Rwanda: visa and entry rules
What you need to get in, how long you may stay, and what an overstay costs
Rwanda's borders: every crossing point
Airports 1
Rwanda's land border crossings, by the neighbours it shares a border with:
With Uganda: Gatuna — Katuna on the main Kigali - Kampala road; Cyanika by the volcanoes.
With Tanzania: Rusumo on the eastern route.
With Burundi: Nemba and Ruhwa in the south.
With DR Congo: the Grande Barriere in Gisenyi — straight into Congolese Goma; Rusizi by Bukavu. This direction depends on the situation and does close.
There is no access to the sea, and the country is linked overland to the ports of Kenya and Tanzania.
The Virunga volcanoes are where three countries meet. The gorilla-trekking routes run right up against the Ugandan and Congolese borders, and they have to be crossed with permits already arranged.
Driving to Rwanda
Overland routes work with Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi.
Traffic drives on the right — unlike Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, where it drives on the left. Worth keeping in mind when you cross the border.
Regional COMESA insurance is convenient for a route around the region.
Check the maximum import period for Rwanda in advance. An overstay on the car is dealt with separately from your visa and costs more.
The roads in the country are good, which sets it noticeably apart from its neighbours.
Travelling to Rwanda with a pet
An import permit is required, obtained in advance from the veterinary service.
A rabies vaccination must be valid on the date of entry.
An international veterinary certificate is required.
Agree the vaccinations and quarantine for import into Rwanda with the local veterinary service in advance — before you buy the tickets.
Overstaying your visa in Rwanda
A fine is charged for exceeding your permitted stay and is paid on departure.
The fine is worked out as you leave the country, and there is no calculating it in advance. Rates in Rwanda change and there is no single published scale. Cash at the border is essential.
Extensions are arranged in advance at the immigration service.
For a serious overstay — deportation and an entry ban.
What else to check before you go
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Entry rules change faster than anything else on this site, and they change without notice. We cross-check every page against several sources and state the date it was verified, but that does not replace the main step: before you travel, check an official source — the country’s consulate, its immigration service or its e-visa portal. Especially if more than a couple of months have passed since our check.