A visa is one of the Important Travel documents required by visitors to enter Rwanda, and is one of the countries with hassle-free visa application processes. Much as every visitor to Rwanda is required to present a visa on arrival at Kigali International Airport or the different land borders, some countries are waived of visa fees (entry visa free of charge) while Citizens of some countries are not visa exempt. The following are the countries that are visa exempt and their corresponding period of visa exemption;
Citizens of the East African Community member States that include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan are issued with free of charge-entry visa on arrival at the Airport or other border points to stay in Rwanda for up to 6 months.
Also, visitors from countries that are members of the following International Organizations are given visas on arrival and these waivers last only 30 days. The organizations in question are Common wealth, African Union and La Francophonie thus the countries are United Kingdom, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Zambia, Egypt, Cameroon, Libya, Republic of Macedonia, Equatorial Guinea, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Comoros, Australia, Tunisia, Mozambique, South Africa, Guyana, Zambia, Dominica Republic, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Belgium, Mauritania, Romania, Malawi, Switzerland, Solomon Islands, Greece, The Gambia, Antigua and Barbuda, Lesotho, Romania, Tonga, Gabon, Luxembourg, Tuvalu, Guinea-Bissau, New Zealand, Canada, Algeria, Mali, Pakistan, Eritrea, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Vietnam, Morocco, Maldives, Nigeria, Somalia, Namibia, Lebanon, Principality of Andorra, Cape Verde and Jamaica among others.
Citizens of Singapore, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe, Central African Republic, Qatar, Cote d’Ivoire, Haiti, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Chad, Benin, Seychelles, Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, Senegal, Mauritius and Indonesia are offered 90 days visa free of charge on arrival at Kigali International Airport or land borders.
Travelers planning to visit concurrently the three countries of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda for tourism purposes can apply for the East African Tourist and is valid for 90 days. This Visa can be obtained from the first country to be visited and will allow free entry in the rest of the countries.
Citizens from countries that are not exempted to visa-free entry into Rwanda have an option of applying for visas on-line or at the Rwanda Diplomatic Missions in their various countries of residence prior to departure.
Visa fees.
Single entry tourist visas cost $50, valid for 30 days and apply for selected countries.
The East African Tourist Visas cost $100, valid for 90 days and covers only three East African Community countries (Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda).
Single entry conference Visas cost $30 and are valid for 30 days.
Multiple entry business Visas cost $50 and are valid for a full year.
Extension of Visas.
Extension of Visas only applies for some classes and has to be applied for while the current visas are still valid. These applications have to be submitted to the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration Offices.
In the event of Visa expiry, a grace period of 5 days after the expiry date is provided to allow the visitor either renew the visa without penalty or leave Rwanda. If this goes beyond the grace period, he/she will be subjected to a penalty and the visa extension sometimes denied.
Requirements for applying for Rwanda Visa.
All travelers are required to hold valid passports with at least 6 months from the day of entry with at least one empty page. Citizens of Kenya and Uganda can present valid National ID Cards instead of passport to enter Rwanda.
Yellow fever inoculation certificate may also be required at the point of entry and in the event of any serious disease outbreak, particular requirements would be put out to the general public.
Visa applicants are required to have enough funds to cover their stay in the country, for the period of Visa validity. Evidence of funds may be requested for online, at the Rwanda Foreign Mission or at the point of entry (Airport or border point).
Travelers are advised to take caution when applying for Rwanda Visa and not be deceived by anyone parading as visa agent. There are currently no single affiliated Visa agents authorized to apply on your behalf. Some of these so-called agents are fraudsters while others sometimes mislead visitors on top of charging exorbitant prices (beyond the stipulated visa fees).
