Earlier this month, Rwanda announced what could be termed a global visa free entry for travelers from everywhere in the world starting January 01, 2018. The move is part of a government’s plan to increase Rwanda’s openness and accessibility to the rest of the world, in a new visa regime.
A communique released by the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration stated that citizens of all countries across the world would receive a 30-day visa on arrival under this regime. “The development will boost tourism in the country due to the easy access by foreign nationals into the country,” Kigali-based state run New Times Newspaper reported.
The November 16, 2017 document read in part: “30 days visa upon arrival – Citizens of all countries to get visa upon arrival without prior approval, starting 01 January, 2018. Prior to that, only African countries and few others were eligible for a visa upon arrival.”
The new visa regime also touched on other areas, such as visa reciprocity for specific countries, whose citizens get free visas with 90 days validity. Those countries include Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Haiti, Senegal, Seychelles, and Sao Tome and Principe. This is in addition to the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Africa Member Community Partner States, Mauritius, Philippines and Singapore. This takes immediate effect.
“Nationals of the United States of America, Australia, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom will be issued with an entry visa valid for a period up to 30 days. The cost for the visa is $30, to be paid upon arrival in Rwanda.
