The United Arab Emirates has officially eased precautionary entry and visa restrictions for nationals of the Republic of Uganda. The announcement, made by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) alongside the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), marks a significant step forward in normalizing travel relations between the two nations following months of public health controls.
The travel restrictions were originally put in place on June 6, 2026, as part of a series of emergency protocols enacted by the UAE to safeguard public health against the spread of the Ebola virus. These initial measures suspended the issuance of new UAE visas for nationals coming from select affected countries, including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan. Additionally, the policies barred entry to any travelers who had been physically present in those nations within a 21-day window prior to arrival.
While these containment actions were praised as vital preventative safeguards, they noticeably impacted international movement, trade, and tourism. Business leaders and government officials from Uganda engaged in high-level diplomatic discussions over subsequent months to address the economic friction caused by the temporary ban, pointing out that Uganda had successfully contained its domestic transmission.
The decision to lift these barriers for Ugandan travelers comes after a thorough and continuous assessment of the regional epidemiological situation. Crucially, the move reflects the official conclusion of Uganda’s Ebola outbreak. Following localized cases earlier in the year, Uganda’s health ministry led aggressive contact tracing and enhanced surveillance efforts, eventually completing the mandatory 42-day international monitoring period without recording any new locally transmitted cases.
Because Uganda successfully met all standard global public health benchmarks required to declare the nation safe, UAE authorities determined that the risk profile for travelers originating from the country had dropped sufficiently to warrant rolling back the restrictions.
While the restrictions for Uganda have been lifted, the UAE underscored that regional vigilance remains high. Precautionary entry and visa measures implemented for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan will remain fully active. This distinction is due to the ongoing and evolving epidemiological challenges and active flare-ups of the virus still reported in those specific territories.
In an official joint statement, NCEMA, MoHAP, and ICP reiterated that the UAE government continues to track regional and global health developments closely.
