Travel advisory, last checked 23 September 2026: the US State Department rates Uganda Level 4, “Do Not Travel”, an advisory issued in May 2026 because of Ebola. WHO declared Uganda’s outbreak over on 27 August 2026; the outbreak in the neighbouring DRC continues. Read our dated safety guide before you decide.
Uganda Travel Guide
No visa on arrival, a yellow fever card that really is checked, and one portal to trust: what US and other travelers need in hand before flying to Uganda.
Uganda visa requirements are simple once you know the two that catch people out. First, there is no visa on arrival: most visitors, US citizens included, must apply online in advance through the official portal of Uganda’s Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) and carry the approval letter. Second, a yellow fever certificate is a condition of entry, not a recommendation.
At the time of writing (September 2026), a single-entry tourist visa costs US$50, and the East Africa Tourist Visa, which also covers Kenya and Rwanda, costs US$100. Rules and fees change, so confirm them on the official sources listed at the end of this guide before you apply; nothing here is immigration advice.
Allow about half an hour per person, with digital copies of your documents ready. Apply separately for everyone in your party, children included.
The only official site is visas.immigration.go.ug, run by the DCIC. Look-alike sites with “eVisa” in their names often rank above it in search results and charge extra for the same form, and some are unreliable.
You will need a passport valid for at least six months, a recent passport-style photo, your yellow fever certificate, an itinerary and your first hotel booking. The itinerary and confirmations we send you cover the last two.
Most safari travelers choose the single-entry tourist visa. Apply for the East Africa Tourist Visa here only if Uganda is the first of the three member countries you will enter. Payment is made online by card.
The DCIC advises applying at least 10 days before travel and says decisions typically take two to three days. We suggest applying four to six weeks ahead, which leaves room for a request for a clearer photo or an extra document.
Carry a printed copy and a digital copy you can open offline. Approval is typically valid for 90 days, so avoid applying too early.
At the immigration desk, your fingerprints and photograph are taken, and the visa is issued against your approval letter and passport.
| Item | What to know (September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Visa on arrival | Not available; apply online before you travel |
| Where to apply | visas.immigration.go.ug, the DCIC portal, and nowhere else |
| Tourist visa | Single entry, US$50; approval valid for 90 days |
| East Africa Tourist Visa | US$100; 90 days; multiple entry between Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, for tourism |
| Passport | Valid for at least six months after arrival, with blank pages for stamps |
| Yellow fever | Certificate required for arrivals aged one year and over |
| Malaria | Present in all areas of the country, including the gorilla parks |
| Land border from Rwanda | A Uganda visa or East Africa Tourist Visa is needed at Katuna (Gatuna) or Cyanika |
Always confirm on the official sources before you apply; fees and processing times change.
The East Africa Tourist Visa (EATV) lets you move between Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda on one 90-day, multiple-entry visa, for tourism only; Tanzania is not part of the scheme. The rule that matters is where you apply, because the EATV must be issued by the country you enter first.
That shapes a gorilla trip that starts in Kigali. If you fly into Rwanda and cross into Uganda by road for southern Bwindi or Mgahinga, the EATV comes from Rwanda’s side rather than Uganda’s portal; if you only need one crossing, a Rwandan visa plus a Uganda eVisa can work instead. We check the combination for your passport when we plan a route such as our 6-day gorilla safari from Kigali, and our Rwanda section covers Rwanda’s own entry rules.
Kenya now runs its own electronic travel authorization, which has changed how Kenya fits alongside the EATV. If Kenya is on your route, we confirm the current position for your nationality before you apply for anything.
Uganda requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate from every arriving traveler aged one year or older, and the certificate is also uploaded with your eVisa application. CDC recommends the vaccine for travelers aged nine months and over. A certificate only becomes valid 10 days after vaccination, so book the clinic appointment well before you fly.
Not every clinic stocks the vaccine, and some people cannot have it for medical reasons. If that applies to you, raise it with a travel-health clinic early, ask about an exemption letter, and let us know so we can check how it is likely to be treated at entry.
See a travel-health clinic four to eight weeks before departure. CDC’s Uganda page, the reference most US clinics use, listed the following at the time of writing:
Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus on 15 May 2026. WHO’s regional office reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, most linked to infections imported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and concentrated in Kampala; the last patient was discharged on 16 July, and WHO declared Uganda’s outbreak over on 27 August 2026.
Uganda had no active outbreak after that declaration, but the DRC outbreak was continuing at the time of writing, so reintroduction across the border remains a risk; Uganda closed its border with the DRC on 27 May 2026. CDC updated its Ebola travel health notice covering the DRC and Uganda on 28 August 2026; check it for the current status before you fly. How the outbreak affected government travel advice is covered in Is Uganda safe to visit?
Returning to the United States: from 21 May 2026, US citizens and lawful permanent residents who had been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days were directed to fly into designated airports, first Washington Dulles and later also Atlanta and Houston. We could not confirm whether this still applied at the time of writing, so check the latest announcement from US Customs and Border Protection before you book your flights home.
Keep these in your hand luggage, with copies saved offline on your phone:
Safaris
Kigali · Rushaga · Mgahinga
Travelers with a week who want two gorilla treks at Uganda’s permit price and the simplest international access
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary · Murchison Falls · Kibale Forest · Queen Elizabeth NP · Ishasha · Buhoma · Lake Mburo
Travelers with close to two weeks who want primates, savanna and the Nile, and are happy with a few long road days
Where to go
Good to know
No. Uganda’s immigration directorate requires travelers who need a visa, US citizens included, to apply online before travel and to present the approval letter on arrival. Airlines may also ask to see it at check-in.
The DCIC’s guidance is that decisions typically take two to three days and that you should apply at least 10 days before travel. We suggest four to six weeks, which leaves room for follow-up questions.
It is if your trip genuinely includes two or three of Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, because one US$100 visa replaces separate ones and allows multiple entries for 90 days. Apply through the country you enter first. For a Uganda-only safari, the US$50 single-entry visa is simpler.
Yes, from their first birthday. CDC recommends the vaccine from nine months, so if you are traveling with a baby, discuss timing with a travel-health clinic well ahead.
Yellow fever is required for entry from the age of one. Beyond that, CDC’s list for Uganda includes hepatitis A and B, typhoid, meningococcal vaccine for some travelers and routine vaccines, plus malaria prevention for every part of the country. A travel-health clinic will tailor the list to your history and route.
Tell us when you would like to travel, who is coming and how many gorilla days you want. We check permit availability first, then design a private Uganda journey around it, with nothing booked until you approve.
Plan My Uganda Safari
