Visas & Entry Requirements

Visa Requirements
Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda each offer e-visas that can be arranged online before travel, and all three countries have moved to fully digital application processes, meaning there is generally no visa-on-arrival option, so applications must be submitted and approved before departure. For travelers combining multiple countries, the East Africa Tourist Visa (EATV) offers a more convenient alternative: a single joint visa that covers Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda together. The EATV is valid for 90 days and allows multiple entries across all three countries, meaning travelers can move freely between them, for example trekking gorillas in Bwindi, crossing into Rwanda for Volcanoes National Park, and continuing on to a Masai Mara safari in Kenya, all on one visa without needing to apply separately at each border. The EATV is intended strictly for tourism purposes and does not permit work, business activity, or employment of any kind.
There is one important rule to flag clearly on the site: travelers must apply for the EATV through the immigration portal of whichever country they plan to enter first, and that same country must be their actual first point of entry. Someone starting their trip in Uganda must apply through Uganda's official e-visa portal, someone entering via Kenya must apply through Kenya's eCitizen portal, and someone entering via Rwanda must apply through the Irembo portal. Arriving in a different country than the one used for the application can result in denied entry or being forced to purchase a new, country-specific visa on the spot, so itineraries should be planned with this sequencing in mind from the outset. It's also worth noting that the EATV only covers travel within Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda: travelers planning to extend their trip into Tanzania will need a separate visa for that leg of the journey.
Before traveling, all visitors should confirm that their passport has at least six months of validity remaining beyond their intended departure date and contains at least two blank pages, as this is a standard requirement across all three countries and a common reason for delays or denied boarding when overlooked. Applying two to three weeks ahead of departure is generally recommended to allow time for processing and to avoid last-minute issues. Travelers should also be cautious of unofficial third-party websites that charge inflated fees for e-visas that are far cheaper through the official government portals, and should always apply directly through each country's official immigration site.
Worth flagging for the site: visa fees, exemption lists, and portal details can change, so it's best to link directly to each country's official immigration portal (Uganda's e-Visa portal, Kenya's eCitizen, and Rwanda's Irembo) rather than listing fixed prices, since these are the details most likely to go out of date.