The East Africa Tourist Visa: one permit, three countries
Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda share a 100 US$ visa. Tanzania is not in it. Two rules about which country issues yours, and where it stops being valid, catch people at the border.
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Short version: Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda share one permit, the East Africa Tourist Visa, at 100 US dollars for 90 days. Tanzania is not part of it and runs its own e-visa. So a trip combining the Serengeti with gorillas needs two permits — and the order in which you cross borders decides where you apply.
For Tanzania on its own, see the guide to Tanzanian visa requirements. This one is about the shared permit and the two rules that catch people out.
The shared permit
The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. It costs 100 US dollars, runs 90 days, allows any number of movements between the three countries, and cannot be extended.
Two rules get overlooked again and again:
- The issuing country must be the first one you enter. Arriving via Nairobi means applying to Kenya. Landing in Kigali means applying to Rwanda. A visa issued by Uganda for a trip that starts in Nairobi is a problem at the desk.
- It expires if you leave the three-country block. A stopover in Zanzibar ends it, because Zanzibar is Tanzania. Returning to Kenya afterwards would need a new permit.
You apply online through the portal of whichever country you enter first. You submit a passport copy valid at least six months, a photo, a return ticket, an itinerary and a yellow fever certificate.
Tanzania goes its own way
Tanzania deliberately stayed out of the agreement and runs a separate e-visa portal. The ordinary tourist visa costs 50 US dollars (2026) for most nationalities; US citizens pay 100 US dollars for a multiple-entry visa. Zanzibar counts as Tanzania — no separate visa for it, but a Tanzanian one is certainly required.
Apply two to three weeks before you travel. The portal is reliable, not fast.
Rwanda: the simplest case
Rwanda issues a visa on arrival to all nationalities, 30 days for 50 US dollars, at Kigali airport and at every land crossing. You can do it in advance through the Irembo portal. For a gorilla trip to Rwanda alone, that is the entire administrative burden.
Which permit pays off
| Route | Sensible choice |
|---|---|
| Tanzania only (Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar) | Tanzanian e-visa, 50 US$ |
| Rwanda only (gorillas) | Visa on arrival, 50 US$ |
| Kenya + Uganda, or Kenya + Rwanda | East Africa Tourist Visa, 100 US$ |
| Kenya only | Single-country permit — usually cheaper than 100 US$ |
| Tanzania + Rwanda | Two visas, about 100 US$ together |
For only one of the three block countries the shared visa does not pay. It starts making sense at the second.
The yellow fever certificate
It is written into the requirements for the shared visa and it is checked at land borders, particularly when you arrive from a country where yellow fever occurs. Carry the certificate even on a direct flight from Europe or North America: the rules distinguish between country of origin and country of transit, and interpretation varies between border posts.
More on that in the guide to vaccinations and malaria.
Practical notes
- Passport valid at least six months beyond your return, with two free pages. This is genuinely checked.
- Pay only through the official portals. Plenty of intermediaries sell the identical permit with a markup.
- Print the approval. Mobile coverage at a border post is often gone.
- Plan the border order before you apply, not after. It cannot be changed retrospectively.
Fees are as at 2026 and come from the issuing authorities — for the shared visa, Uganda's Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control. They change; check the official portal of the relevant country before you book.