Rwanda
Rwanda is a small, high and hilly country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, called “the land of a thousand hills” for the ridges and valleys that run from border to border. Kigali, the capital, stands on hills at its centre; volcanoes rise along the north-western border, Lake Kivu lines the west, the rainforest of Nyungwe covers the south-west and savanna spreads across the east. Kinyarwanda is the language of the whole country, spoken alongside English and French.
Visa requirements for Rwanda
Nearly every visitor to Rwanda needs a visa, and it can be applied for online before travelling, as an e-visa. Commonwealth citizens — Australian, British, Canadian, Indian, New Zealand and Nigerian passport holders among them — are given a visa on arrival for 30 days. A trip that also takes in Kenya and Uganda can be made on the East Africa tourist visa, one visa for all three countries. The passport must be valid for at least six months after the date of arrival and have at least one blank page.
Before you travel
A visa for nearly every visitor
Nearly every visitor to Rwanda needs a visa. A traveller unsure which visa a passport needs asks a Rwandan embassy or high commission before setting off.
The e-visa, applied for online
The visa can be applied for online before travelling, as an e-visa.
Visa on arrival for Commonwealth citizens
Commonwealth citizens — Australian, British, Canadian, Indian, New Zealand and Nigerian passport holders among them — are given a visa on arrival for 30 days. They can also apply for a visa in advance at a Rwandan embassy or high commission.
One visa with Kenya and Uganda
The East Africa tourist visa is one visa for Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, applied for online. It suits a journey that takes in all three countries.
Six months on the passport
The passport must be valid for at least six months after the date of arrival in Rwanda and have at least one blank page.
The yellow fever certificate
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required of travellers coming from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission, not of every visitor.
Strict customs at entry
Rwanda's rules on what may be brought into the country or taken out of it are strict.
No plastic bags in luggage
Plastic bags are banned in Rwanda and are confiscated at entry. A cloth or paper bag is packed instead.
No vapes or e-cigarettes
Vapes and e-cigarettes may not be brought into Rwanda. They are confiscated, and a fine is possible.
Drones declared on arrival
A drone is declared on arrival and may be held until departure. Flying one in Rwanda needs a permit.
Visa types
E-visa
For visitors who need a visa for Rwanda: applied for online before travelling.
Visa on arrival for Commonwealth citizens
For Commonwealth citizens, Australian, British, Canadian, Indian, New Zealand and Nigerian passport holders among them: the visa is given on arrival in Rwanda, and it can also be applied for in advance at a Rwandan embassy or high commission.
East Africa tourist visa
For a journey through Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda: one tourist visa for all three countries, applied for online.
Guides
Most visitors come to Rwanda for an hour with a family of mountain gorillas on the volcanoes, and the permit for that one trek, booked well ahead, sets the date around which the rest of the trip is planned. The country is small enough for the rainforest, the lake and the savanna each to lie within a day's drive of the capital, but its roads wind over the hills, so most visitors travel with a car and a driver on a loop from Kigali of about ten days, with every drive between towns made by daylight. Kigali itself, at the start and the end of the loop, is worth a day or two of its own.
Rwanda travel guide →
The full guide: the briefing at Kinigi and an hour with a gorilla family, golden monkeys and the twin lakes, chimpanzees and the canopy walkway of Nyungwe, game drives and the boat on Lake Ihema in Akagera, Rubavu and Karongi on Lake Kivu, the King's Palace at Nyanza, and the loop from Kigali.
Money in Rwanda →
Dollars or euros changed at an exchange bureau, cash machines in the towns and none in the parks, cards at hotels, lodges and larger Kigali businesses, francs in small notes for everyday payments.
Eating in Rwanda →
The lunch buffet, brochettes and the evening grill, fish from Lake Kivu and the other lakes, milk and the milk bars, coffee and tea from the hills, banana beer and sorghum beer.
Getting around Rwanda →
Arriving in Kigali, the main roads from the capital, a car with a driver, driving a hire car, buses between towns, motorbike taxis in the towns.
Health & safety in Rwanda →
Before the trip, everyday precautions, the road, rules a visitor meets, altitude and the gorilla trek.
Cities & planning
Plan your trip
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Embassies & missions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa for Rwanda?
Nearly every visitor does. The visa can be applied for online before travelling, as an e-visa, and a traveller unsure which visa a passport needs asks a Rwandan embassy or high commission before setting off.
Can I get a visa on arrival in Rwanda?
Commonwealth citizens can: Australian, British, Canadian, Indian, New Zealand and Nigerian passport holders among them are given a visa on arrival for 30 days. They can also apply for a visa in advance at a Rwandan embassy or high commission.
What is the East Africa tourist visa?
One visa for Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, applied for online. It suits a journey that takes in all three countries.
How long must my passport be valid for Rwanda?
For at least six months after the date of arrival in Rwanda, and it must have at least one blank page.
What can I not bring into Rwanda?
Plastic bags, which are banned in Rwanda and confiscated at entry, so a cloth or paper bag is packed instead, and vapes and e-cigarettes, which are confiscated too, with a fine possible. A drone is declared on arrival and may be held until departure, and flying one needs a permit. Rwanda's rules on what may be brought into the country or taken out of it are strict.
Planning a trip to Rwanda? Check what you need to enter and apply online in minutes.
Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.