To apply for a Uganda e-visa, go to the official immigration portal at visas.immigration.go.ug, choose the tourist visa (US$50, single entry, up to 90 days) or the East Africa Tourist Visa (US$100, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda), fill in the form, upload a passport scan, a photo and your yellow fever certificate, and pay by card. Approval usually arrives by email within a few working days.

Apply at least two to three weeks before you fly, print the approval letter and carry it with your passport and yellow card. Plan to have your visa approved before you travel rather than relying on getting one at the airport.

Uganda E-Visa: How to Apply Step by Step 2026

Which visa to choose

For a gorilla trip in Uganda only, choose the single-entry tourist visa. It costs US$50 and allows one entry; once you leave Uganda it is used, even if days remain.

If your route crosses into Rwanda or Kenya and back, for example flying into Kigali and trekking in southern Bwindi, the East Africa Tourist Visa is usually better. It costs US$100 and allows multiple entries between the three countries for 90 days, as long as you do not leave them in between. You apply through the country you will enter first: Uganda’s portal if you land at Entebbe, Rwanda’s or Kenya’s if you start there.

Frequent visitors can apply for a multiple-entry visa valid for six months or longer, at a higher fee. Tanzania is not covered by the East Africa Tourist Visa and needs its own visa. Citizens of East African Community countries and a few other nations do not need a visa; check your nationality on the portal. Our guide to Uganda’s visa options compares them in more detail.

What you need before you start

Have digital copies ready before you open the form, because the portal can time out. You need a scan of your passport’s photo page, with the passport valid for at least six months after arrival and with blank pages; a recent passport-style photo with a plain light background and no glasses; your yellow fever vaccination certificate; and your travel details, such as flight bookings and your first night’s address or a letter from your tour operator. Clear JPEG or PDF files of a modest size upload most reliably.

Get the yellow fever vaccine early: the certificate only becomes valid ten days after vaccination, then lasts for life. See our guide to vaccinations for Uganda.

Applying step by step

Go to visas.immigration.go.ug and start a new application. The genuine site ends in .go.ug; other websites that look official charge extra or are scams. Choose your visa type, then fill in your personal and passport details exactly as they appear in your passport, along with your travel dates, purpose of visit and address in Uganda. Upload the documents, check every field carefully and pay the fee by Visa or Mastercard. Note your application reference number, as you will need it to check progress.

Each traveller needs a separate application, including children. Processing usually takes a few working days but can take longer before holidays and in busy periods, and you may be asked for extra documents by email. Once approved, download the approval letter, print a copy and save one on your phone. Airlines often ask to see it at check-in.

Common mistakes that cause delays

Most problems come from small errors: a passport number or name that does not match the passport exactly, a selfie or dark-background photo, a passport that expires within six months, or a missing yellow fever certificate. Paying twice after a payment page stalls is another common one, so check your card statement and email before trying again. Choosing a single-entry visa when your route leaves and re-enters Uganda causes problems at the border, so plan your route first.

Arriving in Uganda

At Entebbe International Airport or a land border, show your passport, printed approval letter and yellow fever card at immigration. Officers take fingerprints and a photo and stamp your passport with the period of stay. Keep the approval letter until you leave. If you are crossing from Rwanda to southern Bwindi by road, the same documents are checked at the Katuna or Cyanika border post; see our guide to Kigali to Bwindi by road.

Entry rules can change at short notice, particularly during disease outbreaks, so check the official portal and your own government’s travel advice shortly before departure. Our guide to Uganda’s entry requirements covers customs rules and health screening on arrival.

Frequently asked questions