Yellow Fever and Uganda: Do You Still Need the Vaccine?

If you have read older Uganda guides, you were probably told you need a yellow fever certificate to enter the country. That has changed. It is worth knowing exactly how, because the vaccine question has not gone away. It has moved.

The short answer

You no longer need a yellow fever certificate to enter Uganda. The vaccine is still recommended, and you may need a certificate for the next country on your trip.

• Entering Uganda: no certificate required.
• Health advice: the WHO and the CDC both recommend the vaccine for travellers aged nine months and over.
• Rwanda and Tanzania: both ask for a certificate from arrivals coming from countries with yellow fever risk, and Uganda counts as one.

What changed

Uganda's immigration authority published a notice dated 2 October 2026 saying a yellow fever vaccination certificate is "no longer a mandatory requirement for entry into Uganda", and that travellers do not need one. It is also gone from the eVisa portal. You can read the official notice here.

You may still see the older rule online. The CDC's Uganda page, last reviewed on 25 August 2026, still lists the vaccine as required for arriving travellers aged one year and over. That wording comes from before the notice. As a rule, trust the Ugandan government for entry rules and the CDC and WHO for health advice.

Why the vaccine is still recommended

Yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes that bite mainly in the daytime, so a bed net helps less than it does against malaria, according to the WHO. Most people who catch it feel unwell for three or four days, with fever, headache, body aches and nausea. About 15% go on to severe illness, and about half of those people die within seven to ten days.

The vaccine is simple by comparison. A single dose gives lifelong protection, and no booster is needed. Protection develops within ten days in 80% to 100% of people and in over 99% within a month. If you have been vaccinated before, you are most likely covered already.

Who should not have the vaccine

The WHO lists a few groups who should not be vaccinated: babies under nine months, pregnant women (except during outbreaks), people with a severe egg allergy, and people with a severely weakened immune system or a thymus disorder. Over-60s should weigh the risks and benefits with a doctor. This is general information, not medical advice, so please see a travel clinic about your own case.

If your trip continues to Rwanda or Tanzania

This is where the certificate can still matter. Uganda is classed as a country with yellow fever transmission risk. The CDC says Rwanda requires the vaccine for arriving travellers aged one year and over who come from countries with risk. Tanzania says the same, and also counts layovers of more than 12 hours in such countries.

Neither CDC page names Uganda, so confirm with each country's embassy before you fly. If you cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, the WHO says an exemption must be certified by a doctor. This mostly affects combined trips such as our Primates of East Africa itinerary, which crosses between Rwanda and Uganda.

Malaria matters more day to day

For most visitors the everyday mosquito risk in Uganda is malaria. The CDC recommends prescription medicine to prevent it: atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine or tafenoquine. You start several days before the trip and continue during and after, and your doctor chooses which one suits you. Repellent and long sleeves at dusk help as well.

What we suggest

• See a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you leave, and tell them every country on your route.
• Carry your certificate if you have one, even though Uganda no longer asks for it. Another border or airline might.
• Check the rules again a week before you fly. Entry requirements change, as this one just did.
• Tell us about onward travel when you enquire, so we can flag anything on your route.

Where to start

For a first look at what a trip involves and what it costs, see how much a Uganda safari costs and our Uganda safari tours comparison. Travelling with children? Our 14-day Best of Uganda Family Safari starts from about $4,900 per person for six.

Tell us your dates, who is travelling and where you go next, and we'll reply within 24 hours. You can start your enquiry here.