Apply for your Rwanda East Africa Visa online

The East Africa Tourist Visa (EATV) is a joint initiative that covers Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda. It allows you to move freely between these three nations using a single permit. Please note that neighboring countries like Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are not part of this agreement and require separate visas.

You must apply for the EATV through the country that serves as your first point of entry into the region. For example, if your flight lands in Kigali, you must apply through Rwanda. If you arrive in Rwanda with an EATV issued by Uganda or Kenya, it will be considered invalid, and you’ll be required to purchase a new visa on the spot.

No. The East Africa Tourist Visa is a multiple-entry visa only within the Rwanda-Kenya-Uganda zone. The moment you cross the border into a non-participating country (like Tanzania or Ethiopia), your East Africa Tourist Visa expires immediately, even if you have days remaining. You would need a new visa to re-enter any of the three countries.

The 90-day clock officially starts on the date of your first entry into Rwanda, not the date the visa was approved. However, you must enter Rwanda within a specific window (usually 90 days from the date of issuance) for the visa to remain valid for use.

Yes. You can enter and exit Rwanda, Kenya, or Uganda as many times as you like within the 90-day period, provided you do not leave the three-country bloc. This makes it ideal for itineraries that involve flying between Kigali and Nairobi multiple times or crossing land borders for primate trekking.

The Rwanda East Africa Visa is available to most nationalities that are eligible for standard tourist visas. However, citizens of countries that require prior security clearance (such as Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria) typically cannot use the joint visa system and must apply for individual, single-country visas through the respective embassies.

The East Africa Tourist Visa allows a stay of up to 90 days. It’s a multiple-entry visa within the three participating countries (Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda). However, if you travel outside these three countries (e.g., to Tanzania), the visa becomes invalid immediately.

Yes. There are no age exemptions for this visa; every traveler, including infants, must have their own individual visa. For minors, you must upload a birth certificate and, if traveling with only one parent, a notarized consent letter from the non-traveling parent.

If you're remaining in the airport transit area for less than 24 hours, you don't need a visa. However, if you plan to leave the airport or have a long layover where you clear immigration, a Transit Visa (valid for 72 hours) is more cost-effective than the 90-day East Africa Visa.

No. The East Africa Tourist Visa cannot be extended or renewed. If you need to stay longer than 90 days, you must exit the three-country zone and apply for a new visa or a specific single-country permit.

Once your Rwanda East Africa Visa application is approved, you’ll receive an email with a PDF. We recommend printing a physical copy to present at the border of your first entry point (Rwanda) and keep it with your passport throughout your trip.

The Rwanda East Africa Visa is usually processed quickly. With iVisa, you choose your processing speed at checkout, and the option you pick is shown with its delivery time before you pay. We recommend applying at least 2 days before your departure date to account for any unexpected government delays.

If denied, you will receive a notification via email. The most common reasons for denial are applying through the wrong country (you must apply to the country you enter first) or poor-quality passport scans. You can usually re-apply by submitting a completely new application with corrected information. iVisa offers denial protection. Our experts manually review your application before submission to prevent these common issues.