Rwanda will effective January 1st 2018, start granting visitors from across the world visas on arrival.
The visas will cost USD30 and will be valid for 30 days stay in the country.
Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said the new Visa regime is ‘Good For Business.’
“The new visa regime opens Rwanda to the world and is good for business. Rwanda believes that the free movement of people fosters trade and tourism and is good for the continent’s integration policy. We are aware of the challenges of open borders, but as a country, we also believe that the benefits of our policy outweigh the potential setbacks,” said Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo.
A first of its kind in Africa, the visa-on-arrival policy was approved by a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on November 8. Previously only travelers with a passport issued by an African country could get visa on arrival.
Yves Butera, spokesperson of the Directorate-General of Immigration and Emigration declared: “Citizens of all countries will get a visa upon arrival without prior application, starting January 1, 2018.’
According to Olivier Nduhungirehe, State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of East African Community affairs, the move is in line with the African Union spirit of encouraging free movement of people and is expected to increase the number of tourists and foreign investors coming to Rwanda.
“We have been talking about continental and regional integration and free movement of people for many years. Rwanda has taken the first step to implement this and we believe other AU member states and EAC partner states will follow suit,” Nduhungirehe said.
He said the move is in line with the Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport policy adopted by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government at the 27th ordinary session held in Kigali in July 2016.