East Africa Tourist Visa Requirements & Documents

Confirm these details before collecting files

Your flight destination, passport and travel purpose come before the upload step. Write down the country where you first clear immigration, every country you will visit, your arrival and departure dates, and whether you leave the three-country area during the trip.

If your trip visits only one country, compare its national permission and exemptions first. If your purpose includes work or another non-tourism activity, ask the authority which permission applies.

• Match the intended issuing country to your first arrival.
• Use the exact name and passport details shown in your travel document.
• Check the live category-specific list before paying or uploading.

Uganda-first: documents and the October entry update

Uganda’s notice dated 2 October 2026 says a yellow fever vaccination certificate is no longer mandatory for entry. Its older regional-visa checklist still lists the certificate. Check the current portal and ask immigration to resolve any conflicting upload request. This entry-document notice is not medical advice or a rule for other destinations.

Keep scans legible, complete and consistent with your application. A blurry passport image or an itinerary showing a different first country creates a question that a generic checklist cannot solve.

Rwanda-first: follow the selected IremboGov category

IremboGov’s general guidance lists a passport biodata scan, a photo with a white background and an application letter among common attachments. It explicitly says the list varies by visa type. Confirm the regional category and every requested field in the live application.

Its current general guidance specifies JPG for the photo and PDF for the passport and letter, with a 500 KB size shown for each. Recheck the selected category before preparing final files. Do not use this website’s 5 MB sample-file limit as a government upload specification.

Kenya-first: confirm the permission before the documents

Kenya’s eligibility portal currently marks the East African Tourist eTA as “coming soon”. Preparing documents does not mean that a Kenya-issued regional product is available. Check the Kenya permission or exemption for your passport, then the rules for onward Uganda and Rwanda visits.

Use the route planner to organise the questions. Confirm the actual product with the authority before selecting a paid service.

A useful final check

• Passport spelling, number and dates match across your form and itinerary.
• Your first-entry country agrees with the issuing route.
• Scans show the full document and are readable at normal size.
• Your files meet the actual portal’s current type and size limits.
• You have checked any further documents requested for your circumstances.

This is preparation guidance, not a passport eligibility or health assessment. The authority can request additional evidence.

Example: the ticket and form show different first countries

Suppose the form says Rwanda first but the itinerary begins with an immigration entry in Entebbe. Correct the route decision before preparing the final application. A readable scan cannot fix a mismatch between the issuing country and the actual first arrival.

If the flight changes after permission is issued, ask the issuing authority what to do before relying on the original document. Keep the authority’s response with your travel records.

Questions & answers