AFCON 2027 visa: what Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda ask for
The AFCON 2027 visa rules differ in each host country. Kenya asks for an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) plus compulsory government health insurance. Tanzania asks for an e-visa plus its own compulsory insurance. Uganda has announced a visa waiver for the tournament period, but has not yet said how it will work. The tournament runs from 19 June to 17 July 2027, and many fans will cross at least one border, so plan for all three.
This guide covers what each country asks for, what it cost when we checked in November 2026, the health rules at the border, and the mistakes fans already report. Rules depend on your passport. Check yours on the official sites linked below before you book.
AFCON 2027 visa rules at a glance
| | Kenya | Tanzania | Uganda | |---|---|---|---| | Permit | eTA, online only | e-visa, online | e-visa, online; tournament waiver announced | | Cost | about $30 | $50, or $100 for US citizens | $50, or a $100 East Africa Tourist Visa | | Compulsory insurance | yes, $44 (about $52 with fees) | yes, $44 | no | | Yellow fever certificate | if you arrive from a risk country | if you arrive from a risk country | widely reported for all arrivals aged 1+ | | Passport | 6 months valid, 2 blank pages | 6 months valid, 1 blank page | 6 months valid |
Costs were checked on 4 November 2026 and are for a single-entry tourist permit. Citizens of East African Community countries, and many African Union nationals in Kenya, are exempt from some of these rules.
Kenya: eTA and health insurance
Kenya replaced visas with an eTA in 2024, so for Kenya your AFCON 2027 visa is the eTA. You apply on the official eTA site before you fly, and there is no eTA desk at Jomo Kenyatta airport. The UK government advises applying at least two weeks ahead.
Since October 2026, most visitors must also buy Kenya's own travel health insurance. It costs $44 plus fees, about $52 in all, and covers three months. You buy it on the eCitizen insurance portal or during the eTA application. Your own travel insurance does not replace it. A court challenge suspended the scheme in August 2026, but the High Court upheld it on 7 October 2026, so expect it to apply in June 2027.
Your passport must be valid for six months after you arrive, with two blank pages. A passport you have reported lost or stolen is refused, even if you found it again.
Tanzania: e-visa and insurance
Tanzania's AFCON 2027 visa is an e-visa, issued through its immigration service. The UK government says the London High Commission no longer issues visas, and single-entry visas on arrival are possible at the main airports, but an e-visa is safer. It cost $50 when we checked, or $100 for US citizens. Fans report applications stuck "in progress" for weeks, and copycat sites that charge more, so apply early and only on the government site.
From 1 October 2026, every foreign visitor to mainland Tanzania must also hold the government's inbound travel insurance. It costs $44, lasts up to 92 days with multiple entries, and you can be refused entry without it. Zanzibar has had the same rule since 2024. One policy covers both: if you enter through Zanzibar, you buy it from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation instead.
Your passport needs six months of validity and one blank page, and you may be asked for a return or onward ticket.
Uganda: e-visa, and the tournament waiver
Uganda's e-visa costs $50 on the government immigration portal, and it usually takes two to three working days. You print the approval letter and the visa is stamped on arrival at Entebbe.
On 7 April 2026, Uganda's AFCON chairperson announced that the Cabinet had approved a visa waiver for visitors, from one month before the tournament until one month after it. The government has not said whether this means no visa at all or just no fee, or which nationalities it covers. Until it publishes the details, plan to apply for the e-visa.
The East Africa Tourist Visa costs $100 and covers Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda for 90 days with multiple entries. It does not cover Tanzania. It only pays off if you will be in both Kenya and Uganda and you apply in the country you enter first.
Health rules at the border
Yellow fever: Kenya and Tanzania ask for a vaccination certificate if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk. That includes many likely qualifiers, among them Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Senegal and Guinea. Uganda is widely reported to require the certificate from every arrival aged one or over, wherever they come from. The vaccine must be given at least 10 days before you travel, so book it early.
Screening: Kenya screens arrivals from Uganda, Ethiopia and DR Congo for Ebola, and Tanzania screens every arrival for Ebola and mpox. Expect a temperature check and a short form, and allow extra time at the border.
Malaria: Nairobi has a low malaria risk, but most of Kenya, all of Uganda and Tanzania's coast, including Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, carry a high risk. See a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you go.
Moving between the three hosts
Many fans will follow their team across borders, so each crossing repeats the paperwork: one AFCON 2027 visa per country, not one for the tournament. Going from Kenya into Uganda on a single-entry eTA means you need a new eTA to return. A fan flying Nairobi to Dar es Salaam needs the Tanzanian e-visa and Tanzania's insurance on top of Kenya's. At AFCON 2025 every ticket was tied to a Fan ID made with a passport scan, as our AFCON 2027 tickets guide explains, so book in the name on your passport.
The three governments have discussed a joint "PAMOJA" visa for the tournament, but in November 2026 it was still an idea under study, not a product you can buy. We will update this guide if it launches.
AFCON 2027 visa questions still open
CAF has not confirmed the host stadiums, and the qualifiers run until March 2027, so nobody yet knows where each team will play. Uganda's waiver details, any joint visa and the 2027 fees are all still to come. Like every tournament plan, this one can move. We will recheck every rule here before June.
For the rest of your trip, see our Nairobi guide and our guide to travelling between the host cities.
Quick answers
- Do I need a visa for AFCON 2027? Most fans need a permit for each host: an eTA for Kenya, an e-visa for Tanzania, and an e-visa for Uganda unless its waiver covers you.
- Is travel insurance compulsory? Yes, the government's own policy in Kenya and in Tanzania, $44 each. Your own policy does not replace it.
- Does one visa cover all three countries? No. The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Kenya and Uganda, not Tanzania.
- Can I get a visa on arrival? Not in Kenya. Tanzania may issue one at the main airports, but do not count on it.