Apr 17, 2015

A single East Africa tourist visa was officially launched in the city of Kampala by the presidents of Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda on February 20, 2014. The single tourist visa will cost $100 and allow the foreign visitors visit three member countries. The single tourist visa program for east Africa was introduced on January 1, 2014.

Three dummy single tourist visas were issued to three foreign nationals at the launching ceremony.

Rica Rwigamba, the head of tourism department at the Rwanda Development Board, said the single tourist visa will make East Africa compete with other top tourist destinations across the world.

“With this Visa, tourists have many choices of getting value for their money by seeing more in just one trip across the three countries,” Rica Rwigamba said.

Stephen Asiimwe, the Chief Executive officer of Uganda Tourism Board, said global tourism trends have showed that travelers are more interested in a more holistic travel experience.

“The single tourist visa is a sign of continued efforts and cooperation among the respective tourism boards and will continue to grow as we launch the joint marketing platform,” said Stephen Asiimwe.

The visa processing fee of $100 will be split between the three member states. $30 each will go to the member state while tourist visa issuing country will keep $40.

The East Africa Single Tourist visa program is still in its initial stages. The relevant departments of all the three countries will work together to adopt the procedure for visa issuance.

Single tourist visa is a good news for tourists who will be able to move between the three states without border controls making it easier for them.