Uganda is the one country on our East African routes where the paperwork can genuinely stop a trip. The visa is applied for online, the official portal is surrounded by look-alike sites, and for Americans there's a second set of rules waiting at the other end, about flying home. It isn't hard. It just has to be done in advance and on the right website. Here's the whole thing.
The short version. US passport holders need a Uganda eVisa before they fly. Apply at visas.immigration.go.ug, US$50 single entry plus a small card fee, and allow a week. Print the approval letter; the visa goes in your passport at Entebbe. Since October 2026 you no longer need a yellow fever certificate to enter Uganda, though the vaccine is still recommended.
Planning Uganda from the US? Read the State Department's latest advice for Uganda before you book. Under the CDC's rules of October 22, 2026, US citizens who have been in Uganda in the 21 days before they fly home are routed through designated US airports for health screening, and Green Card holders and other non-US citizens can't enter the US until 21 days after they leave Uganda. Ask us how it affects your plans.
Use the official site, nothing else
The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control's portal is visas.immigration.go.ug. The address ends in .go.ug. There are at least half a dozen sites with "Uganda", "eVisa" and "immigration" in the name that take your US$50, add a service fee and submit the same form, and some are slower than doing it yourself. Immigration's own anti-fraud notice says the government charges nothing extra to fast-track an application, so nobody can sell you a quicker lane.
Cost and timing
The single-entry tourist eVisa is US$50, paid by card, and the bank adds a small processing charge. Our experience is that most come back inside a week and the occasional one sits for two. The approval letter has to be used within 90 days of being issued, so don't apply months ahead. Four to six weeks before you fly is the window: early enough to fix a problem, late enough to stay inside the 90 days.
You'll read conflicting things about visas on arrival. The US Embassy in Kampala's own FAQ still says tourist visas can be obtained on arrival at Entebbe. Uganda's immigration department says applications are made online, and that's the version the airlines work to: they want to see the approval letter at check-in, in the US and again at your connection. Apply online and the question never comes up.
If your trip crosses into Rwanda and back, or into Kenya, look at the East Africa Tourist Visa: US$100, 90 days, multiple entry across Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. You apply for it through the first country you enter, so for an Entebbe arrival that's this same Ugandan portal, and your first entry has to be through that country. It doesn't cover Tanzania.
Before you start
- Your passport, valid for at least six months from your arrival date, and a clear scan of the photo page.
- A recent passport-style photo, plain background, as a JPG.
- Your itinerary or tour plan. Your Kingse itinerary PDF is exactly what they mean.
- Accommodation details. The form wants the name of where you're staying; use the first lodge on your itinerary.
- Your onward or return ticket.
- A credit or debit card and an email address you check.
The form, step by step
- Start a new application. Visa type is Uganda Ordinary / Tourist Visa, single entry, purpose Tourism. Pick the East Africa Tourist Visa here instead if that's the one you need.
- Personal and passport details. Name exactly as printed in the passport. One application per traveler, children included.
- Travel details. Entry point is Entebbe International Airport for almost all our guests. Arrival date is the day you land in Uganda, which from the US is often a day or two after you take off, so check the ticket. Duration of stay is your nights in Uganda only.
- Uploads. Passport photo page, your photo, the itinerary PDF and the accommodation booking. If it asks for a letter of invitation, upload the itinerary again; it's accepted as the tour plan from your operator.
- Pay. US$50 by card, plus the bank charge. Keep the payment receipt email.
- Approval. The approval letter arrives by email. Print it and save it to your phone. The visa itself is issued at Entebbe when you present the letter; it goes in your passport there.
Yellow fever: the rule changed
For years Uganda asked every arriving traveler for a yellow fever certificate at the health desk, before immigration. That ended in 2026. Immigration confirmed in an official notice dated October 2, 2026 that a certificate is no longer a mandatory requirement for entry, and the requirement has gone from the eVisa portal. Three things haven't changed. The CDC's Uganda page still recommends the vaccine for everyone over nine months, and when we checked in November 2026 it still listed the certificate as an entry requirement, so expect your travel clinic to raise it. The countries you fly to after Uganda, including Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, can still ask for the certificate from anyone arriving from Uganda. And a card in your bag costs nothing at the airport. So it still travels with you. What goes in your arm is a question for a travel doctor with your itinerary, about eight weeks out. We don't give health advice.
Flying home to the US
This is the part that's new for Americans, and it's about the US border, not Uganda's. Since October 22, 2026 the CDC has routed US citizens and nationals who have been in Uganda in the previous 21 days through designated US airports for public health screening when they fly home, and it bars non-US citizens, Green Card holders included, from entering the US until 21 days after they leave Uganda. A flight that only stops at Entebbe counts, even if you stay on the plane. Since November 3, 2026 every passenger boarding a flight to the US also signs a statement that they haven't been in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the previous 21 days. The rules are tied to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, and they change, so read the CDC's returning travelers page before you book and again before you fly. If anyone in your party isn't a US citizen, tell us before we hold anything. We'll route the flights around it where we can and tell you plainly where we can't.
Gorilla permits aren't the visa
Your gorilla trekking permit is a separate document, bought in your name by us from the Uganda Wildlife Authority when your trip is confirmed, and paid in full at booking. We need your passport details for it, and the name on the permit has to match the passport you trek with. You don't apply for anything; you bring the passport to the morning briefing. Our Uganda gorilla trekking cost guide covers what the permit costs.
Uganda with Rwanda
Our most common gorilla itinerary lands in Entebbe and flies home from Kigali. On a US passport that's the Uganda eVisa before you fly, then Rwanda's US$50 visa at the Kigali border or online first. Separately that's US$100, the same as the East Africa Tourist Visa, which also lets you cross back and forth between the three countries for 90 days, so for a two-country trip the joint visa is usually the better buy. We'll tell you which way suits your routing. Our Rwanda visa page has the details, and Rwanda vs Uganda compares the two treks.
Quick answers
Do US citizens need a visa for Uganda?
Yes. Apply online at visas.immigration.go.ug before you travel. The approval letter is checked at check-in, and the visa is issued at Entebbe when you arrive. Don't plan on sorting it at the airport.
How much does the Uganda eVisa cost?
US$50 for a single-entry tourist visa, plus a small bank charge on the card payment. The East Africa Tourist Visa, covering Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, is US$100.
How long does the Uganda eVisa take?
Most come back inside a week; the occasional one takes two. Apply four to six weeks before you fly. The approval must be used within 90 days of being issued, so don't apply months ahead.
Do I need a yellow fever certificate to enter Uganda?
Not any more. Uganda's immigration department confirmed in October 2026 that a yellow fever certificate is no longer a mandatory requirement for entry. The CDC still recommends the vaccine, countries you fly to afterwards can still ask for the card, so talk to a travel doctor and keep it with you.
Does the Uganda visa cover Rwanda?
No. Rwanda issues US passports its own US$50 visa, on arrival or online. The US$100 East Africa Tourist Visa covers both, plus Kenya, if you'll be crossing between them.
What happens when I fly home to the US?
Under the CDC's rules of October 22, 2026, US citizens who have been in Uganda in the previous 21 days are routed through designated US airports for health screening, and non-US citizens, including Green Card holders, can't enter the US until 21 days after leaving Uganda. Check the CDC's page before you book; the rules change.
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