Guide to Obtaining Rwanda Visa Online
After the update of their website, Rwanda has finally one of the more user friendly websites for visa application I have seen so far! If you are looking to get Rwandan visa online, you will see the process for obtaining visa for Rwanda is simple, quick and very straight forward. Much better than few years ago. They even have a live chat support! If contacting them during working hours, online chat support is quick and responsive. Once on the page of Rwandan Immigration there is clear and easy navigation offering to choose the type of visa. By clicking the chosen type of visa the system you will be offered application depending on payment options. Users have a choice of paying Rwanda visa online or on arrival.
Before applying for Rwandan Visa you Will have to Know:
- what type of Rwanda visa you want to apply for
- location where you plan to pick up visa
- do you want to pay online or on arrival
Payments online can be paid be VISA or Mastercard credit cards.
On arrival along with VISA and Mastercard it is possible to pay with cash: USD bills.
Documents required for Rwandan Visa Online
Before applying for Rwanda visa online make sure you have all required documents like passport scan and photos on your computer. The required files for uploading documents for Rwandan Visa online application need to be submitted in pdf file maximum size of 500kb and when the photo required in jpg of maximum 40 kb.
Depending on the type Rwanda visa you will need:
- pdf file with scan of your passport (required for all types of Rwanda visa)
- invitation letter (optional for all visas)
- pdf of any additional document or proof you want to present (optional for all Rwandan visas)
- pdf file of travel itinerary (required for transit Rwandan visa)
- jpg file max size 40 kb of recent passport size photo with white background (required for conference single visa and East Africa Visa)
Types Of Rwanda Visas
There are four types of Rwanda visa to choose from:
Entry Points to Collect Rwanda Visa
On application for Single entry visa you will have to choose the exact entry point to Rwanda:
- Bugarama
- Buziba
- Bweyeye
- Cyanika
- Gatuna
- Kabuhanga
- Kagitumba
- Kamembe International Airport
- Kanyaru Bas
- Kanyaru Haut
- Kigali International airport
- La corniche (Gisenyi border to Goma)
- Nemba
- Nshili
- Poids Lourds
- Ruhwa
- Rusumo
- Ruzizi 1
- Ruzizi 2
Online Application for Rwandan Single Entry Visa
Single entry visa for Rwanda costs 30 USD. If you are visiting Rwanda only this is the visa you will need.
Single entry visa for Rwanda is issued to
- A foreigner who wants to visit Rwanda for any purpose other than work and who is not a citizen of Hong Kong, Philippines, Mauritius, Singapore and Democratic Republic of Congo.
- A person from any country who wants to enter Rwanda to seek a visa appropriate to the purpose of his stay. The purpose is other than visit, holiday, sightseeing, or recreation.
Nationals of Australia, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Republic of South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States of America will be issued with entry visa valid for a period up to 30 days and pay for a visa ($30) upon arrival without prior application.
Visa is valid for 30 days. Visa can not be extended after period of 30 days. Work is prohibited. Processing time for online single entry visa to Rwanda is three days.
Application for East African Visa
East Africa Tourist visa is great choice for travellers that plan to visit larger region of East Africa that includes travel to Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. Visa costs 100 USD and is valid 90 days, allowing multiple entries between Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.
If trip to East Africa is starting in Rwanda, you should apply for East Africa visa on Rwandan immigration website.
Foreigners who reside in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda do not pay for this visa.
Travelling to DR Congo from Rwanda and Then Back to Rwanda?
In case your plans include travel to DR Congo for a few days and then you wish to return back to Rwanda and proceed with travel to Uganda and Kenya, there is a catch! In this case things are little bit more complicated since DR Congo is not member of East Africa. If you buy only East Africa visa and enter Congo at any point of your travel, returning back to Rwanda, East Africa visa becomes void!
First buy single entry visa to enter Rwanda. Then order East African Visa online if itinerary dates are set to stone. Otherwise, go to DR Congo. Before departure to DR Congo order new visa and this time select East Africa Visa that will allow you to enter Rwanda again and enable further travel to Uganda and/or Kenya. Assuming you will be crossing border in Gisenyi on lake Kivu, choose La Corniche border point in East Africa visa application.
East African Visa can not be extended. Work is prohibited. Online processing time is 3 working days.
Transit Visa for Rwanda
Transit visa for Rwanda is valid for 72 hours. Applicants are required to have a confirmed onward booking from Rwanda to a third country or other acceptable plans to depart Rwanda within 72 hours of arrival. Travel itinerary is required as proof of onward travel out of Rwanda. Work is prohibited. Passport should be valid at least six months after the entry date to Rwanda.
You can pay transit visa fro Rwanda online or on arrival at selected border or airport. Processing time: 3 days. Price for transit visa for Rwanda is 30 USD.
Transit visa is possible to extend only under special circumstances for another 72 hours.
Conference Visa Single Entry For Rwanda
Conference Single visa is the only visa that permits work on conference only. It is valid for 30 days and can be extended under special conditions. Online processing time is three working days, applicants must have valid passport at least six months after the entry to Rwanda. Visa cost 30 USD.
With January 2018 visa will be obtainable at arrival -“Nationals of Australia, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States of America will be issued with entry visa valid for a period up to 30 days and pay for a visa ($30) upon arrival without prior application,” according to a government portal.. Read more here
Also read
Is this visa guide just for US Citizens? $30 isn’t that bad for a single visa! I paid about $20CAD for my Australian visa
Its for all nationalities that need visa to Rwanda. Its among cheaper rates in Africa.
Wow ! This is such a detailed and comprehensive guide. If only all guides were created equally – I would never have to search the depths of the internet for things.
Nice job on this.
A very informative post for people looking to head to Rwanda. Great to see the country making everything so customer friendly and quick. We had our visas processed from the Rwandan embassy in India within a day. Had a great time in the country and look forward to getting back again someday to this magical country.
Rwanda in my opinion is one of the more developed countries in East African Region, they know what they are doing when it comes to tourism!
This is very detailed and informative for people who plan on visiting Rwanda. I’m happy to see that the cost of the visa is reasonable. I hope to make a visit someday soon!
Thanks for this guide – it sounds like they have their online system down pat – the first visa portal I’ve heard of which offers online chat support. I’ve read that as an Australian I can get a visa on arrival in Rwanda, but it sounds like it’s just as easy to get it done beforehand online. That way I know everything’s set. I wasn’t aware of the East Africa Tourist visa though, this might be the way I need to go. Thanks!
I was also surprised about chat support, great addition to the visa service online!
It’s great that it’s such a user-friendly sight now. I hate sites that are difficult to navigate and just lead to wrong ends. This is a really informative post, it just makes the process even easier. It’s quite a cheap visa, isn’t it?
Some sites for visa are terrible, if you seen Nigerian site, its pain! Nothing works, nobody replies to emails.
Finally! A step-by-step visa guide that doesn’t miss a beat! I’m looking to visit the gorillas in the next few years and was curious as to how difficult this process would be, and it seems I lucked out! User-friendly visa websites are the best and $30 is great!
This is a clear and concise post about obtaining visa for Rwanda. It can get quite cumbersome to find all related accurate information online.
Although most passports can avail the visa on arrival option but it can get quite crowded at the airport, so getting it done beforehand will give that extra peace ofind for sure.
$30 for a visa is comparatively cheaper.
Thanks for the post Safari Junkie, hope to visit Rwanda soon!
You still have to have to pick it up, but you are in computer and process is really straightforward and quick. Not like Tanzania for example where 3, 4 clerks at the airport need to be employed to give you that visa in the passport:)
If my boyfriend and I are from Canada and we are visiting only Rwanda for 2 weeks, do we need still need a VISA?? Ive heard both yes and no and this site looks the most informative so hopefully someone can let me know 🙂
Kierra, best to do is go on their site, you have links to Rwandan immigration in this post. You can chat online live or leave them a message and they will get back to you. Things change rapidly, its always best to check with source, they will know best.
Hello.
I need help ,i want to visit Rwanda I need to know about the process for Visa.
There are links in this post to Rwandan immigration site, just visit their website and you will get all information. They also have live chat support.