Travel documents
Passports & Air Tickets
Most trips start with two things: a passport that’s in date and a ticket at a fair price. We help with both from our office in Kampala. Below is how Ugandan passports work in 2026, what visitors should check before flying, and how we book your flights.
For Ugandan citizens
Passport help, without the running around
Applying isn’t hard, but small mistakes cost weeks: a name spelt differently from your National ID, a recommender who forgot to attach their ID copy, a payment made against the wrong reference number. We sit with you and get those details right the first time.
- Check your documents before you start
- Fill in the online form with you
- Generate the payment reference and explain how to pay
- Book your enrolment appointment
- Tell you what happens at biometrics
- Remind you when it’s time to collect
- Renewals, name changes and children’s passports
- Lost or damaged passports
Government fees are paid to the government. Our booking fee for this help is separate and shown in your quote before you pay.
Get Passport HelpPassport types and fees in 2026
Uganda switched to the East African e-passport in 2019. It has a chip with your details and comes in blue (ordinary), green (service) and red (diplomatic). It’s valid for 10 years. The old machine-readable passports stopped working for international travel after 4 April 2022, so if that’s what you have, you need a new one.
| What you need | Fee (UGX) | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary passport, 48 pages | 250,000 | The one most people need. Same fee for a renewal. |
| Ordinary passport, 64 pages | 350,000 | For frequent travellers who fill pages with visas. |
| Express processing | +150,000 | Paid separately. About 2 working days instead of 10. |
| Lost or damaged passport | 100,000 fine + 250,000 passport fee | UGX 350,000 in total. Needs a police report (lost) or the damaged passport. Express is optional, +150,000. |
| Child under 18 | Same as adult | No separate children’s fee is published. Parents’ consent needed. |
| Diplomatic (red) | 500,000 | Only for people who qualify through a government role. |
Bank charges are extra, and missions abroad may add a courier fee. Fees can change, so we confirm them when you apply.
Step by step
How the application works
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1
Apply online
Fill in the form on the official passport portal, passports.go.ug. Your details must match your National ID exactly: spelling, name order and date of birth.
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2
Print the payment advice
Each fee gets its own Payment Reference Number (PRN). Don’t pay two fees against one PRN.
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3
Pay
At a bank that takes Uganda Revenue Authority payments, online through URA, or by card on the portal. If the card payment gives you trouble, a bank counter is the safe option.
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4
Book your appointment
Choose a date and centre on the portal, then print the appointment form.
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5
Enrol and give biometrics
Bring your original documents. Your photo, fingerprints and signature are taken there, so you don’t need passport photos.
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6
Collect
Pick it up from the centre where you enrolled once it’s ready. In Kampala, finished passports have been handed out at the Kyambogo centre, so check your collection point when you enrol.
Where you can enrol
In Uganda: the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kampala, and the regional passport offices in Mbarara, Mbale and Gulu. Other immigration offices (Jinja, Masaka, Fort Portal, Arua, Hoima, Masindi, Lira) act as collection points for applications, so check what your nearest office offers before you travel there. Abroad, Ugandan missions in places like Washington DC, London and Pretoria take passport applications; London handles renewals only.
How long: about 10 working days on the normal fee, about 2 on express, counted from enrolment. Applications through missions abroad take longer.
Documents checklist
What to bring
Bring originals and a photocopy of everything. Tap a situation to see its list.
First passport (adult) +
- National ID or National Identification Number (NIN)
- A recommendation letter, with a copy of the recommender’s National ID
- Documents for your profession, if you want it shown in the passport
- Printed appointment form and proof of payment
Renewal +
- Your old passport
- National ID
- Recommendation letter from a Ugandan of good standing, with a copy of their ID
- Appointment form and proof of payment
Child under 18 +
- Birth certificate
- Both parents’ National IDs
- Copies of the parents’ passport photo pages, if they have passports
- A consent letter from the parents
- Adoption order from the High Court, if the child is adopted
- The child’s old passport, if renewing
Lost or stolen passport +
- A police report
- National ID and recommendation letter
- A copy of the lost passport, if you have one
- Appointment form
- Payment of the UGX 100,000 fine plus the UGX 250,000 passport fee (express, +150,000, is optional)
- Abroad, some missions also ask for a sworn affidavit
Damaged passport +
- The damaged passport
- A short written explanation of what happened
- Payment of the UGX 100,000 fine plus the passport fee (express optional)
Change of name or details +
- A letter to the Passport Control Officer explaining the change
- A copy of your National ID showing the new name
- Appointment form
Why applications get held up
- Details that don’t match your National ID.
- A recommendation letter without the recommender’s ID copy, or one that doesn’t say how they know you.
- Payment problems: the wrong PRN, one payment for two fees, or paying too late.
- Children’s files missing a consent letter or a parent’s ID.
- Going to an office that doesn’t enrol passports.
- Leaving it late. If you have a flight or a visa appointment coming, start at least a month ahead.
For visitors coming to Uganda
Five passport checks before you fly
Our Uganda visa and entry guide covers the eVisa, the East Africa Tourist Visa and health rules in full. The short version:
- Six months’ validity. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after you arrive.
- Blank pages. Keep at least two free, more if you’re also crossing into Rwanda or Kenya.
- Yellow fever certificate. You’ll be asked for it on arrival. Keep it with your passport.
- Get the visa before you fly on the official portal, visas.immigration.go.ug. Look-alike sites charge extra.
- Names must match. Gorilla and chimp permits are issued against your passport. If you renew after booking, tell us.
Lost your passport in Uganda?
- 1. Report it at the nearest police station and ask for a written police report. Your embassy will want it.
- 2. Contact your embassy or high commission in Kampala about a replacement or emergency travel document. Each country has its own process.
- 3. Your visa and entry stamp were in the old passport. Ask immigration how to get your entry record onto the new document before you fly out.
- 4. Call us straight away. We’ll move permits, lodges and flights around, and drive you to the offices you need.
Tip: keep a photo of your passport’s photo page and your visa approval on your phone and in your email.
For everyone flying
Air tickets, explained in plain words
We compare fares across airlines, tell you what each fare actually allows (bags, changes, refunds), and issue your e-ticket once you’ve said yes. Ugandans flying out for work, study or family, and visitors flying in for a safari: same care either way.
- Return, one-way and multi-city trips
- Into Kigali, out of Entebbe (and the reverse)
- Group bookings: families, schools, churches, teams
- Date changes and refunds within your fare rules
- Seat and meal requests
- What to look for in travel insurance
- Safari flights to the national parks
- Airport transfers on both ends
How booking with us works
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1
Send us your details
Where you’re going, your dates and how flexible they are, how many people, and names exactly as they appear in the passports.
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2
We send options
Usually two or three, with the price, baggage, connection times and the rules on changes and refunds.
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3
You choose
Ask as many questions as you like first.
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4
You pay
Your quote shows the fare and our booking fee separately, with the payment options.
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5
We issue your e-ticket
Emailed to you with your booking reference, so you can check in online.
Who flies from Entebbe in 2026
Entebbe International Airport (EBB) is Uganda’s international gateway. Schedules have moved a lot this year, so treat this as a guide; we confirm what’s actually flying on your dates.
Uganda Airlines
The national airline, based at Entebbe. Routes include London Gatwick, Mumbai, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Juba, Bujumbura, Harare, Lusaka and Mogadishu. Accra is due from 27 October 2026 and Kigali from 18 November 2026.
Gulf, Turkish and Egyptian airlines
Emirates and flydubai (Dubai), Qatar Airways (Doha), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul), EgyptAir (Cairo), Air Arabia (Sharjah) and flynas (Jeddah). These are the usual connections to Europe, Asia and the Americas.
African airlines
Ethiopian (Addis Ababa), Kenya Airways and Jambojet (Nairobi), RwandAir (Kigali), Air Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro), Malawi Airlines (Lilongwe) and Air Congo (Kinshasa).
KLM suspended Amsterdam–Entebbe flights in June 2026 because of Ebola-related entry rules; ask us whether it has restarted.
Getting a better fare
- Book busy months early. December and the July to August holidays fill up with family and school travel, and fares climb as seats sell.
- Move a day or two. Shifting dates slightly, or flying into one city and out of another, often changes the price more than anything else.
- Look at the whole trip. A cheap fare with no checked bag or an overnight connection can end up costing more.
- Ignore “book on a Tuesday”. Airlines price by demand. The day you fly matters more than the day you book.
- Read the fare rules. Cheaper fares usually mean higher change fees or no refund. We’ll tell you exactly what yours allows.
On the day at Entebbe
- Arrive about three hours early for international flights. That’s our advice rather than an airport rule; queues can be slow.
- Use the Expressway. The Entebbe–Kampala Expressway runs 51 km from Busega (with a branch to Munyonyo) to the airport. Light vehicles pay a UGX 5,000 toll, and since September 2026 you can pay by mobile money in lanes 4 and 5.
- Leave early anyway. The motorway is quick; getting to it through Kampala traffic is the unpredictable part.
- Check your bag limits. Checked and cabin allowances depend on the airline and the fare, and they’re printed on your ticket.
Domestic flights
Fly to the parks instead of driving
Kampala to Bwindi is a full day on the road. A small plane from Entebbe gets you there in the morning, with the afternoon free. Aerolink Uganda flies 12-seat Cessna Caravans to airstrips near the main parks, and BAR Aviation also flies to Murchison. Some routes run daily, others a few times a week, so we plan the safari around the schedule.
The 15 kg rule
Aerolink allows 15 kg per person in a soft bag, and that includes up to 5 kg of hand luggage. Hard suitcases often won’t fit. We keep the rest of your luggage safe in Kampala or Entebbe.
Airstrip
Kihihi
Bwindi: Buhoma and Ruhija sectors
Airstrip
Kisoro
Bwindi: Rushaga and Nkuringo, plus Mgahinga
Airstrip
Kasese & Mweya
Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Rwenzoris
Airstrip
Pakuba, Bugungu & Chobe
Murchison Falls National Park
Airstrip
Kidepo
Kidepo Valley National Park
Airstrip
Semliki
Semuliki National Park and Toro-Semliki
Questions
Passports and flights: quick answers
Can Phy Travellers issue my passport?+
No. Only the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) issues Ugandan passports. We help you prepare your documents and apply correctly, so nothing holds your file up.
Can you get my passport faster?+
We can’t, and nobody honest can. The only official fast track is the express fee of UGX 150,000, paid to government. DCIC says express takes about 2 working days after enrolment, against about 10 working days on the normal fee.
How much is a Ugandan passport in 2026?+
UGX 250,000 for an ordinary 48-page passport, plus bank charges. The 64-page ordinary passport is UGX 350,000 under the 2021 fees regulations. Express is UGX 150,000 on top.
I still have an old machine-readable passport. Can I travel on it?+
No. The old passports stopped being valid for international travel after 4 April 2022. You need the East African e-passport.
What does my child need?+
The child’s birth certificate, both parents’ National IDs (and passport copies if they have them), and a consent letter from the parents. If the child is adopted, bring the adoption order. There is no separate children’s fee.
I lost my passport. What do I do first?+
Report it to the police and get a written police report. DCIC will not replace a lost passport without one. You pay a UGX 100,000 fine plus the normal passport fee (UGX 250,000), so UGX 350,000 in total. Express (UGX 150,000) is optional if you need it quickly. If you are abroad, the embassy can give you an emergency travel document to come home, and the replacement is done in Uganda.
Can I renew my passport abroad?+
At some Ugandan missions, yes. London, for example, handles renewals only; first-time applications have to be made in Uganda. Passports ordered abroad are printed in Kampala, so allow extra time.
Which airlines fly from Entebbe to Europe?+
Uganda Airlines flies to London Gatwick. Most other trips to Europe connect through Dubai, Doha, Istanbul, Addis Ababa or Nairobi. KLM paused Amsterdam flights in June 2026, so ask us for the latest before you plan around it.
How much luggage can I take on a safari flight?+
With Aerolink, 15 kg per person in a soft bag, and that includes your hand luggage. We can keep the rest of your luggage safe in Kampala or Entebbe while you’re on safari.
How early should I be at Entebbe for an international flight?+
We suggest about three hours before departure. Security and check-in queues can be slow at busy times, and traffic out of Kampala is hard to predict.
Do you charge a booking fee?+
Yes. We charge a booking fee for passport help and for flight bookings. It’s shown clearly in your quote, next to the passport or ticket cost, before you pay anything.
Passport guides
Flight guides
Passport, ticket, safari. One team.
Tell us where you’re headed and when. We’ll reply with what you need and what it costs.