Uganda
Kenya
RwandaOne tourist visa for Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda
The East African Tourist Visa, often shortened to EATV, is a regional tourism permission. It allows travel between the three participating countries during its validity. It does not cover Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan or every East African Community member.
Start with your itinerary rather than the visa name: list your first arrival in the region, every border crossing and your final departure. That short timeline helps identify the issuing country and any separate permission you may need.
Rule reference: Uganda Immigration. Also check the guide for your passport nationality; residence and citizenship are different.
First entry matters more than where you live
Apply through the country where you will first enter the region. For the Uganda route offered here, that first entry must be Uganda. If your holiday starts in Nairobi or Kigali, use the relevant issuing-country route instead of selecting Uganda because a later hotel is in Uganda.
| Your itinerary | What to check before applying |
|---|---|
| Uganda → Rwanda → Kenya | A Uganda-issued regional visa may fit the tourism route. Align the itinerary, arrival booking and requested dates. |
| Kenya → Uganda → Rwanda | Kenya is the first regional entry. Check the Kenya issuing route before paying for a Uganda application. |
| Uganda → Tanzania → Uganda | Tanzania is outside the bloc. Confirm separate entry requirements and permission to return before booking. |
| Uganda only | Compare the single-entry Tourist Visa; regional permission may be unnecessary. |
Uganda’s central guidance says the EATV ends on leaving the bloc; its Washington embassy page describes returning differently. Rwanda describes multiple entry while remaining within the three countries. Obtain confirmation from your issuing authority before relying on a trip outside the bloc and back.
East Africa Tourist Visa requirements and documents
Passport biodata page
Use the passport you will carry. Check the validity requirement of at least six months and make the complete details page readable, including the machine-readable lines.
Recent photograph
Prepare a recent passport-style photograph. Use the original image file where possible; a screenshot of a photo on another screen can make the face unclear.
Return or onward ticket
Have the booking for leaving the region ready. Compare the passenger name and dates with the passport and itinerary before attaching the file.
Detailed travel itinerary
List the countries in order, dates, intended crossings and accommodation. Keep the first arrival consistent with the issuing-country route you choose.
Our category checklist shows the required uploads before you send the form. Keep accommodation contacts, your intended entry point and original documents available. If a tour operator supplied a combined itinerary, check that it identifies the travellers and the sequence clearly.
For example, a booking called “East Africa safari” may not show whether the first arrival is Entebbe or Nairobi. Ask for that detail before selecting the issuing country; the tour’s marketing name cannot answer the first-entry question.
Checklist references: category guidance and the application portal. The portal snapshot reviewed on 31 October 2026 specifies JPEG, PNG, BMP or PDF, 5–250 KB per file, with documents in English. Follow any updated instructions shown when applying.
What about yellow-fever documents?
Uganda’s 2 October 2026 notice says a vaccination certificate is no longer mandatory for entry into Uganda. An older regional-visa checklist still lists it. Confirm current application instructions and check Kenya, Rwanda and transit-country requirements separately; the Uganda notice does not establish those countries’ rules.
Read the dated immigration notice ↓Check regional application files on your device →. The tool checks file properties without uploading them; it cannot confirm entry permission or the sufficiency of an itinerary.
East Africa Tourist Visa cost and Uganda-only comparison
Uganda Tourist Visa
USD 99
One tourist visit entirely in Uganda. A single-entry stay of up to three months may be granted.
Choose Uganda Tourist Visa →East Africa Tourist Visa
USD 199
A Uganda-first regional holiday involving the participating countries, subject to the 90-day permission and entry conditions.
Choose East Africa Visa ↗These are Uganda Visa total prices per applicant for the selected application-assistance service. The form provides guided data entry, the category document checklist and a review screen. Check your selected total before sending. Payment does not guarantee a favourable immigration decision.
Do not choose a regional visa only because you plan several Uganda hotel stays. Compare international entries and destinations. For repeated Uganda visits over a longer period, review the Multiple Entry Visa duration and document guide.
Three practical decisions before an East Africa application
Entebbe arrival, Uganda safari, then Rwanda
Write the Uganda arrival first, the intended Rwanda crossing next and the final departure last. A tour plan should identify that sequence and the traveller, rather than only the package name. Compare the regional option with separate destination requirements before completing the Uganda-first application.
Nairobi arrival with Uganda later in the holiday
Living in a different country or spending more nights in Uganda does not change the first arrival in this itinerary. Check the Kenya issuing route instead of beginning a Uganda-issued regional request. If your flight only connects in Nairobi, establish where you actually enter the region; an airport connection and entering the country are different events.
Two separate Uganda holidays months apart
A three-country holiday product and repeated Uganda visits over time solve different travel patterns. Compare the ordinary Multiple Entry Visa evidence and durations. Do not treat a regional tourist permission as a general long-term Uganda visa.
These are planning examples, not accounts of approved customers. Check the first-entry and exit guidance against your own bookings. If a detail remains unclear, ask about the itinerary before paying.
How to apply through the Uganda route
Confirm the route
Check your passport, purpose and first regional arrival. Resolve a Kenya-first or Rwanda-first itinerary before completing a Uganda form.
Enter the details
Open the form with East Africa selected. Use the traveller’s own name, passport, contact email and travel dates.
Attach and review
Upload the category documents, then use the summary to check names, numbers, destinations and total price.
Follow up before travel
Keep your reference, watch for requests and inspect the dates and conditions on any issued permission before departure.
When should you start?
The Uganda embassy in Washington describes usual review in two to three working days and advises applying at least five working days before travel. Additional checks or documents can take longer. Use this as planning guidance, not an approval deadline or a promise of expedited service.
Timing reference: embassy application guidance. A request made through this website uses our request-status page. Applications made directly with immigration must be followed up with the issuing authority.
Starting your regional trip in Uganda?
Prepare the passport and route details, then continue with the right category selected.
East Africa Tourist Visa questions
What is the East Africa Tourist Visa?
It is one regional permission for tourism in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. It is also called the East African Tourist Visa or EATV. It does not cover every country in East Africa.
Which country must I enter first?
Enter the country that issued your regional visa first. This website prepares the Uganda application route, so choose it for an itinerary whose first entry into the region is Uganda. A Kenya-first or Rwanda-first trip needs the corresponding issuing-country route.
How much does the East Africa Tourist Visa cost through Uganda Visa?
Our total is USD 199 per applicant for the selected application-assistance service. You can review the total before sending the form. A paid order is not a promise of approval or a guaranteed government processing time.
What documents should I prepare?
Prepare the passport biodata page, a recent passport photograph, a return or onward ticket and a detailed itinerary. Have accommodation and contact details ready. The upload checklist is shown for the selected category; immigration may request further evidence.
Does each crossing start another 90 days?
No. Do not treat a border crossing as a new allowance. Check the validity on the permission issued and plan the complete regional trip within it. The East African Tourist Visa is not an indefinite series of separate stays.
Can I include Tanzania, Burundi or South Sudan?
Those destinations are outside this three-country tourist visa. Assess their entry requirements separately. Uganda’s central guidance says leaving the bloc ends the EATV; an embassy page describes return differently. Obtain confirmation from the issuing authority before booking an itinerary that leaves and returns.
Can I work or volunteer with this visa?
It is a tourism category and does not authorise employment. If your trip includes volunteering, a placement or another organised activity, describe the activity to immigration and confirm the appropriate permission before selecting a tourist product.
Do I need a yellow-fever certificate?
Uganda’s notice dated 2 October 2026 says a certificate is no longer mandatory for entry into Uganda, while older visa checklists still list it. Check the current application instructions and the separate requirements for Kenya, Rwanda and your travel route.
Should I choose EATV for a Uganda-only holiday?
Compare your actual itinerary first. For one tourist visit entirely in Uganda, the single-entry Tourist Visa may be the relevant option. The regional category is useful when your travel plan includes the participating countries and meets the issuing-country conditions.
Are children included in one family application?
Prepare an individual application and appropriate documents for each traveller who needs a visa. Use the passport details of that person. Do not assume that one adult’s regional visa covers accompanying children.
Sources and information review
Reviewed 1 November 2026 by Uganda Visa. This guide identifies differences between published sources instead of silently treating them as the same instruction. Read our editorial policy or report a correction.
- Uganda Immigration: East African Tourist Visa ↗
Regional coverage, first entry, supporting documents and validity.
- Rwanda Immigration: regional visa information ↗
Issuing country first and travel within the three participating countries.
- Uganda Immigration: online application checklist
Category-specific application fields and upload instructions inspected on 31 October 2026.
- Uganda Immigration: 2 October 2026 entry notice ↗
Dated yellow-fever certificate announcement; older checklists differ.
- Uganda Embassy in Washington: visa information ↗
Planning estimates and a different description of travel outside the region.
