Uganda Visa Application

Uganda unlike Rwanda acquiring visa into the country is as easy as ABC. You can get a Ugandan tourist Visa at the point of entrance as you are getting into the country. The main entrance point in Uganda is the airport (Entebbe International Airport) or at any border, being a landlocked country. The process is quite simple, without any stress and a very quick process as you are required to fill an entrance form which costs about USD$50 per person only.

After acquiring your Ugandan Visa you can then be allowed into Uganda – the pearl of Africa, get a privilege to explore its wildlife in its finest destinations such as Queen Elizabeth national park as a home to the tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, Kibale forest national park a home to over 13 primate species, Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park well known for its mountain gorillas and many more tourist attractions.

The visa application process in Rwanda can only be done online following the link provided https://www.migration.gov.rw/Visa.html. There are countries that are exempted from the visa application exercise in Rwanda due to the relationships and agreements amongst them namely; Burundi, D R Congo, Germany, Hong Kong, Kenya, South Africa, Sweden, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Tanzania and Mauritius. It should be noted that the tourists should hold valid passports for the given country for at least six months. Most of the tourists in these countries come mainly for gorilla tours and wildlife safaris only a few come for relaxations or mere visits.

Is it possible to get a Ugandan Visa from a Ugandan Embassy in your country of residence?
The answer is YES! It is very possible but rather more time consuming and costly as explained below;
It is very costly: The cost of the visa is the same both in Uganda at the entrance and at the embassy in your country of residency but more costs are included in that you will be required to pay for an overnight, postal services to and from your country of residence hence raising the Visa price.

It is time saving: You can get your visa immediately on arrival in that no time wasted in going to the embassy, filling the forms and then going back to pick up the Visa.

No need of passport photos: At the entrance of Uganda, no passport photo is required however at any Ugandan embassy; you are required to present your passport photos hence money is wasted in getting the required photos, in a way it is a mean a saving.

Less Paper Work: When getting a Ugandan Visa at the entrance of the country, fewer forms are required to fill i.e. the immigration form is required to be filled which is not the case if done at the embassy.

What if you are rejected? This has never happened to anyone before and it just cannot happen. Ugandan migrations are so friendly, hospitable and polite. The only thing you have to do is present your passport, pay about USD$50 charge, present a return ticket and sometimes a Yellow fever certificate maybe required.

The immigration process may look to be long instead it moves faster and very quick than how it would have been in your home of residence. The process usually takes 20-40 minutes waiting in a line and waiting for your luggage, hence no time wasted!

Tourist Visa for East African Countries: The East African countries are planning to have a single tourist Visa that will be used to access all the countries with ease. However this is still under discussions and not yet confirmed by the involved countries which include Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya.

Thoughts about the Tourism Visas: As Ugandan residents, we believe that tourism as a sector contributes a great percentage in the development of our economy. We are so thankful to all the tourists who visit Uganda because every 10 tourists who come to Uganda provide enough income to eradicate poverty in the country.