Uganda e-Visa
Everything you need to apply for your Uganda e-Visa: the requirements, the documents, and the steps from start to approval.
Official Uganda government portalOverview
The Uganda e-Visa is the country's online travel authorisation for tourism, business and East African leisure visits, issued by the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control through its official portal. It is the standard route for most nationalities, including travellers from the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and Australia, who cannot enter Uganda without a visa or an authorisation arranged in advance. A tourist e-Visa is valid for 90 days from the date of approval and allows a single entry, with each stay granted for up to 90 days, which immigration offices may extend by a further 60 days once you are in the country.
It covers leisure, family visits, business meetings and sightseeing, but it does not authorise paid employment, long-term study or residence, which need the relevant Ugandan permit. Members of the East African Community are exempt and travel without one. The e-Visa links to the passport you apply with, so you must arrive on that same document.
If your itinerary also takes in Kenya and Rwanda, the regional East Africa Tourist Visa is a separate product; this service prepares the single-country Uganda e-Visa, and gorilla-trekking permits are booked separately. Your application is completed in your own language, every answer and the supporting documents you upload are confirmed, and the e-Visa is submitted to the authority so nothing is missed before you travel.
Requirements in detail
Gather everything below before you open the Uganda e-Visa form, so the application goes through on the first attempt. You need a passport valid for at least six months from your date of arrival, with at least two blank pages for the entry stamp, plus a clear scan of its photo page, because the e-Visa is linked to that exact document; keep its number and its issue and expiry dates beside you. A recent passport-style digital photograph is required, taken against a plain light background with your face fully visible.
Have your accommodation details and a return or onward flight booking ready, along with a travel itinerary. The single most important health document is a valid yellow-fever vaccination certificate: Uganda requires it from every traveller, whatever their country of origin, and it is checked at the border alongside your e-Visa. A working email address receives the approval, and a payment card covers the single all-inclusive price, which includes the government fee, itemised on your receipt.
Every traveller, including each child, needs their own e-Visa, so prepare one set of documents for each applicant.
What you'll need
Have these ready before you begin your application. Requirements can vary by nationality and trip purpose.
- Passport with at least six months validity
- Recent digital passport photograph
- Yellow fever vaccination certificate (mandatory)
- Confirmed accommodation in Uganda
- Return or onward flight booking
- Email address for e-Visa delivery
- Payment method (one all-inclusive price)
How to apply
Applying for the Uganda e-Visa is done entirely online, step by step. First, confirm the e-Visa applies to you: it is required for most nationalities visiting Uganda, while East African Community members are exempt, and each traveller needs their own. Second, gather your passport, photograph, yellow-fever certificate and trip details as listed above.
Third, complete the online application form, entering your name and passport number exactly as they appear in the passport, since a single mismatched character is the usual reason an application is delayed. Fourth, review the single all-inclusive price and pay; the application is checked for completeness before it reaches the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control. Finally, the approved e-Visa arrives by email.
Uganda checks both your e-Visa and your yellow-fever certificate at the border, so carry a printed copy as well as a digital one, and travel on the same passport you applied with.
On arrival
Once your Uganda e-Visa is approved you receive it by email; carry a printed copy as well as a saved digital version, because the e-Visa and your yellow-fever certificate are both checked at the border. Travel on the exact passport you applied with, since the authorisation is tied to that document. The e-Visa lets you board and request entry, but the final admission decision rests with the immigration officer at Entebbe Airport or the land crossing, who may ask about the purpose and length of your trip.
Have your accommodation details and your return or onward ticket ready to show, and keep the yellow-fever certificate with your passport rather than in your checked luggage.
Government processing time
What the issuing authority typically takes once the application is submitted.
Government processing: Ugandan Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control decides in 1 to 7 business days. VisitPass review: Standard under 24h; Priority under 6h; Urgent under 30 min. The application is checked for completeness, submitted to the authority, and the confirmation issued.
When to apply: start at least two to three weeks before departure so a public holiday or a request for clarification never threatens your travel dates. Submit once your passport, accommodation and flights are confirmed, and keep a comfortable buffer if you are travelling during the gorilla-trekking high season, when both demand and permit bookings peak.
At a glance
- Validity
- 90 days
- Maximum stay
- 90 days
- Entry type
- Single
Who can apply
Required for most nationalities visiting Uganda. The e-Visa is valid for 90 days from arrival with single-entry use. East African Community (EAC) members are exempt.
The East African Tourist Visa (covering KE+RW+UG) is a separate multi-country product; this service covers single-country Uganda only.
Is this the official application?
VisitPass is an independent travel-document service, not a government website and not affiliated with the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control. Your application is submitted to the official Uganda e-Visa system, and the government fee is paid in full to the issuing authority and itemised on your receipt; the service fee covers preparing the application, reviewing it for completeness before submission, and email support. You can always apply directly on the government portal yourself; many travellers choose a guided form to complete it in their own language and have it checked before it is sent.
The decision to grant the e-Visa rests solely with the Ugandan government.
Uganda help desk
Have questions about your e-Visa? Email the Uganda desk and we reply within 24 hours.
uganda@visitpass-online.comVisitPass is an independent visa-application service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any government. Government fees go directly to the issuing authority and are listed separately in your receipt.