how the East Africa Tourist Visa works as of October 2026, who it suits, how to apply, and the rules that most often catch travellers out.

What the East Africa Tourist Visa is

The East Africa Tourist Visa, often shortened to EATV, was launched in February 2014 by Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda as a joint visa for holiday travel. One visa allows you to move between the three countries for tourism, leaving and re-entering as your itinerary requires, without buying a new visa at each border.

According to Uganda's Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control and Rwanda's immigration service, the key terms are:

Fee: US$100, non-refundable, plus any bank charges.

Validity: up to 90 days.

Entries: multiple entries for tourism within the three countries.

Countries covered: Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya only.

Purpose: tourism only. Working on this visa is not allowed.

Two countries people often expect to be included are not. Tanzania, including Zanzibar, is not part of the scheme, and neither are Burundi, South Sudan or the Democratic Republic of Congo. If your safari continues to the Serengeti or Zanzibar, you will need a separate Tanzanian visa.

Does it actually save money?

It depends on your route. Uganda's own single-entry tourist visa costs US$50, according to the immigration directorate. If you are only visiting Uganda, or visiting Uganda once and then flying home from another country, the single-entry visa is cheaper.

The East Africa Tourist Visa makes most sense when you will cross borders more than once. A typical example is a trip that starts in Uganda, crosses to Rwanda for Volcanoes National Park and then returns to Uganda for Bwindi or Queen Elizabeth National Park. With single-entry visas you would need to pay again to re-enter Uganda, while the joint visa covers the return. It also simplifies itineraries that add Kenya's Maasai Mara at the end of a gorilla trip.

The first-entry rule

The most important rule is that you apply to the country you will enter first, and you must use the visa to enter that country first. Uganda's immigration page says the issuing country should be your first point of entry, and the same principle is described for Rwanda.

In practice:

Flying into Entebbe first? Apply through Uganda's online immigration portal.

Flying into Kigali first? Apply through Rwanda's Irembo portal.

Starting in Kenya? Check Kenya's current arrangements before you apply (see below).

Getting this wrong is the most common reason travellers run into problems at the border, so decide your arrival city before you start the application.

A note on Kenya

Kenya changed its entry system in January 2024, replacing most visas with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA). Since then, it has widened exemptions for many African nationals and for citizens of East African Community partner states. Uganda and Rwanda continue to list Kenya as covered by the East Africa Tourist Visa, but Kenya's official guidance on how the joint visa interacts with its eTA is not clearly published. If Kenya is part of your trip, check the official Kenya eTA portal, or ask your airline or tour operator, close to your departure date, so you are not caught out at check-in.

How to apply in Uganda

Uganda's application is entirely online. Based on the immigration directorate's instructions, the steps are:

1. Go to Uganda's official visa portal (visas.immigration.go.ug) and start a new application.

2. Accept the disclaimer and choose the East Africa Tourist Visa as the visa type.

3. Complete the form and upload your documents.

4. Note the application ID that is generated. You will need it to track the application.

5. Pay the fee online when prompted.

6. Once approved, print the approval letter and carry it with your passport and receipts. Your biometrics are taken at the immigration desk when you arrive.

Use only the official government portals. Many look-alike websites charge extra "service" fees for the same application.

Documents you will need

Uganda's immigration directorate lists the following for the East Africa Tourist Visa:

A copy of your passport's photo page, with at least six months of validity remaining.

A recent passport-size photograph.

A return ticket.

A travel itinerary.

A yellow fever vaccination certificate.

All documents must be in English, and officers can ask for more during processing. On the yellow fever point, Uganda's immigration page currently carries a notice saying the certificate is no longer mandatory for entry into Uganda, while the document checklist still includes it. Because rules for onward travel to other countries can differ, carrying your certificate is the safest choice.

Rules that catch travellers out

It cannot be extended. The visa is not renewable on expiry, and it cannot be extended once you are inside any of the three countries. If you want to stay longer than 90 days, it is not the right visa.

Leaving the bloc ends the journey. Uganda's immigration page says the visa is not renewable on exiting the region. If you fly out to Tanzania or elsewhere and plan to come back, budget for a new visa.

It is for tourism only. Business meetings, volunteering and work need different permits.

Plan your border crossings. If you are travelling overland between Uganda and Rwanda, check with your tour operator which crossing fits your route and that it is open when you travel.

Planning a visit

When to apply: Start your application several weeks before you travel, and keep a printed copy of your approval letter.

Which portal: Uganda first: visas.immigration.go.ug. Rwanda first: irembo.gov.rw.

What it costs: US$100 for the joint visa, or US$50 for a Uganda-only single-entry tourist visa, as of October 2026.

Gorilla permits: The visa does not include park fees or permits. Gorilla permits in Bwindi and Mgahinga are sold separately by the Uganda Wildlife Authority; see our guide to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Before you fly: Fees and rules can change without much notice, so recheck the official portals in the week before departure.

Photo: LTC David Konop, US Army Africa / Wikimedia Commons (public domain).