Passports and visas
A guide for what you need to get before or when you get to East Africa
This is always a farily important section and something that we get asked about very frequently by our safari clients. In order to make your itinerary run as smoothly as it possibly can, we advise you to always check the local embassy website for the country are travelling to.
Tanzanian Visas
It is possible to get a visa on arrival. For British citizens, for a single entry visa to Tanzania, you will need a valid passport and either £40 (GBP) or $50 (USD) per person in cash (US citizens visas on arrival are $100 per person). You do not need to take passport photos with you as your photograph for the visa will be taken on arrival with a small camera/webcam.
You can also get your Tanzania visa before you travel. Please obtain these prior to departure from the Tanzania High Commission - (3 Stratford Place, London, W1C 1AS - Tel 020 7569 1470 - or in the US 2139 R Street, Washington, D.C. 20008; 202-9396125 www.tanzaniaembassy-us.org) They are usually issued within 24 hours and require 2 passport photographs and payment of £40 in cash.
Action Visas in the UK can arrange these visas – 020 7939 8100 and they have a downloadable form at http://www.actionvisas.co.uk/seaforths/Forms/Tanzania.doc. When filling in the visa form please put as your reference in Tanzania "Coastal Travels, Dar, Tanzania - Tel 255 22 2117959". You may also be asked for the means of financial support - put "Pre arranged by UK Tour Operator". Please note that the visa is only valid for 90 from the date of issue.
Kenyan Visas
You can get your Kenya visa online via the official government website. It is also possible to get a visa on arrival for UK and US Citizens. If you wish to get them in advance the Kenya High Commission is at 45 Portland Place W1N 4AN - Tel 020 7636 2371 - in London). They are usually issued within 72 hours and require 1 passport photograph and payment of £35. It is also possible to get eVisas online for Kenya via the official Government website. Please note that if you are taking a safari to the north of Tanzania you will, possibly, be flying into Nairobi international airport and out of Wilson airport in Nairobi for Arusha. These are separate airports and you will need to enter the country (and thus get a visa) to get to Wilson.
Mozambique Visas
These can be obtained on arrival (at a cost of $50pp) or you can get them in advance as follows: 21 Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EL Tel:0207 3833800
Rwanda Visas
All British and US citizens require a visa when travelling to Rwanda. 30 day tourist visas can be purchased on arrival for £20 or $30 and you can pay this in cash, or by Visa/Mastercard. It is also possible to get a visa before travel, online or through the Rwandan High Commission. For UK citizens, please see more information at http://rwandahc.org/.
***Please note the information above is for UK and US citizens – for other nationalities please contact your nearest High Commission ***
***Please note that your passport must be valid for at least 6 months and have at least 4 unused consecutive blank pages ***