Due to the inaccessibility of the electronic visa (e-Visa) portal, Uganda is temporarily granting visa on arrival to its visitors.
Uganda announced today that due to a malfunction in its electronic visa (e-Visa) application portal, the country is implementing a temporary measure to allow visas on arrival to be issued to travelers.
On its X account (formerly Twitter), Uganda Immigration explained that due to an upgrade to the electronic immigration system, airlines are temporarily allowed to board travelers to Uganda without prior e-Visa approval.
“Due to an ongoing e-immigration system upgrade (URL: www.visas.immigration.go.ug), travelers are currently unable to access online Visa services. As a temporary measure to minimize travel disruptions, airlines have been informed to allow travelers heading to Uganda to board without prior e-Visa approval. Upon arrival, the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control will facilitate the issuance of visas,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uganda said in a statement.
Uganda Immigration did not give a specific timeline for fixing the e-Visa system but said the exemption was temporary and would be in effect until the e-Visa system is restored.
Documents required to obtain a visa on arrival in Uganda
Yesterday, Ugandan Immigration reported that its e-Visa system was experiencing a period of downtime…
“This may cause inconvenience for applicants who are trying to access the system, apply, pay for visas, check status, personalize their facilities, and perform other tasks, as the system is currently unavailable,” Immigration warned.
Today, Ugandan authorities advise that to obtain a visa upon entry into the country, “travelers are still required to meet all standard visa requirements and provide necessary documentation upon arrival.”
Travelers should therefore allow extra time to obtain their visa upon arrival, as this may result in longer delays at checkpoints.
Tourists are therefore advised to arrive with the required documents:
- a passport, valid for at least 6 months after leaving the country and with 2 blank pages facing each other;
- a passport photo;
- up-to-date international vaccination record (including yellow fever vaccination);
- proof of exit from the country or continuity;
- proof of accommodation or invitation letter;
- US$50 to cover visa fees.
This measure, although imperfect, helps maintain the flow of travelers while ensuring security and regulation of entries into the territory. Regular travelers to Uganda, including businessmen and tourists, will therefore have to adjust their plans accordingly until the technical problem is finally resolved.
What’s the timeline for the immigration system upgrade
Persons who need students passes have been left in a dilemma as no any provisions have made for them to obtain passes. For Travellers provisions have made.
Kenya airways was clearly not informed about this because rejected my wife and me at the boarding gate going to Entebbe. We have applied 2th of oktober and did not receive the visa yet but paid everything. The system is out of service so we could not check the status.
Sorry to read this Mathijs…