East Africa Tourist Visa: Visa Requirements, Processing Time and Fees

If you're planning on visiting multiple African countries, including the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, and the Republic of Uganda, I have the perfect visa for you! The East Africa Tourist Visa offers you so much for at least half of what you would've paid. I'll discuss everything in this post, including the application process costs and why this visa is for you.

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An East Africa Tourist Visa is a Joint tourist visa issued to travelers going to and within Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda for tourism. It is a multiple entry visa. The holder of the East Africa Tourist Visa shall enter from the country that issued the visa and move within the two other countries without applying for another visa or paying another visa fee.

You can't extend an East Africa Tourist Visa.

Why Should You Opt for an East Africa Tourist Visa?

Many travelers, especially those from afar like Europe and the United States, usually travel between multiple African countries. The standard itinerary involves Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. So let's consider if you're a US citizen, you'll require four separate visas on this trip: Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda (Zimbabwe issues a visa on arrival only). However if you get an East Africa Tourist Visa then you only require two visas - Tanzania e-visa for Tanzania and East Africa Tourist Visa for Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

It also makes more sense financially if you're going to at least two out of the three countries. An individual e-visa for any of those countries costs $55. An East Africa Tourist Visa costs $100.

When Should You Not Get An East Africa Tourist Visa?

I don't recommend getting an East Africa Tourist visa in certain situations. One of the caveats of it is that as long as you travel within Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, you can enter them as many times over ninety days. However, your visa expires as soon as you leave any of these three territories.

For example, the East Africa Tourist Visa is not a good idea if you're traveling to Kenya- Tanzania- Uganda. This is because your visa will start and let you enter Kenya but will expire as soon as you leave Kenya to enter Tanzania. So the only way to enter Uganda would be to get another visa.

Eligibility for an East African Tourist Visa

Unlike many visas dependent on nationality, the East Africa Tourist Visa is open to travelers from anywhere. However, the visa is only issued if your primary purpose is tourism. In addition, your passport must stay valid for a minimum of six months past the intended entry date.

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Here we will look at the application process for a visa from East Africa from Uganda, Rwanda or Kenya.

Here are the 3 ways to apply for your East African visa:

• How Can I Apply For An East African Tourist Visa From Uganda?
• How Can I Apply For An East African Tourist Visa From Rwanda?
• How To Apply For An East African Tourist Visa From Kenya?

Curious about Atlys? It's as easy as downloading the app, entering your travel and personal information, and paying the visa application fee.

The process is to use Uganda's e-visa portal and complete the online visa application form. Make sure you select 'East Africa Tourist Visa' on the first step.

Out of the lot, Rwanda has the best e-visa system. To save you some trouble, I'll give you a -step-by-step guide you can follow to apply for your East Africa Visa.

• Step 1: Access the portal
• Step 2: Click To apply for your visa
• Step 3: Fill out the application form
• Step 4: Upload the required documents
• Step 5: Pay the visa fee

Step 1: Access the portal

Go to the official Rwanda portal. After you access the portal, search "visa."

You might need a google translate extension to translate the website. You can just download it through google.

Step 2: Click To apply for your visa

After you search "visa," you'll see an option that says "applying for a visa" (see the image above); click on that. Next, you must select the file type (applying for a visa or applying for another visa). Then, click to apply for a visa.

Step 3: Fill out the application form

Next, you'll see that you must fill out the Rwanda East Africa Tourist Visa application form. Remember, the visa you're applying for is an East Africa Tourist Visa. You must provide:

• Your citizenship.
• Date of birth.
• Parent's names.
• The border you want to use to enter Rwanda.
• Reason for your trip.
• Passport information.

Step 4: Upload the required documents

You're almost there! Next, you need to upload all the required travel documents. This might include a copy of your valid passport, passport-size photo, and anything else they might find relevant.

Step 5: Pay the visa fee

Lastly, you must pay the visa fee online. You can pay the visa fee with your credit card or debit card. After submitting your application, they will notify you via email if they accept your visa application. You'll also receive your visa through email.

What Are The Required Documents For A East Africa Visa From Rwanda?

You need certain travel documents when applying for your Rwanda East Africa tourist visa. These documents are crucial for your visa application process. You'll need the following travel documents:

• A Valid passport (valid for no less than six months).
• A return flight ticket.
• Travel itinerary, which includes the details about places you will visit.
• Proof of hotel bookings.
• Proof that you have sufficient funds to cover your trip.

Applying for an East African Tourist Visa through Kenya is the most straightforward. The process is similar to applying for an e-visa to Kenya. You can apply for the visa on Kenya's official portal, which takes about 45 minutes to complete. Let me show you just how easy it is.

• Step 1: Access the website
• Step 2: Start your application process
• Step 3: Apply for your visa
• Step 4: Traveling information
• Step 5: Upload documents and review your application
• Step 6: Pay the visa

Step 1: Access the website

First things first, access the website. Then, you must create an account. This is very straightforward; you only need your passport number, name, password, and a valid email address.

Step 2: Start your application process

After you've created your account, you need to go to your account and click to apply for the eVisa. When you access this, you'll see the requirements. Read through them and click next at the bottom of the page.

Step 3: Apply for your visa

First, you must select whether you're applying as a minor or an adult. Next, you must provide information like your nationality, phone number, and email. Furthermore, you must provide information with regards to your passport.

Step 4: Traveling information

Next, you must choose whether you are traveling with a minor and if you've been to Kenya before. You also need to choose the visa you want to apply for and give your visa details, information, and travel history.

Step 5: Upload documents and review your application

You must upload the required travel documents; these documents include a passport, passport-size photo, and any other relevant documents they ask for. You must review your application. This is important because they'll deny your visa if you don't provide the necessary information or if your information is incorrect.

Step 6: Pay the visa

Lastly, you must pay the visa fee. You can pay the visa fee with your credit card or debit card.

After submitting your application, they'll notify you via email if they accept it. If they do, they'll send your visa to you through email.

You need certain documents for your visa application process. You'll need the following documents:

• Valid passport (valid not less than six months).
• At least three blank pages in the holder's passport.
• Return flight ticket.
• A recent color passport size photo with a transparent background.

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The processing times vary slightly between the countries:

• Kenya: 1 business day
• Uganda: 3 business days
• Rwanda: 3 business days

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The Visa cost is USD 100. When you apply through the portals of each country, the amount you must pay is visible when you choose your type of visa.

Remember that the visa fees are non-refundable.

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Children, regardless of age, require an East African Tourist Visa. You can use the same portals that you use for yourself to apply for minors. It's worth noting that while Kenya says children under sixteen years do not require a visa, it only applies to the Kenyan e-visa and not the East African Tourist Visa.

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Theoretically, applying and getting an East African Tourist Visa on arrival is possible. However, many ports of entry do not issue it, and it's not advisable to rely on getting it on arrival. For instance, Uganda issues no visas on arrival.

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The visa requirements and the process are the same for all nationalities, including Americans. Therefore, I advise everyone to get a visa before their flight.

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• Make sure to use a credit card - the payment systems lag, and you can end up paying twice before seeing a confirmation. Also, credit card companies usually have flexible policies to refund.
• If you need to talk to the issuing authorities, we recommend using Google Voice to call since it's the cheapest option. However, calling from your cellular network would result in a large phone bill.
• Get a Yellow Fever vaccine certificate.
• Ensure your passport is valid for at least six months.

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If you receive your East African Tourist Visa, it should look something like this:

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I know you will be very excited about this next section because I am. You've probably noticed that we've linked some of our tools, such as the flight itinerary and hotel itinerary tools.

These tools were created by travelers for travelers to make traveling easier. Here's a list of Atlys' free tools that will make your next visa application a breeze:

• Passport photo checker
• Hotel itinerary
• Flight itinerary

Using these tools can simplify your East-Africa Visa application.

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All done!

Now that you're an expert on all things East Africa Tourist Visa-related, you can apply for your own visa. If ever you need a visa for Kenya consider using Atlys to apply for the Kenya e-visa same goes for the Tanzanian e-visa. Atlys will simplify a very stressful and tedious visa application into a hassle-free step-by-step guide that could help you get your visa in mere minutes! Does Atlys sound like something you would use in the future?