Uganda Ebola Border Measures: Locator Forms Return, DRC Transits Banned and Hotels Must Register Guests

Uganda has tightened its Ebola border measures for every traveller arriving in the country. Over the weekend of 24 and 25 October, the Ministry of Health reinstated the passenger locator form for all arrivals by air, land or water, barred anyone with recent travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from transiting Uganda, and told hotels to register guests to support contact tracing. Uganda still has no confirmed Ebola cases, but the rules change the arrival routine at Entebbe International Airport and at land borders at the start of the busy end-of-year safari and gorilla trekking season.

This is a follow-up to our 21 October Ebola travel update. The new development is that Uganda has moved from heightened screening to formal entry and transit rules, after two travellers whose journeys ran through the country were later confirmed with the virus in Kenya and Nigeria.

What the new rules say

Prof. Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services, announced the first set of measures in a statement reported by the Daily Monitor on 24 October. Traveller locator forms are back for all incoming passengers regardless of where they started their journey, and travellers who have recently been in the DRC are temporarily barred from transiting through Uganda. "Applicable provisions of the Public Health Act will be invoked where public health requirements are breached," Olaro said.

Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi set out the fuller package at a press briefing in Kampala on 25 October, according to the government's Uganda Media Centre and the Daily Monitor. The main points for visitors are these.

Locator form: every traveller must complete the Passenger Locator Form before departure or on arrival. "All travellers intending to enter Uganda by air, land, or water must complete the passenger locator form," Baryomunsi said, as quoted by the Daily Monitor.

Screening for everyone: Port Health screening applies to all arrivals with no exemptions, including diplomats and UN staff. Checks have been stepped up at Entebbe, at all land crossings and at designated road checkpoints, and cleaning of baggage trays and passport-handling points at Entebbe has been increased.

No DRC transits: travellers with a DRC travel history may not transit Uganda by any means, including chartered flights, and the government has asked other countries and airlines to respect the rule.

Hotels: hotels and similar facilities must register their guests so that health teams can follow up if needed.

Quarantine and returns: Ugandans coming back from the DRC face 21 days of quarantine at their own cost, while non-essential DRC nationals are returned through the nearest border post, also at their own cost. Listed contacts of an active case are kept on a no-fly list until their 21-day follow-up ends.

The land border with the DRC remains closed except for humanitarian and cargo traffic, the US Embassy in Kampala noted in a health alert on 28 October.

Why Uganda acted now

The measures follow two exported cases. Kenya's first patient, who died in Nairobi on 5 October, travelled by road from the DRC to Kampala and flew out of Entebbe. Then Nigeria confirmed a case in Abuja in a woman who, the Daily Monitor reported, had reportedly spent a two-week holiday in Uganda. Olaro said "the traveller did not exhibit symptoms at the time of departure from Uganda." The Daily Monitor also reported that genomic sequencing linked her strain to Kenya's index case, although Nigerian authorities found no evidence that the two had been in contact. The ministry says its review of her movements is continuing with Nigerian authorities and international partners, and that findings will be published later.

Baryomunsi stressed that the country remains free of the disease. "As of today, 25th October, 2026, Uganda remains Ebola-free," he said in the ministry's statement, adding that no confirmed case has been recorded since the country's own outbreak was declared over on 28 July. All 60 people in Uganda who had contact with the Kenyan patient, including entry-point staff, hotel workers and transport operators, completed 21 days of monitoring without symptoms and were discharged. The ministry also reported no cases in Kasese, the high-risk district on the DRC border.

The regional picture

The Bundibugyo strain outbreak in the DRC has infected nearly 10,000 people and killed more than 4,600 since mid-May, the Daily Monitor reported, and cases linked to it have now been confirmed in four countries. Kenya reported a second death late on 23 October, a 65-year-old woman who died in quarantine, bringing its cluster to nine confirmed cases.

Uganda is also working on the other side of the border. The ministry says it runs three Ebola treatment units in eastern DRC with 240 beds between them and has deployed more than 120 health workers there. "No country can remain safe while transmission continues across its borders," Baryomunsi said.

US entry rules still apply

For American visitors, the bigger constraint remains US policy rather than Uganda's. The US Embassy's 28 October alert says US citizens who were in Uganda within 21 days of arriving in the United States must re-enter through a designated US airport, and that foreign nationals, including US lawful permanent residents, may not board flights to the United States until they have been outside Uganda for at least 21 days. The US first introduced Ebola-related arrival restrictions for travellers from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan on 21 May, according to a legal alert from the law firm Fredrikson.

So far, demand appears to be holding. US-based safari specialists told Southern and East African Tourism Update this week that they had seen no measurable fall in bookings, even after Washington raised its advisory for Kenya to Level 3. "Inquiries for East Africa remain strong," said Katie Hoppenjans of Extraordinary Journeys.

What it means for travellers

Before you fly: complete Uganda's Passenger Locator Form before departure and keep a copy on your phone. Allow extra time at Entebbe for health screening.

At your lodge: expect hotels and lodges to record your details on check-in. This is now a ministry requirement, not a choice by the property.

Itineraries: do not plan to route through Uganda after visiting the DRC, and avoid unofficial border crossings. Combined Uganda and Congo gorilla trips should be rechecked with your operator.

Onward travel to the US: if you are not a US citizen and plan to fly on to the United States, build a 21-day gap after leaving Uganda into your plans, or check the current State Department guidance before booking.

Insurance and health: confirm that your policy covers medical evacuation, keep up malaria prevention, and report any fever promptly. Uganda's Ministry of Health hotline is 0800-100-066.

Uganda's parks and gorilla trekking remain open. For trip planning, see our Uganda gorilla permits guide for 2026 and 2027 and our guide to the best time to visit Uganda.

Photo: Jedesto / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).