Visa & Entry Requirements for East Africa

Kenya no longer issues tourist visas. Since January 2024, most visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) instead, applied for online before departure. There is no eTA on arrival, so do not fly without your approval.

• Apply only on the official portal: etakenya.go.ke
• Apply at least two weeks before you travel.
• Exempt: citizens of East African Community countries, and citizens of most African Union countries. Check your nationality on the portal, as conditions and length of stay vary.

Most visitors need a visa for Tanzania. Apply online in advance on the official portal: visa.immigration.go.tz. A Tanzania visa also covers Zanzibar. Applying online before you travel avoids long queues on arrival.

Most visitors need a visa for Uganda. Apply online before you travel on the official portal: visas.immigration.go.ug. Look-alike websites charge far more for the same visa, so check the address carefully.

Travelling between Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda? The East Africa Tourist Visa covers all three: multiple entries between them for up to 90 days. Apply through the official portal of the country you enter first, and enter that country first. Tanzania is not included — if your route includes the Serengeti, Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar, you need a separate Tanzania visa.

• Passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date, with blank pages.
• Your eTA or eVisa approval, printed or saved on your phone.
• A return or onward ticket.
• Yellow fever certificate if arriving from, or having transited through, a country with yellow fever risk — officers do check this.

Before you book, read the official travel advice from your home country. It covers safety, health and entry rules:

• United Kingdom: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
• United States: travel.state.gov
• Germany: auswaertiges-amt.de