The UAE's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs has lifted the precautionary visa suspension imposed on Ugandan nationals since June 6, 2026, after Uganda completed its internationally mandated Ebola monitoring period and was declared Ebola-free in late July.
As of Saturday, September 26, 2026, Ugandan citizens can once again apply for all categories of UAE visas without the entry restrictions that had been in place for months. Emirati authorities said the decision followed close coordination with international health bodies and continuous review of the epidemiological situation in the affected country.
Restrictions remain in force, however, for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. The DRC is currently battling its worst Ebola outbreak on record — the seventeenth epidemic since the virus was first identified in the country — with more than 7,000 confirmed cases and roughly 3,400 deaths reported so far. Details of South Sudan's outbreak were not specified in the official announcement.
UAE health officials stressed that entry measures for any country are reassessed regularly and can be adjusted, tightened or lifted depending on how the public-health situation evolves and in line with World Health Organization guidance.
The move is significant for Ugandan students, business travellers and families with relatives in the UAE, many of whom had been unable to obtain new visas since the suspension took effect earlier this year. Immigration consultants advise Ugandan applicants to check directly with UAE embassies or authorized visa centres for the latest procedural requirements, since documentation rules can shift in the days immediately following such policy changes.