To help you prepare for your journey to Uganda, please ensure you understand the latest travel and health requirements and restrictions required to visit Uganda, for both directions of travel, which may change frequently. Bush 2 City Tanzania is also happy to answer any questions you have before or during your trip.

What wonderful plans. You are planning to go to Uganda, or maybe you have already booked! The trip is standing, the tickets have been arranged and the preparations can begin. Before you actually board the plane, you must still have arranged a visa. Below we give you as much information as possible to help you on your way to applying for this visa.

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months upon departure from Uganda. You must apply for a visa online before arriving in Uganda. If you have completed this procedure online, you will receive a ‘letter of approval’, with which the visa can be stamped in your passport upon arrival at Entebbe Airport. This visa is single-entry and valid for 30 days and costs US$50 p.p. Are you also visiting Kenya and/or Rwanda? Then an East Africa visa is recommended. Press the button below for more information.

ONLINE VISA APPLICATION

It is mandatory for every traveler to Uganda to submit a visa application online before arrival in Uganda. With this online application it is also necessary to pay the visa fee by credit card, US$ 50 p.p. + 3% commission fee. If you have completed the entire procedure online and made the payment, you will receive a ‘letter of approval’, with which the visa will be stamped in your passport upon arrival at Entebbe Airport. You apply for the visa per person.

Please note, this Approval Letter itself is usually only valid for 3 months. This is the period in which you then have to travel into the country. So don’t request it earlier than three months before arrival in Uganda! For example, if you leave on 1 September, apply for the visa only from 1 June. Do not wait until a few days before departure, because experience shows that the confirmation sometimes takes some time; 1 month in advance is usually well on time!

The validity of the visa itself, i.e. the number of days you are allowed to stay in the country, starts the moment you enter the country. For example, if you have a visa for 30 days, those 30 days will count when you arrive in Uganda!

>Go directly to the online visa application for Uganda here! (the official website)

TYPE OF VISA 

UGANDA ONLY VISA

Are you only going to Uganda and are you not visiting other countries? Then you can apply for a single-entry visa online. It is valid for 30 days. Once you have completed the procedure, paid and the application has been approved, you will receive a Letter of Approval, which will give you the visa in your passport upon arrival in Uganda.

Required for visa purchase:

> Accommodation details (e.g., your hotel or host)

> Passport details and contact information

> Credit or debit card for payment

VISA FOR EAST AFRICA WITH START IN UGANDA

Start your trip in Uganda, but then travel to Rwanda and/or Kenya, you can apply for an East Africa visa online. This visa is valid for 90 days. Once you have completed the procedure, paid and the application has been approved, you will receive a Letter of Approval, which will give you the East Africa visa in your passport upon arrival in Uganda.

> Apply for your visa no earlier than 3 months before departure! You fill in such a form per person.

> You apply for the visa in the country where your trip starts, so if your trip starts in Kenya or Rwanda and you want to apply for an East Africa visa, it will be done via Kenyan or Rwandan immigration respectively.

>The East Africa visa is only valid if you continue to travel within these three countries and expires as soon as you leave one of these countries. If you go to Tanzania in between, for example, you must apply for a new visa to be able to return!

>Nb: people with a Belgian nationality do not need a visa for Rwanda.

VISA FEES

Single Entry Uganda, US$ 50 p.p. + 3% commission fee, valid for 30 days.

East Africa visa, US$ 100 p.p. + 3% commission fee, valid for 90 days. This visa is multiple entry – as long as you travel within the countries covered by the East Africa visa

VALID PASSPORT

For travel to Uganda, you must have a valid passport that is valid for at least 6 months after arrival in Uganda. Also, consider at least 2 blank visa pages in your passport for the necessary stamps.

OTHER LIABILITIES

> You must have a return or transit ticket.

> You must be able to provide proof of sufficient financial resources (cash/credit card) if requested.

TRAVELLING WITH UNDERAGE CHILDREN

Children have needed their own travel documents since 2012. An entry in a parent’s passport is no longer valid. Outside the Schengen area, the rules are often extensive and strict when traveling with minor children. The rules are even stricter if only one parent, or both parents, do not travel with them. Think also of the countries you travel through on your way to the destination. More information about this can be found on the Official website of the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control of Uganda.

Bush 2 City Adventure does not have the qualifications to provide all health advice in Uganda. It is therefore strongly advised to contact a vaccination agency or your physician approximately six weeks before departure for full advice.

All travelers must have a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate.

This requirement doesn’t apply to the following travelers:

• Travelers under the age of 1 year.

Uganda is a relatively safe country, with friendly people and beautiful nature. As a traveler you often have a lot of money in your pocket and beautiful camera equipment with you, so always be wary. Around election periods, things can be unsettled in the capital. Especially around bus and taxi parks, markets, and entertainment venues, it is advisable not to carry valuables with you and to be alert for pickpockets. If you walk down the street at night, don’t carry valuables too ostentatiously on your body. Also, don’t go to a bank after sunset.

Bush 2 City Adventure takes the health and safety of its travelers seriously and takes every measure to ensure that trips are safe, fun, and enjoyable for everyone. We recommend that all travelers check with their government or national travel advisory organization for the latest information before departure:

From Australia?

Go to: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/

From Canada?

Go to: https://travel.gc.ca/

From the UK?

Go to: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/

From New Zealand?

Go to: http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/

From the US?

Go to: http://travel.state.gov/

The World Health Organisation also provides useful health information.

Tipping isn’t mandatory in Uganda but considering that most Ugandans earn little, tips will be appreciated. As a guide, adding 10% in cafes and restaurants is acceptable, although not necessary.

Tipping isn’t mandatory in Uganda but considering that most Ugandans earn little, tips will be appreciated. As a guide, adding 10% in cafes and restaurants is acceptable, although not necessary.

Travelers

Mobile phone coverage is generally good in Uganda’s large cities and towns, but less so in rural and mountainous areas. Ensure you have global roaming activated before leaving home if you wish to use your mobile phone.

will be able to access the internet quite easily in the internet cafes of Uganda’s capital and large cities, but limited to no access should be expected in regional and rural areas.

Mobile phone coverage is generally good in Uganda’s large cities and towns, but less so in rural and mountainous areas. Ensure you have global roaming activated before leaving home if you wish to use your mobile phone.

Squat/pit toilets are the standard in Uganda, except for western-style flushable toilets that are sometimes available in large hotels and other modern buildings. Carry your own supply of soap and toilet paper, as these are rarely provided.

Drinking tap water isn’t recommended in Uganda. For environmental reasons, try to avoid buying bottled water. Fill a reusable water bottle or canteen with filtered water. Ask your leader where filtered water can be found; some hotels we stay in may have drinking water available. It’s also advisable to avoid ice in drinks and peel fruit and vegetables before eating.

Credit cards are usually accepted by large hotels and western-style restaurants (particularly in the cities) but not by smaller vendors. Ensure you have adequate cash to cover purchases not able to be made on credit.

ATMs are easily found in large cities and tourist areas, but are rarer in small towns, rural areas and villages. Be sure to have other payment methods available when venturing out of the city, as ATMs aren’t always an option.

1. Jan New Year’s Day
2. 26 Jan NRM Liberation Day
3. 8 Mar International Women’s Day
4. *Good Friday
5. *Easter Monday
6. 1 May Labour Day
7. 3 Jun Martyrs’ Day
8. 9 Jun National Heroes’ Day
9. *Eid al-Fitr / End of Ramadhan
10. *Eid al-Aduha
11. 9 Oct Independence Day
12. 25 Dec Christmas Day
13. 26 Dec Boxing Day

* subject to changes

For a current list of public holidays in Uganda go to World Travel Guide’s website.

Absolutely. All passengers traveling with Bush 2City Adventure are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. Your travel insurance details will be recorded by your leader on the first day of the trip. Due to the varying nature, availability, and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is very much an essential and necessary part of every journey.