Rwanda tourist visa: fees, stay and the East Africa Tourist Visa

Visitors who want to tour Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda on one trip can apply for the East Africa Tourist Visa. It costs USD 100, is valid for 90 days and allows multiple entries as long as you stay within the three countries. It can be requested on Irembo, at a Rwandan mission or on arrival.

If you obtain the EATV before travelling, your first entry must be into the country through which you applied, so a visa requested through Rwanda means landing in Rwanda first. Like the ordinary visitor visa, the EATV must not be used for employment.

Ministerial Order N° 06/01 divides the visitor visa into twelve sub-classes. For tourism the relevant ones are V1 (holiday, sightseeing, social or recreational trips) and V2 (visiting family or friends). Both have the same rules: no work, single or multiple entries, extension only in exceptional circumstances, and a change of status allowed from inside Rwanda.

Two further classes serve tourists. V8 is a group tourist visa for a party of four to ten people, costing USD 150, valid 30 days, single entry, with no change of status. It is applied for at a Rwandan mission or online, and can be collected at the border only with prior DGIE approval. V12 is a long-term visitor visa issued on a reciprocal basis for up to ten years at USD 160.

A genuine travel document valid for at least six months is required. Rwandan embassy guidance adds that no invitation letter is needed and that travellers arriving from yellow fever endemic countries, or countries with an active outbreak, must show a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate. The DGIE notes that a vaccination certificate may be asked for at the border and that special rules can be announced during a major outbreak.

You must have enough money to cover your stay; evidence of funds may be requested online, at the mission or at the entry point. The DGIE does not publish a fixed amount.

The standard fee is USD 50 for a single-entry visa valid 30 days and USD 70 for a multiple-entry visa valid 90 days. Nationals of countries that belong to the African Union, the Commonwealth or La Francophonie receive the visa on arrival free of charge for a 30-day visit. Citizens of Angola, Benin, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Mauritius, the Philippines, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Singapore get 90 days free. East African Community citizens receive a free pass for up to six months.

Fees pay for processing, so nothing is refunded if a visa is refused or the application is withdrawn. Applicants paying online on Irembo can choose to pay online or on arrival.

V1 and V2 visas may be extended only in exceptional circumstances. The extension is requested at a DGIE office while the original visa is still valid. After expiry there is a five-day grace period to leave or renew without penalty.

Beyond that, the fines in Ministerial Order N° 06/01 start at FRW 50,000 for six to fifteen days of overstay and rise to FRW 1,000,000 for more than nine months; an extension may be refused and the foreigner may be expelled.