What Visa Do You Need to Film in Uganda?
Planning to travel to Uganda with a film crew? Your camera gear isn't the only thing you need to prepare.
If you're coming to Uganda to work on a professional or journalistic production, you need to look beyond the standard entry visa. Depending on your production and role, you'll need to deal with your Uganda visa, media accreditation and a Special Pass.
These processes can partly run at the same time, but each has its own requirements, costs and processing times. And when you're planning a shoot, timing matters. Your crew, flights and locations can all be ready, but if one important document is still pending, you're not ready to shoot.
Here's how the process works.
Filming in Uganda means working
If you're travelling to Uganda to work on a professional production, you're not simply visiting with a camera.
That's why it's important to check the requirements before you travel. For an international film crew, the preparation typically involves three key steps: an Ordinary visa, media accreditation and a Special Pass. Don't leave this until the last minute. Some applications can run in parallel, but they each follow their own process.
Step 1: Apply for your Uganda visa
First, you need your regular entry visa, known as an Ordinary visa.
For most European nationalities, you apply online through Uganda's official e-visa portal before travelling. This is your entry visa. Without it, you won't be able to enter Uganda. Make sure you're using the official government portal. There are several commercial websites offering to arrange a Uganda visa for you, but they may charge additional service fees.
The official visa fee is currently $50, based on the information used for this guide.
Allow enough time for processing and apply well before your departure date.
Step 2: Arrange media accreditation
Your visa is only one part of the preparation. Professional film and media productions also need to look at media accreditation through the Uganda Media Council.
This is a separate process from your entry visa. Having a visa doesn't automatically mean you're cleared to work as a professional film crew in Uganda.
The current fee is $175 per crew member, based on our latest information.
We cover the accreditation process in more detail in this blog:
Step 3: Apply for a Special Pass
The third part is the Special Pass, applied for through the Directorate of Immigration. This is the work-related authorisation that needs to be arranged before you travel.
For each crew member, the current process requires documents including:
a covering letter explaining the purpose and duration of the stay, together with supporting documents
a recent passport-size photograph
a copy of the passport bio-data page
The current fee is $400 per crew member.
Requirements and fees can change, so always check the latest information before submitting an application.
Timing matters
This is one of the easiest things to get wrong when you're planning a production.
According to the current information used for this guide, the Special Pass is valid for three months from the date of application, rather than from your arrival date in Uganda. That makes the application date important.
Apply too early and the validity period may run out before your production is finished. Apply too late and the pass may not be ready when your crew is due to leave. For a film production, the application therefore needs to be planned around your actual travel and shooting dates.
Can you film in Uganda on a tourist visa?
Don't assume that a tourist visa covers professional filming or other work in Uganda.
An international film crew may need to deal with several separate requirements, including the entry visa, media accreditation and work-related authorisation. It's much easier to sort this out before you travel than to discover at the last minute that something is missing.
How long does the process take?
Start at least six weeks before departure.
Think of this as a planning window for the entire process, rather than the point at which you should first start thinking about paperwork. Your visa, media accreditation and Special Pass each have their own process and point of contact. Some parts can run in parallel, but a delay in one application can affect the production as a whole. If your crew and shoot dates are already confirmed, start as early as you can.
We can help you prepare
A production in Uganda involves more than cameras and flights. Story To Video is a production studio based in Kampala, founded and run by Dutch and Ugandan filmmakers. We work from Uganda and understand the practical side of producing here.
From visas and accreditation to local crew, locations and logistics, we can help you put the pieces together before your team arrives.
Already have your crew list and shooting dates? Send them to us. We'll help you work out what needs to be arranged before departure.
📍Based in Uganda and the Netherlands
Information current as of September 2026. Regulations can change. Get in touch for the most up-to-date requirements.
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