The East Africa Tourist Visa: One Visa, Three Countries

Short answerThe East Africa Tourist Visa is one multiple-entry visa covering Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda for 90 days, at a flat $100. You apply through the immigration portal of whichever of the three you enter first — and you must then actually arrive in that country. Tanzania is not included. Leaving the three-country zone voids it, even with time left to run.

This is the most useful piece of East African travel admin most visitors have never heard of, and also the one with the sharpest edges. Below is what it covers, when it is genuinely worth buying, and the two rules that catch people out at the airport.

What it is and what it covers

Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda issue a joint tourist visa. One application, one fee, one document, and you can move between all three as often as you like for 90 days. It exists to make multi-country trips less bureaucratic, and it does that job well.

When it saves money — and when it doesn't

The honest arithmetic, which most guides skip because it does not always favour buying the joint visa:

How to apply, and the rule people miss

Apply online, in advance, through the official government portal of the country you will enter first — Uganda's at visas.immigration.go.ug, Rwanda's at migration.gov.rw, Kenya's through its eTA system. You will need a passport valid for at least six months with blank pages, a passport photograph, and your first night's accommodation booking. Approval usually takes a few days; allow two to three weeks.

Now the rule that catches people: the country you apply through is the country you must arrive in. Apply via Uganda and then land in Nairobi first and the visa may not be honoured — you are entering through a country that did not issue it. It is not a formality anyone waves through reliably.

One more practical note: use the government portals only. A large number of commercial sites rank well for this search and charge $150 or more for the same $100 visa, with the difference being their handling fee. There is nothing they can do for you that the official portal does not.

Tanzania is not included

Tanzania is an East African Community member and is not part of this visa. Neither are Burundi, South Sudan or the DRC. If your trip pairs gorilla trekking with the Serengeti — a popular and excellent combination, covered in whether there are gorillas in Tanzania — you need a Tanzanian visa in addition to whatever covers the Ugandan half.

Tanzania's ordinary tourist visa is $50 for most nationalities. US passport holders are a documented exception and must buy the $100 multiple-entry visa whether they want multiple entries or not.

The sequencing consequence matters more than the money. Because the joint visa dies the moment you leave the three-country zone, a trip that runs Uganda → Tanzania → Kenya needs a fresh Kenyan eTA for the last leg. A trip that runs Uganda → Kenya → Tanzania and flies home does not. Order your countries so you leave the zone once, at the end.

How to void it by accident

The 90 days are not the binding constraint for most travellers — the geography is. The visa is valid only while you remain inside Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Step outside and it is spent, however many days remain.

• A side trip to Zanzibar or the Serengeti. Both are Tanzania. Both end the joint visa.
• A day trip into the DRC — Virunga, or the Congolese side of a border town. Same effect.
• A long layover requiring you to clear immigration in a fourth country on a regional hop.

Transiting airside on the way home is fine — you are not entering anywhere. It is clearing immigration outside the three that does it.

Mistakes we see

1. Buying it for a single-country trip. If you are only seeing Uganda, the $50 single-entry visa is half the price. Read planning a trip to Uganda before you spend anything.
2. Applying through the wrong country because it looked like the simpler website. It must match your arrival point.
3. Assuming it covers Tanzania because Tanzania is in East Africa. It does not, and never has.
4. Paying an agency $150 for a $100 government document.
5. Leaving it to the last fortnight. Processing is usually quick, but it is not guaranteed, and a gorilla permit is not rebookable if you cannot travel.
6. Booking Zanzibar mid-trip and expecting to re-enter Kenya on the same visa.

Entry rules change and we do not treat any of this as settled — we check current requirements against the issuing authority for every client before they travel, and we sequence itineraries so the visa question stays simple. See how our multi-country trips are routed, or tell us which countries you want and we will tell you exactly what you need to buy.

East Africa Tourist Visa: common questions

What is the East Africa Tourist Visa? It is a single multiple-entry visa covering Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, valid for 90 days, costing $100. It lets you move freely between the three countries on one document instead of buying a separate visa for each. It is issued jointly by the three governments and applied for through whichever country you enter first.

How much does the East Africa Tourist Visa cost? $100, a flat fee regardless of which of the three countries you apply through. Third-party visa agencies quote higher figures because they add their own handling charge — the official government portals charge the same $100. Fees are set by the three governments and can change, so verify before you apply.

Which countries does the East Africa Tourist Visa cover? Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda only. Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are not part of the arrangement despite being East African Community members, and each needs its own separate visa.

Where do you apply for the East Africa Tourist Visa? Through the immigration portal of the country you will enter first, and you must then actually enter through that country. If you apply through Uganda you have to arrive in Uganda first; landing in Nairobi instead can mean being refused entry on the visa. Decide your arrival airport before you apply.

Is the East Africa Tourist Visa worth it? It is worth it if you are visiting two or three of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. For Uganda and Rwanda together, separate visas cost about the same as the $100 joint visa, so the benefit is convenience rather than savings. For a single country it is poor value — buy that country's own visa or authorisation instead.

Does the East Africa Tourist Visa cover Tanzania? No. Tanzania has never joined the arrangement. A trip taking in the Serengeti or Ngorongoro alongside gorilla trekking needs a Tanzanian visa in addition, and leaving the three-country zone to enter Tanzania voids the East Africa Tourist Visa for any return.

How long is the East Africa Tourist Visa valid? Ninety days, running from the date of first entry, with multiple entries between the three countries during that period. It cannot be extended beyond 90 days, and it becomes invalid the moment you leave Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda even if time remains on it.