Updated Rwanda tourism and travel restrictions
Updated Rwanda tourism and travel restrictions : As of Wednesday the 13th of October 2021, the President of Rwanda, His Excellency Paul Kagame guided by the Cabinet members held a meeting at the Urugwiro village and a few of the previously instated travel restrictions were changed. The last meeting they held was on the 21st of September 2021 in which all the resolutions were agreed upon and fully enforced.
One of the travel guidelines was every incoming traveler landing at the Kigali International airport had to be accompanied by a valid negative COVID-19 certificate upon arrival into the country and only the PCR test was accepted. The rapid Antigen tests are not accepted and the only individuals who are exempted from the test result are the children below the age of 5 years.
All travelers entering or destined for Rwanda were and are still expected to complete the passenger locator form and it is on this form where guests upload the certificate of the negative Covid-19 test result and this should be done before arriving at the airport. This passenger locator form will also require guests to fill in their quarantine hotel booking code.
All international visitors on arrival to Rwanda were expected to spend 24 hours in a designated quarantine hotel. This quarantine was a mandatory stay for all visitors going to spend more than 12 hours in the country. If a guest is only transiting and spending less than 12 hours, they will not need to stay 24 hours but they will also have to take another test that will be fast tracked so that results are back in time for their next flight out.
The PCR test is conducted at the airport before transferring to the designated hotel and a test goes for 60 USD where the 50 USD is for the test and the 10 USD is for the logistics involved in the sample collection at the airport. If a guest is only having a connecting flight via the Kigali International airport and will not be exiting the airport, they will only be screened to check their temperatures and any signs of COVID-19 and if all is well, they will not be subjected to another test as they wait to head to their next destination.
The test results are shared with the guests via their preferred mode either by email or text on the shared number when filling in the passenger locator form and this is usually in the 24 hour given time or less. If a guest’s results come back positive, whether the guests has evident signs or is only asymptomatic, they will remain in quarantine and will be treated following the nation’s COVID-19 management guidelines until they test negative again and all expenses will be at the guest’s cost thus Updated Rwanda tourism and travel restrictions .
Guests leaving Rwanda via the Kigali International airport will have to take another test in 72 hours to their departure and this is the test result that will be considered when flying out of the country. The only accepted test result will be that of the SARS-CoV 2 Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction test known as the RT-PCR test and there are a number of hospitals that perform these tests. If you have a test result from the RDTs, the rapid diagnostics tests, you will be denied permission to access the airport for your flight out.
Revised travel restrictions of Rwanda
After the recent cabinet meeting held at the Urugwiro village, there have been a few lifts on the restrictions so as to make visiting Rwanda much more seamless even post COVID. Travelling post COVID can be quite daunting but also inevitable.
Rwanda has revised the quarantine stay for all guests coming into the country and from a mandatory quarantine stay in the designated hotels for all arrivals vaccinated or not. The vaccinated guests can now enter Rwanda and will not have to quarantine. This is for the fully vaccinated guests with a valid vaccination certificate. Guests will however have to take a test on arrival.
The negative PCR test results that guests will need to carry on arrival at and departure from the Kigali International airport still stands as you will need one to fill in the passenger locator form and also for your next destination. This test should have been done within the 72 hours ahead of the travel.
The curfew time for movement has also been pushed further to midnight which gives guests more time to transfer between far apart destinations in time for curfew. This time curfew also looks at favoring the guests with evening or night flights as they will not have to apply for a movement permit to get to and from the airport.
Restaurants, bars and other recreation centers have been reopened to a 50% and a 75% capacity depending on their space and with this, the guests get to enjoy the Rwanda Safari experience with less limitations.
These guidelines are set to start with immediate effect of November 14th 2021 and have been a result of the effectiveness of the vaccination programs in the country and decrease in numbers of COVID patients and deaths. Rwanda awaits to host you for the true Rwandan experience in the land of a thousand hills.
