East African Tourist Guide

Government of Kenya launched the East African Visa, which is an electronic visa for individuals who wish to travel in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. This travel document allows travelers to get entry into the three countries and all travelers should obtain this before departure.

The best thing about the East African Tourist Visa is that with one visa, the travelers can visit Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda instead of One. All applicants who are eligible for the East African Tourist visa can use this visa to visit multiple times. At each entry, the visa will be valid for 90 days. Applying for this visa is easy and can be done online like the normal Kenya Tourist eVisa.

Important Facts

The following facts will help all travelers to plan their trip and apply for the East African Tourist Visa without being rejected.

Foreign nationals who wish to travel East African countries like Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda simultaneously can apply for this visa. This allows all travelers to enter multiple times within the three countries. However, the nature of the visa is a single-entry visa for the three countries. The visa will expire once the traveler leaves all three countries.
The East African Tourist visa is a joint ingenuity of the heads of the three states to promote local tourism and culture. It provides opportunities for the locals and for the world to explore the diversity of East Africa.
Applicants who get the East African Tourist visa has to start their travel from the country that issued the visa.

Eligibility

Any foreign national who wishes to visit the Republic of Kenya, Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Rwanda is eligible for the East African Tourist visa. The sole purpose of this visa is tourism and cannot be used for any other objective.

The visa will be issued to the applicant from any one of the country’s immigration offices or from the diplomatic representatives. The application can be made online and the visa will be sent to the applicant through email. In some cases, if the applicant does not meet the requirements, he or she can apply through the diplomatic representative of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

Application Process

The application process if easy and can be done within a few minutes. The process is mentioned below.

The applicant can request for the East African Tourist Visa online or manually by submitting the EATV Form 1.
The traveler must apply for the visa before travelling for his or her own convenience. Another option is to apply for the Kenya visa on arrival at the point of entry to Kenya, Rwanda or Uganda.
The tourist application can be made at any one of the diplomatic representation of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. The immigration offices of these countries accept applications for the East African Tourist visa and it can be issued from any three. The application can also be online where applicable.

Starting the Trip from Kenya

All travelers who wish to start their trip in Kenya will need to apply for the East African Tourist visa from Kenya. All the relevant information about the application process is available on the local Kenya embassy website. The applicants must check the consular section for easy access to information.

Starting the Trip from Rwanda

Individuals, who wish to begin their journey from Rwanda, can have access to the relevant information on the Rwanda Online Visa Application System. The information is available under types of visa where the applicants can find the East African Tourist Visa option. The local Rwanda embassy can be contacted for further information.

Starting the Trip from Uganda

Foreign nationals who wish to start their tour of East Africa from Uganda can find all the relevant information on the Uganda Embassy website. All visa application information is available under the consular section.

Fee for East African Tourist Visa

The application of the East African Tourist Visa Fee is standard. The eVisa application fee attracts some charges. The sub charges for debit or credit card will also be charged in addition. The applicant can use a debit or credit card to make the payment. Payments made through PayPal are also acceptable.

Visa for Dependents

All minors will also need the East African Tourist visa individually. A valid travel document or passport is required for the visa application. The validity of visa for dependents is also 90 days and costs USD $100.

Important Information

It is important to note that the applicant will not be allowed to work or get any kind of employment under the East African Tourist visa. This kind of visa is not eligible for an extension like the Kenya Tourist eVisa. The nature of this visa is a single entry within the three states. However, the travelers can move within the three states multiple times. The visa expires as soon as the individual leaves the three countries.

Documents Required

The following documents are required at the time of applying for the East African Tourist Visa:

One passport size photograph that should be clear against a plain white background. The photo needs to be recent without sunglasses or any headgear. The applicant must ensure that the photo is attached to the application form with glue. Stapling or clipping the photo to the form is not permissible by the embassies.
A duly filed application form.
A letter of visa application correctly addressed to the issuing authorities of any of the three countries.

Nationals of East African Countries

The nationals of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda can travel to the three states without requiring a visa to travel. However, expatriate and foreign residents of the three countries will require an Inter-State Pass instead of a visa. This pass has a validity of up to 6 months. All students who are studying in Kenya, Rwanda or Uganda can allowed to use their Students ID cards to travel to the three countries without requiring a separate visa.