Efforts to secure visa-free travel for Ugandan ordinary passport holders to South Africa have hit a significant diplomatic roadblock. High-level negotiations between Kampala and Pretoria have reportedly stalled following revelations that at least 20,000 Ugandans are currently residing in South Africa illegally.
According to Uganda’s Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, the presence of these “overstayers”—many of whom entered on short-term visas and refused to return home—has created a significant confidence deficit within South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, complicating efforts to finalize a reciprocity agreement.
This deadlock comes at a frustrating time for Ugandan travelers, highlighting a growing regional divide within the East African Community (EAC). While citizens of neighboring partners Kenya and Tanzania already enjoy 90-day visa-free access to South Africa, Ugandans remain subject to a rigorous and costly application process.
Currently, an ordinary Ugandan traveler must pay approximately $60 (UGX 230,000) and wait upwards of a week for processing. In contrast, South African citizens were recently granted easier entry into Uganda as part of Kampala’s broader “Open Doors” policy initiated in early March 2026, creating a lack of visa symmetry between the two nations.
The stalled waiver was expected to be the crowning achievement of bilateral talks that began in February 2023, when President Yoweri Museveni met with President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria to discuss boosting trade and tourism.
While technical teams were in the advanced stages of drafting a final agreement, immigration officials note that Pretoria remains hesitant due to the perceived security and economic risks posed by undocumented residents.
This delay continues to impact Uganda’s regional standing, as it currently ranks third in East Africa for passport strength—behind Kenya and Tanzania. For now, visa exemptions remain restricted to diplomatic and official passport holders, leaving millions of ordinary citizens waiting for a breakthrough.
