As a rule, all Ugandan tourist visas and work permits must be applied for online BEFORE you travel. However: October 2024 the official Uganda visa application portal was temporarily out of service. It is now back online (October 14).
“Due to ongoing e-immigration system upgrade travellers are unable to access online visa services. As a temporary measure to minimise travel disruptions, airlines should allow travellers destined for Uganda to board without prior e-visa approval. Please note that this exemption is temporary until our e-visa system is restored.”
Which nationals need to pay for a visa to enter Uganda?
Click here to see the “List of visa exempt nationalities. If your nationality is on the list, you don’t need to apply for a visa to enter Uganda.
How to apply for Ugandan tourist visa?
The Ugandan government’s online electronic visa application system is mandatory for applying for all Ugandan visas, including: entry permit (work permit), Uganda tourist visa, multiple entry visa, transit visa, East Africa tourist visa, student pass, diplomatic visa, official visa, special pass, Certificate of Residence and dependent’s pass.
Requests for tourist visas, passes and work permits (E-Visa and E-permits) should be completed via this link on the official Uganda immigration website.
Applicants for all immigration services such as visas, work permits and passes will be required to apply and pay online, and an electronic notification / authorisation will be sent to the applicant before proceeding to the preferred Entry Point e.g. Entebbe International Airport or the nearest Uganda Mission abroad for the visa to be issued. Uganda has 22 official ‘points of entry’ border posts. Entebbe International Airport has the majority of tourist arrivals, followed by Katuna / Gatuna (Rwanda) and Busia and Malaba (Kenya border).
Are you travelling to Uganda? Apply for a Ugandan visa online
Apply at least ONE MONTH prior to travel. (However, some applications are approved in hours, others days, some not at all… if you apply too early, your visa approval may even get cancelled and you’re unlikely to get your money back).
Be prepared. You need to complete the online application in one sitting. The online application does not allow you to save your information and return to the screen later.
NOTE: COVID-19 vaccination certificates and negative PCR test results are no longer required. HOORAY. For more info on the exact documents needed, according to the type of visa you are applying for, go to the Uganda immigration web site general information page.
If you’re applying for a single entry Uganda tourist visa, you’ll need to upload:
The files you upload can’t be bigger than 250kb (that’s pretty small!) so resize all your docs before you start the application process. Only PDF, JPEG, PNG and BMP files are accepted.
The Uganda immigration web site details the fees for applying for Ugandan visas online.
Pay online for your Uganda tourist visa. Only Mastercard and Visa are accepted online and there is a 3% surcharge for online payment. In 2024, the single entry Uganda tourist visa fee is $50: $51.50 for the visa and $1.50 admin fee. For more info about the tourist visa, work permit and pass fees, the website of Africa Immigration Advisory Services, Kampala is very helpful.
When you complete the visa application process, make a note of your application number! You may need this in case you have to follow up. Otherwise, click here to retrieve your Uganda visa application ID but some people say this hasn’t always worked.
The decision taken on the online application (“yes” or “no” on whether you’re coming to Uganda) will be sent via email. Assuming you get the go-ahead, your visa approval letter will be sent as an email attachment. You’re advised to print this travel authorisation (showing a barcode) and keep this with your travel documents (although it is not mandatory apparently). However, Ugandans do love printed papers so print everything you can, just to avoid unforeseen delays.
Present the barcode at point of entry [that will be “Entebbe Airport” if you’re entering Uganda by air] together with a valid passport / travel document of “not less than 6 months validity” and you should get your tourist visa. You can get a maximum of 90 days in one go; if you want that, say so, otherwise you may just be given two weeks for example. Present the barcode at point of entry [that will be “Entebbe Airport” if you’re entering Uganda by air] with your valid passport of “not less than 6 months validity” and you should get your tourist visa. You can get a maximum of 90 days in one go; if you want that, say so, otherwise you may just be given two weeks for example. Visitors to Uganda can stay for up to 6 months on a single entry tourist visa, without being charged anything extra. To get an extension on the days written in your passport at Entebbe, go to one of the immigration offices, for example Jinja Road in Kampala.
NOTE: “the travel authorization [approval] letter does not guarantee entry into Uganda. Travelers will be subjected to secondary verification where necessary before personalization,” meaning it is not 100% guarantee you will be issued a visa at the airport / border / Uganda mission (but you probably will, unless you’ve been very naughty indeed).
For answers to Frequently Asked Questions, go to the Uganda immigration Help page.
As you’ll see from many comments below, lots of visa applications get stuck at the “pending” stage. This is normally because the applicant has forgotten to send in one of the documents, or immigration are requesting more information (but frequently aren’t clear what that is!) There have been lots of complaints about emails not being answered but Uganda immigration do reply fairly quickly via their Facebook page. If you’re telephoning Uganda Immigration, the country code for Uganda is +256.
The Directorate for Citizenship and Immigration’s call centre is open from 7am to 7pm Uganda time (with plans for it to be operated 24 hours at some stage). Call +256 417 102600 or toll-free 0800 199004 / 0800 199003 in Uganda.
In addition to visa requirements, every traveller has to consider health-related protocols. These are subject to change. For what to expect when passing through Uganda’s international airport, read Flying into Uganda? Latest health rules at Entebbe International Airport (updated regularly). I also have a post about the East Africa Tourist Visa and a post on Rwanda’s visa on arrival.
Any feedback or questions about Ugandan tourist visas? Feel free to contact the muzungu or share in the comments below. Thanks to everyone who has shared their visa application experiences!
DISCLAIMER: My name is Charlotte Beauvoisin. I am a Uganda resident. I update this page regularly based on my personal travel experiences, feedback from expats, tourism industry colleagues, visitors to Uganda and advice from an immigration expert. I can’t promise this info is always accurate – but I try my best! Things can change quickly and without notice. I take no responsibility for content on external websites. I work closely with the tourism industry so if you need any information on travel to Uganda, or moving to Uganda, I’m your woman! I’ve been advising travellers and expats on everything Uganda-related for many years. What is Diary of a Muzungu all about?
