Uganda Tourist VISA

Uganda Tourist VISA is one of the most important documents that travelers must possess before they access the countries premises. Uganda is a top destination for African safaris that include gorilla trekking, wildlife, culture, nature and beauty among others. This makes Uganda a go-to destination for all travellers and tourists. Travellers coming to Uganda should know that to enter Uganda you are required to have a valid VISA from the Uganda Immigration body. The visa is an official document that allows you to enter and stay in Uganda for a certain period as authorized by the authorities. Below is a list of the different things you need to know about the Uganda Tourist Visa.

Citizens of the listed countries below only need a passport to enter Uganda. Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Burundi, Comoro, Cyprus, Eritrea, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
All persons that are not citizens of the above-listed countries will need a valid visa to enter Uganda. All valid visas are issued in accordance to Uganda’s Immigration laws, guidelines and legal observances.

Requirements for Visa.

For you to obtain a Uganda Tourist Visa you will need:-

Valid passport and can maintain validity for up to 6 months or more; from the date of arrival.
A Yellow fever vaccination certificate.
Copy of you booked safari/itinerary
A copy of your return ticket.

Cost of the Visa

The Uganda only Tourist Visa will cost you 50 USD. However if you wish to visit Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, you will need to acquire an East African Visa that will cost you 100 USD.
The Uganda only Tourist Visa gives you a single entry to Uganda of a period between 3 – 6 months from the date of issue and you cannot use it to access any other East African country.
The East African Visa allows you multiple entries to travel across Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda for a period of 90 days from the date of issue. This means, you won’t need to acquire or pay for another visa when you are entering Uganda, Kenya or Rwanda during the 90 days.

Note: You cannot use this Visa, to access Tanzania, Burundi, DRC or South Sudan; you will need to acquire another visa for these countries.

How to obtain a Visa

Tourist visas can be obtained at any point of entry in Uganda thus the airport of the border. Or you can obtain it prior to you visit at a Ugandan Embassy or Commission near you or online via visas.immigration.go.ug.

When you are to obtain a Visa through the online portal or through the embassy, you will be required to present passport photos, valid passport and a few more supporting documents. At the point of entry, you will only present the requirements in part A above.

ARRIVAL AT A UGANDAN POINT OF ENTRY

Whether you acquired your Uganda Tourist VISA prior online/at a Ugandan Embassy or just processing it at the point of entry. On arrival you will have to fill in an arrival card at whichever point of entry you are using the airport or one of the borders.
It will be very helpful for you if you have all your necessary documentation very close so that you can present them to the authorities as soon as they are asked for, the documents include a valid passport, Yellow Fever vaccine certificate, copy of you booked safari/itinerary and a copy of your return ticket.
It’s important to note that if you don’t have a yellow fever vaccine certificate, you will have either of two options, to have a mandatory vaccination at the point of entry that will potentially cost you a lump sum or you will be denied entry into Uganda.

Acquiring a Visa at the point of entry

When you arrive at your point of entry, you will fill an arrival card.
Then you will present the requirements listed in part A above, to the immigration officers.
The officers will then access your documents and all is clear, you will make your payments
After the payments, the immigration officers will stamp the visa in your passport and you are cleared to enter the country.

Acquiring a Visa online

You will have to fill up the online visa form at least two weeks before your intended date of travel.
You will need to upload a passport photo, scanned passport and some supporting documents listed by the authorities.
You will then submit your application form
Pay the visa fee by credit card. You may incur a credit card fee on top of the visa fee.
After the payments, you will wait for a response from the Uganda Immigration body. The process takes up to 5 working days before you get a response.
The Uganda Immigration body will respond to you through email that will come with a barcode in it. If your visa application was successful.
If your visa application was unsuccessful, you will receive an email too of the Visa denial.
If your application was successful, you will have to print out this email, and on arrival in Uganda at your point of entry you will present this print out to the immigration officer, who will scan it and then issue you a visa.
After submitting your application, if you don’t have a response within 5 – 10 days, contact the Uganda immigration offices to follow up on your application.
Though you apply online, you will have to go through the protocols at the point of entry, so this alternative doesn’t change the time you spend at the point of entry.

Through the Ugandan embassy

When you opt to acquire a visa through the Uganda embassy you will have to visit the embassy in person.
You will fill in the application forms, and submit all the other supporting documents including your passport.
You will also pay the visa fees either at the embassy finance office or a bank as directed by the embassy officials.
After payment you will leave the documents are at the embassy for review and the officials at the embassy will communicate to you the day you return to pick your passport.
You will then pick your passport with the visa stamp on the day communicated to you by the officials at the embassy.

As you acquire your Ugandan or East African visa avoid third parties, first you don’t need them and they really don’t have anything to add on the process of your acquiring your Uganda Tourist VISA.