Kampala, Uganda: Ugandans holding ordinary passports will soon travel to South Africa visa-free once a bilateral agreement between the two countries is formally signed, the Uganda Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced.
Simon Mundeyi, spokesperson for the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, said negotiations between Uganda and South Africa are in advanced stages and nearing conclusion.
“We still have talks for ordinary passport holders of Uganda. These talks are almost coming to an end, and very soon Ugandans holding ordinary passports will move visa-free to the Republic of South Africa. Very soon!” Mundeyi said during a press briefing on Monday.
The development follows discussions initiated during President Yoweri Museveni’s visit to his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in February 2023, where both leaders agreed to ease travel restrictions between their citizens.
Mr Mundeyi explained that Uganda and South Africa had already concluded arrangements covering diplomatic and service passport holders, with talks now focusing on extending the exemption to ordinary passport holders.
“We started with diplomatic passports, we came to service passports. Now the talks are coming to a successful end. We shall have Ugandans travelling to South Africa visa-free. Of course, this is enabled by the fact that our passport is gaining some level of strength,” he said.
Many Ugandans reside in South Africa for work, study and business, while Uganda hosts South African investors in service, trade and manufacturing sectors. However, strict visa requirements have long posed challenges for travellers.
Egypt, UAE Deals
Mundeyi also confirmed that Uganda recently secured a reciprocal visa-waiver agreement with Egypt for diplomatic and official passport holders.
“We have been having issues travelling to Egypt, where diplomatic and service passport holders were being asked to apply for and acquire visas. Talks have been ongoing, and I am now happy to report that we have achieved visa-free travel for official and diplomatic passport holders from Uganda, and also from Egypt,” he said.
Similarly, Uganda signed a visa-waiver arrangement with the United Arab Emirates benefiting diplomats and official passport holders.
However, Mundeyi clarified that holders of ordinary passports travelling to Egypt and the UAE are not yet covered under the exemption and must continue applying for visas.
Once finalized, the Uganda-South Africa deal is expected to ease travel for business, tourism and education, and further boost bilateral trade and people-to-people relations between the two countries.
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