Quick answer

Most Western travellers need an eTA for Kenya, an e-visa for Tanzania and Uganda, and a visa on arrival for Rwanda. Uganda demands a yellow fever certificate from everyone, and mainland Tanzania adds a compulsory US$44 insurance policy from 1 October 2026.

Fees and start dates in this region change with little notice, so treat the table as a checklist and confirm each item on the official portal listed in Sources.

A note on scam visa websites

Before anything else: every visa and eTA in this article has exactly one official website, and we've linked it in each section below. 

Kenya's immigration department has repeatedly warned travellers about copycat sites with names like evisa-kenya.com and kenyanevisa.com that have shown up in official advisories, some charging $80-150 for what's a roughly $30 eTA. Uganda's immigration authority has issued the same kind of warning about its own portal. These sites buy Google ads, copy the government's logo and flag, and sometimes even link back to the real site to look more convincing.

The fix is simple: type the address yourself rather than clicking a search result or an ad.

• Kenya: etakenya.go.ke

• Tanzania: visa.immigration.go.tz

• Uganda: visas.immigration.go.ug

• Rwanda: migration.gov.rw

If a site is asking for more than the fee listed in this article, or tacks on a "service fee" it didn't mention upfront, close the tab.

Kenya

Kenya scrapped the old paper visa in January 2024 and moved everyone onto an online Electronic Travel Authorisation, or eTA. If you're American, British or from most of the EU, you'll need one before you fly and they can take up to 72h to be issued. Apply at etakenya.go.ke and nowhere else (see the scam-site note above).

• eTA: every traveller needs their own, infants included. It's valid for travel within 90 days of issue, and your actual length of stay gets decided at the border. Processing usually takes three working days, so I'd leave more time than that if you can.

• What you'll need: a passport valid six months past your arrival date with a blank page, a passport photo, your flight and accommodation details, and a card to pay. The fee sits around US$30-35, check the exact figure on the portal since it shifts.

• Who doesn't need one: East African Community citizens (up to 180 days) and a list of mostly African, Caribbean and Pacific nationalities, the Kenyan embassy in Washington keeps the full list. The UK, US and most of the EU aren't on it.

• Yellow fever: only if you're arriving from a risk country like Uganda. Flying in direct from Europe or North America, you don't need one.

The insurance rule that's currently on hold

Kenya published a gazette notice on 30 July 2026 requiring foreign visitors staying under 12 months to carry at least US$50,000 in travel health insurance, split into minimums for medical expenses, evacuation and a few other categories (Daily Nation). The idea was that a policy bought at home would count, as long as it met those minimums, with proof uploaded through the eTA.

Check the eTA portal close to your travel date to make sure if you will need it, as the status of the requirement is not confirmed. Either way, I'd travel with a policy that meets those limits regardless of whether it ends up enforced; it's sensible cover for a safari.

Tanzania and Zanzibar

Tanzania runs its own visa system, has its own yellow fever trigger, and from 1 October 2026 adds compulsory insurance on both the mainland and in Zanzibar.

• Visa: apply through the official e-visa portal. A single-entry tourist visa is US$50 for a mandatory multiple-entry version instead. Visa on arrival exists at Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar airports, but I'd apply online and skip the queue. Give it ten days. Zanzibar uses the same visa as the mainland.

• The East Africa Tourist Visa doesn't cover you here.  It's Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda only, so a Kenya-plus-Serengeti trip still needs a separate Tanzania visa (more on the EATV further down).

• Yellow fever: required if you arrive from, or transit more than 12 hours through, a risk country, and Tanzania counts both Kenya and Uganda as risk countries. So a Masai Mara then Serengeti itinerary triggers this even if nobody asked for a certificate on the way into Kenya. The same rule follows you onto the Zanzibar ferry or flight, so keep the certificate on you.

Mainland insurance from 1 October 2026

Tanzania published its insurance (Inbound Travel Insurance) regulations on 4 September 2026, and the Ministry of Finance confirmed a 1 October start date in a notice on 25 September (VisasUpdate). I'd double-check that date on the NIC portal before you buy, since it's already moved once.

• Cost and length: US$44 per person, valid up to 92 days, multiple entries.

• Covers: emergency medical treatment, evacuation, repatriation, and lost or stolen luggage.

• Exempt: residents of East African Community and Southern African Development Community states.

• How to buy: online before you travel, or at the border. You get a QR-code certificate by email either way. Turn up without it and you risk being turned away.

Zanzibar's own policy

Zanzibar has run its own scheme since October 2024: US$44 for adults,US$22 for kids 3-17, free under three, bought through visitzanzibar.go.tz. Your regular travel insurance doesn't count here, it has to be this specific policy.

Combining a safari with the beach: one policy or two?

Which insurer you use depends on where you first land: NIC if it's the mainland, ZIC if it's Zanzibar. The government says either policy covers emergencies anywhere in the country, but stops short of confirming that one policy satisfies both requirements. so as things stand, I'd budget for the possibility of paying twice (roughly US$88 total for a mainland-plus-Zanzibar trip). Confirm directly with NIC or ZIC before you book, since this is exactly the kind of detail that tends to get clarified in the weeks after a new rule lands.

Uganda

Uganda doesn't do visas on arrival for most travellers, you have to apply online in advance, and you upload your yellow fever certificate as part of that application.

• Visa: apply at visas.immigration.go.ug. Single-entry is US$50, the East Africa Tourist Visa (covering Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda) is US$100. The approval expires 90 days after issue, so don't apply too far ahead. Two weeks before travel is about right. Print the approval letter; you'll need it at the border.

• Exemptions: since March 2026, around 40 nationalities (including Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda) can enter visa-free for up to three months. UK, US and most EU passports still need the e-visa, check the official exempt list for yours.

• Yellow fever: this one is mandatory for every traveller over one year old, and it's checked at Entebbe. Get vaccinated at least ten days ahead, since the certificate isn't valid until then.

A word on Ebola notices

There's a Bundibugyo-virus Ebola outbreak in 2026, centred on the DRC and touching Uganda. The CDC has Uganda at Level 2, "practice enhanced precautions", and its most recent guidance says Uganda itself has no current area of concern for community transmission.

Rwanda

Rwanda is the easy one, with visa on arrival for everyone, and a lot of nationalities pay nothing at all.

• Visa: get it at the border, at Kigali airport, or online in advance. Single entry costs US$50 for 30days;multiple-entry tops out at US$70. Some land borders don't take cards, so I'd carry US dollars just in case.

• Free for a lot of passports: African Union, Commonwealth and La Francophonie nationals get 30 days for nothing. This covers UK, Canadian and Australian passports, though not US ones. East African Community citizens get up to six months free.

• Passport: six months' validity from your entry date.

• Yellow fever: only if you're arriving from a risk country, Kenya and Uganda both count. Flying in direct from Europe or North America, you're fine without it.

The East Africa Tourist Visa, and how to actually use it

This one gets asked about constantly, so it's worth its own section rather than a bullet buried under "combining countries."

What it is: a single US$100 visa that lets you move between Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda for 90 days, with as many entries and exits between the three as you like. It's tourism-only, can't be extended, and once you leave the three-country bloc like flying to Tanzania, it's gone for good, even if days remain on it.

Where to apply: through whichever of the three countries' immigration portals you'll enter first: Kenya's eCitizen, Uganda's e-visa portal, or Rwanda's Irembo portal. That choice matters: if Rwanda issues your visa but you land in Uganda first, you can be turned away or forced to buy a fresh Uganda-specific visa at the border. Enter through the country that issued it.

How people actually use it: the pattern I see most is Kenya → Uganda (gorilla trekking) → Rwanda (gorillas or the genocide memorial) → back into Kenya, all on one visa, crossing land borders at Malaba or Busia between Kenya and Uganda, and Cyanika or Katuna between Uganda and Rwanda. You still need a valid onward ticket and a yellow fever certificate at each crossing.

What it doesn't cover: Tanzania, full stop. If the Serengeti or Zanzibar is anywhere in your itinerary, budget for a separate Tanzania e-visa regardless of which route you take through Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

Routing and insurance if you're combining countries

A few things trip people up specifically when a trip spans more than one of these four.

Three yellow fever traps

1. Kenya or Uganda into Tanzania: you'll need the certificate at the Tanzanian border, plus a separate Tanzania visa, the EATV doesn't help here.

2. Kenya or Uganda into Rwanda: same certificate requirement applies.

3. Uganda, from anywhere: Uganda asks everyone regardless of routing, so getting vaccinated before the trip covers you for all four countries at once. It's a single dose, good for life, but it needs ten days to take effect, don't leave it to the week before.

Stacking insurance across a multi-country trip

A Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar combination can mean paying for two separate US$44 policies,and potentially Kenya's suspended US$50,000 rule on top if it comes back into force. None of these compulsory policies are a substitute for real travel insurance, they're minimum emergency cover, not trip cancellation, not your camera gear, not your activities. I'd treat them as a mandatory add-on, not your main policy.

Vaccinations and malaria

Yellow fever is the only certificate anyone actually checks at these borders. Everything else here is genuinely good advice, not an entry requirement.

• Yellow fever: Have it done at least ten days out and one dose lasts a lifetime. Mandatory for Uganda outright, and for the other three when you're arriving from a risk country.

• Routine vaccines: make sure MMR, tetanus and polio are current. The CDC's general advice is that every international traveller should be up to date on measles specifically right now.

• Worth adding: hepatitis A and typhoid (both food- and water-borne), and rabies pre-exposure if you're heading somewhere remote or staying a while.

• Malaria: no vaccine exists, so it's tablets plus bite avoidance.

• Timing: see a travel clinic six to eight weeks out if you can, since some of these need more than one dose spaced apart.

FAQ

Do I need a visa for Kenya? Most people need an eTA applied for online beforehand, with East African Community citizens and a handful of other nationalities exempt.

Is the eTA site I found online the real one? Only if it's etakenya.go.ke. Kenya's government has repeatedly warned about copycat sites charging two to five times the real fee, see the note near the top of this article.

Does the East Africa Tourist Visa cover Tanzania? No. Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda only. Tanzania always needs its own visa, EATV or not.

Do I need a yellow fever certificate for a Kenya and Tanzania safari? Yes. Tanzania requires it from anyone arriving via Kenya, and Uganda requires it from everyone regardless of routing.

Is insurance compulsory in Zanzibar? Yes, US$44 per person through the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, and it's not optional even if you already have travel insurance.

Is insurance compulsory on mainland Tanzania? From 1 October 2026, according to the Ministry of Finance's most recent notice, worth confirming on the NIC portal since the start date has already moved once.

How far ahead should I apply? Kenya's eTA: about three working days. Tanzania's e-visa: ten days minimum. Uganda: two weeks. Rwanda: can genuinely be done on arrival.

What passport do I need? Six months' validity past your arrival date, with at least one blank page. One operator I trust recommends four to six blank pages in total for a Kenya-and-Tanzania trip specifically, worth checking before you apply for anything.

Sources

Official portals to check before you travel:

• Kenya eTA: etakenya.go.ke and the Kenyan embassy in Washington's eTA page, which lists exemptions

• Tanzania e-visa: visa.immigration.go.tz

• Tanzania mainland insurance: NIC inbound portal

• Zanzibar tourism and insurance: visitzanzibar.go.tz

• Uganda e-visa: visas.immigration.go.ug, tourist visa and exempt countries

• Rwanda: visitors visa and visa on arrival

• East Africa Tourist Visa: Rwanda and Uganda

• Health: CDC Uganda, CDC Ebola guidance for returning travellers

News and secondary sources used for the insurance rules: The EastAfrican, Daily Nation, VisasUpdate on Tanzania, Tulia Zanzibar.

We reviewed these sources in September 2026. Requirements change, and this article is general information, not legal or medical advice.