Visa rules and fees are set by the Ugandan government and can change. Check the official e-visa site or your nearest Ugandan embassy before you apply.
Your checklist
- Passport valid for at least six months after arrival, with blank pages
- Uganda e-visa, approved before you fly
- Yellow fever vaccination certificate
- Return or onward ticket and your itinerary
- Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover
The e-visa
Most visitors need a visa, applied for online through Uganda's official e-visa portal, visas.immigration.go.ug. A single-entry tourist visa costs US$50 and allows a stay of up to 90 days. Avoid look-alike websites that add high service fees. Apply at least two to three weeks before you travel; processing usually takes a few working days. You will need a scan of your passport, a passport photo, your yellow fever certificate and your travel details.
Yellow fever
Uganda is a yellow fever risk country, and a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for visitors — you are asked to upload it with your e-visa application and to show it on arrival. Get vaccinated at least 10 days before you travel. The certificate also matters if you go on to Tanzania, which asks for one from travellers arriving from Uganda — see Tanzania travel requirements.
Other health advice
Doctors usually recommend routine vaccines plus hepatitis A and typhoid, and antimalarial tablets — malaria is present in most of the country. You must also be healthy to trek gorillas: anyone with a cold, flu or other infectious illness may be turned away, to protect the gorillas. See a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you go.
Visiting more than one country
- An East Africa Tourist Visa has allowed multiple entries to Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya on one visa. Check on the official portal whether it is available for your route.
- Rwanda — for gorillas in Volcanoes National Park — has its own entry rules; see Uganda or Rwanda.
- Tanzania needs its own visa: see the Tanzania visa guide. Kenya uses an eTA: see the Kenya eTA guide.
Arriving at Entebbe
International flights land at Entebbe International Airport (EBB) on Lake Victoria, about an hour's drive from Kampala. Have your passport, e-visa approval and yellow fever certificate ready. Our Uganda trips start with a pick-up at Entebbe.
