The best option for Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya is the East Africa visa also called EATV. The visa is valid for all 3 countries with multiple entrée; also you can pass into Tanzania and come back (note: Tanzania is not included, you need to pay for that separately).
When we were traveling East of Africa by motorcycle we already applied online EATV visa and we paid more than what we were thinking. Because when we were applying we didn’t know that we could go to DRC, which country out of East Africa visa. So, just please read details and don’t do same mistake.
How to get the visa;
If your first enter is from Rwanda you can apply online and pay at the door. The costs are 100 USD (cash only in USD) for the visa. (If you want to have each countries cost will be 130 USD; Rwanda 30 USD single entry 30 days, Uganda 50 USD single entry 30 days and Kenya 50 USD single entry 30 days.)
For Uganda you need to apply online as well and you need to pay online too. The costs for the visa are now 103 USD as they charge 3% for the payment, you cannot pay on arrival
For Kenya you don’t need to apply online you can just get it on arrival at the bigger borders, you pay cash 100 USD for the visa.
The visa is valid for 90 days and you cannot extend it.
Important Note : If you leave from East African countries you lose your EATV. For example, You want to visit Virunga Park in DRC. When they put exit stamp on your EATV on the Rwanda border You cant turn back with same visa. You have to pay 30 USD to single entry visa to Rwanda or apply again online EATV. It is same for Ethiopia or Burundi as well.
When I was backpacker I didn’t worried that much my passport to I can lose it but now I have to take care my driver license and motorcycle register as well.
When we came to Africa we hear a lot of stories about bribes. (Good thing, we did not pay any bribes yet) For example, they took driver license or register and didn’t give back until people paid money in some checkpoints. Other exam, they took the driver license in the office to write detail, after 30 minutes later they said that they lost it. Common how can possible! But it is true.
Easy way, you should have an extra fake one :). You should make a colorful copy of your vehicle register and driver license on a thick paper. After that make it plastification. So just make a copy of your documents. We have been carrying copy of register and driver license in our pocket when we ride. Most of the time, the checkpoint just wants to see our documents. They can check and than we can keep continue. Most border crossings we use the original one. (Depends on how much they have bribe) To be honest, we are in Africa 15 months now and only one checkpoint wanted to see original documents. 🙂
But please never ever do this in Europe, North America or Australia you can have serious problem! Anyway, you don’t need second documents in these continents to safe your paper. 🙂
Also, carry a copy of your documents, which are passport info page, driver license, vehicle register…etc. Most borders wants to have also some checkpoints want to have it.
Another note; have a photo of your documents send to yourself by email. If you lose them the photo or email can be more helpful when you are in the embassy or consulate.
We made a short video for our Africa journey, roads, life… We hope that you like to watch :
If you are planning to go Morocco,Western Sahara orMauritania you should make your life easy and carry a document with a lot of copy, which is called ‘Fiche’ papers.
In the beginning we didn’t have one. Every checkpoint was asking “FISH”. 🙂 We can’t speak French, just a few words. Therefore when they said the name sound was for us “Fish”. It was a little weird to somebody saying something like that. After a while we figure out that it is a French word “Fiche”
If you are on a motorcycle like us you don’t want to wait 15 minutes under the sun with all motorcycle gears. Almost every city center enter has three checkpoints, each 5-10 kilometers when you enter and when you exit.
Fiche paper is just your info to give them and save a lot of time. You can make it in your home and than get fifty copies with you. 🙂
We made it on the road. With handwrite and then made copies. What the paper need to write about you and your vehicle:
About you
Your name and surname
Passport number
Birth date and country
Your nationality
Your passport issue date and place
Passport expire date
Your home country address
Your mother and father name
Your job
Family situation
Extra
Date of entree (country)
Place of entrée (country)
Motif for travel
About Vehicle
Mark
Model
Plate number
Color
That’s it…. But please don’t forget it; I am writing English to explain but document has to be in French!
We don’t know when you travel by bus any checkpoint ask about the Fiche documents. If you are backpacker we can recommend that have some copies of document like that or have copy of your passport.
Enjoy your trip in North West Africa…. If you have any question you are free to ask.
Note, the visa starts the day you apply!
We made a short video for our Mauritania journey, roads, life… We hope that you like to watch :
Comesa insurance starts from Zimbabwe and you can use until Sudan (include), it’s writing Egypt as well but they won’t except it. The price are changing, it depends how long you want to have it and how many countries you will enter. If your plan more than 3 countries you need to have it for all countries which are Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan.
We applied for the Yellow Card in Lusaka, Zambia. We didn’t get it in Zimbabwe because the prices are way to high there. If you use the Victoria falls border you can easily get the Comesa in Livingstone as well.
Before you get it you must have a Zambian insurance from the company. So you need to try to pass the border without getting any insurance, tell them you will get it in the next city and you will get the Comesa for all East Africa countries. Otherwise you need to pay the local insurance twice as you need to have it from the same company.
We paid for each motorcycle 24.5 USD for the Zambian traffic insurance and than 57 USD for 6 months Comesa to enter all countries. (I am sure there are better deals if you search more).
The Comesa Insurance was with us Zambia to Sudan and nobody ask about it. Only, Malawi border wanted see it. Otherwise, nobody asking if you don’t do anything wrong in the traffic or accident. Her brother travel without Yellow card Egypt to Zimbabwe. He told us only Tanzania when a police stop him they asked it. He passed them with 5 USD. If you ask to us we can recommend to have it is not expensive.
We made a short video for our Africa journey, roads, life… We hope that you like to watch :
Kaza visa allows you to visit Zimbabwe and Zambia for 30 days with multiple entrees between the two countries in one visa. So you can not leave the countries (for example, form Zambia go to Malawi and than enter Zimbabwe with same Kaza visa is not possible) but if you want to visit daily Kasane, Botswana (to visit Chobe NP) you can use the Kazungula border near to Kasane (from Zimbabwe or Zambia side) to go to Botswana for a day and turn back. The Kaza visa accepts this visit.
Kaza visa costs 50 USD but unfortunately we couldn’t get it because it’s not always available at the border in Kazungula border to Zimbabwe. It was available at the Victoria falls border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Also we asked Kariba border in Zimbabwe when we were going to Zambia for Kaza visa; They told us they don’t give in this border.
Zambia visa and Kaza visa same price. If you want to go to see the Victoria Falls from both sides Livingstone and than Kariba lake and Manapools in Zimbabwe after that Zambia again it is the cheapest way.
Both countries is so nice to travel. If you have more time we can recommend to spend a little more time to discover Zimbabwe also Zambia. If you can get visa it is so easy to travel between to countries also save money. 🙂
We had amazing time in Zimbabwe. If you like to read our Zimbabwe story just click it. Also some tips to Zambia wildlife, you can saty next to one of the national park and enjoy to watch animals.
Original name is Assurance Carte Brune Cedeao but Everybody knows ECOWAS, brown card insurance, which is West Africa traffic insurance. 17 countries accept Ecowas in Western Africa;
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Congo Brazzaville
Gabon
Ivory Coast
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea Bissau
Guinea Conakry
Liberia
Mali
Niger
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo
We get ours brown card motorcycle insurance in Senegal. We passed to Senegal border without Ecowas and get it in St. Lous. We had 4 months for 17.375 cfa (26 euro). Our friends paid 15.000 cfa for 3 months. The office is nearby a bank (GPS coordinates 16.026701, -16.505271) in St. Louis. (The owners of the Zebrabar camping told us where to go).
Don’t buy this at the border!! Because most of then is fake! When we arrived to Senegal border a lot of people came to us and they show their official card, which is show that they work with Ecowas company. It was look like totally fine for us which photo we saw on internet and what we read about it. But we always so careful these kind of things therefor we took one of the insurance paper and went inside. We found chief from the border to asked if the insurance documents fine; he told us not to buy it. Ecowas paper’s looks really good but it’s not! Because you need a stamp on your ECOWAS and you need to carry the bill with you as a prove of the payment. People are walking on the border with documents and nobody has a stamp to put on it or give you a bill to show payment.
From Senegal to Congo (Brazzaville), we passed total 12 countries and only once in Guinea Bissau they asked for our traffic insurance.
ECOWAS is two pages one is writing those 14 countries. Other one writes Cameroon, Gabon and Congo (Brazzaville). We have used it in all those countries. Some people said that we can not use in Congo we have to have an other document to cover Congo. But our Ecowas was writing include Congo. SO, we entered and exit from it without any problem with Ecowas.
This is a visa what is hard to get! It is a West Africa visa that is valid in Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo and Benin.
It is hard to get it when you are in Africa but you can get it in Barcelona at the Benin embassy. The costs for it are 100 euro, it’s valid in 90 days to stay 60 days. And you can enter each countries one time. We didn’t get it so I don’t know what you all need to apply for it.
If you want to have in West Africa You need to go Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso. Of course, first you need their countries visa to enter. After that you can apply. The cost is around 55 Euro in one of the countries. Some people told us when apply to VTE in Burkina Faso They look your Burkina visa and They want to you have 3 months Burkina visa.
LAST UPDATE : We just learned more details about VTE- West Africa Visa more. (January 2020) They are not giving more in Barcelona. Also it is not easy to get any where else. Looks like visa is official exist but They don’ t want to give or they don’t have visa paper to put on the passport.
You can check all Western African countries visa detail on our website:
We spent 9 months west of Africa. You never know what can happen or what is waiting for you but on the other hand it is amazing experience.
Also, if you have a plan to travel around West of Africa with vehicles also you can read our articles about border crossing and bribes :
First let me explain a little bit what the carnet de passage is. It’s simply said a passport for your motorcycle, when you enter African and Asian countries you have some option but you always need to import your vehicle, either you can do that with the Carnet de Passage or you can do this local, the costs are around 10 euro’s in most countries to import the vehicle, sometimes you need to go to the capital city to extend it. So for us it was just easier to travel with the Carnet de Passage. You cross a border and let the paper stamped and signed, done deal, no money to pay! When you leave the country they will stamp and sign it again.
In which countries you can use your Carnet de Passage?
I will try to keep this up-to-date as much as possible for the countries we are passing.
AFRICA
Morocco – No Carnet de Passage, free importation of your motorcycle. You fill in a paper at the border when you enter and you need to show that again when you leave the country.
Mauritania– No Carnet de passage, importation of the motorcycle costs 10 euro’s. They write the motorcycle details in your passport and write it out again when you leave the country.
Senegal– We used our Carnet de Passage. We choose to take a small border called Diama, they don’t stamp your Carnet de Passage here. You get a Pass Avant what costs 2500 cfa (4 euro) this is valid for 48 hours but when you enter on a Friday you get 96 hours because they don’t work in the weekends (we did this). You need to enter Dakar in the 48 hours what is about 300 km from the border to let your Carnet de Passage stamped at the custom office in the harbor GPS coordinates 14.672178, -17.425022.
The Gambia – Use Carnet the Passage. They sign and stamp it at the border and sign and stamp it out.
Guinea Bissau – We used our Carnet the Passage. They need a little help how to fill in the Carnet the Passage but they sign and stamp it when you enter. We entered from Ziguinchor. We left Guinea Bissau from a really small border (Contabane) where they signed and stamped Carnet de Passage out of the country.
Guinea Conakry– We used our Carnet the Passage. As we crossed into Guinea on a really small border they didn’t stamp or sign our Carnet the Passage (neither our passports). They told us they would do in Dabbis, but that’s wrong. You need to go to Boke (GPS coordinates 10.948341 ,-14.280779) The first officer tried to get 100.000 GNF (10 euro) each from us, we refused friendly then he told us he was going to get the chief and ask him. The chief came and signed our Carnet the Passage with a smile and no money asked. When leaving the country (Kouremale border) they stamped and signed our Carnet the Passage, asked what I have for them, first I just smiled, then he said he was hungry, I told him so am I, he asked again what do you have for me, I said a handshake. I shake his hand he smiled and give me our Carnet de Passage back.
Mali–We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Mali the same easy process.
Burkina Faso – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped it without a lot of questions. Nothing asked for. When leaving the country I needed to explain the guy about 3 times what the document was and what he needed to do. Eventually he stamped the document and I was satisfied.
Togo– We used our Carnet de Passage. I needed to explain what to do, but then it got stamped and signed easily. When leaving the country the same I needed to explain it but done easily.
Benin – We used our Carnet de Passage. They immediately recognized the Carnet de Passage and knew what to do. Only thing we needed was a copy of our passport I tried to do it without but he insisted of me getting the copies. When leaving the country through a small border I needed to explain what the paper was, but the guy was very friendly and signed with a big smile.
Nigeria – We used our Carnet de Passage. We crossed into Nigeria through a small border and I needed to explain what the document was for but then it got stamped and signed easily. When leaving the country they know what they needed to do.
Cameroon– We used our Carnet the Passage. They have a special office for the importation of your vehicle and they know what the Carnet the Passage is and stamp and sign it easily. When leaving the country they know what they needed to do.
Gabon – We used our Carnet the Passage. They have a special office for the importation of your vehicle and they know what the Carnet the Passage is and stamp and sign it easily. When leaving the country they know what they needed to do.
Congo (Brazzaville) – We used our Carnet the Passage. They have a special office for the importation of your vehicle and they know what the Carnet the Passage is and stamp and sign it easily. When leaving the country they know what they needed to do.
Congo (Kinshasa) DRC – We used our Carnet the Passage. They have a special office for the importation of your vehicle and they know what the Carnet the Passage is and stamp and sign it easily. When leaving the country they know what they needed to do.
Angola – They don’t accept the Carnet the Passage, see our border crossing and bribery Western Africa writing what to do with the importation and exportation of the vehicle.
Namibia – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Namibia the same easy process.
South Africa – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving South Africa to Lesotho we did not stamp out the Carnet de Passage as you come back 100% sure. When leaving to Swaziland we stamped out at Oshoek border, we had a lot of trouble with that as they say we are not a Carnet de Passage border we do not stamp them after a lot of talking they did stamp our Carnet de Passage but they where not happy about doing it.
Lesotho – We didn’t use our Carnet de Passage and no TIP (Temporary Importation Permit) either.
Swaziland – We didn’t use our Carnet de Passage and no TIP (Temporary Importation Permit) either.
Mozambique– We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Mozambique the same easy process.
Botswana– They don’t accept the Carnet the Passage, see our border and bribery Southern Africa writing what to do with the importation and exportation of the vehicle.
Zimbabwe – They don’t accept the Carnet the Passage, see our border and bribery Southern Africa writing what to do with the importation and exportation of the vehicle.
Zambia – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Zambia the same easy process.
Malawi – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Malawi the same easy process.
Tanzania – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Tanzania the same easy process.
Rwanda – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Rwanda the same easy process.
Uganda – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Uganda the same easy process.
Kenya – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Kenya the same easy process.
Ethiopia – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped after they know the road you will take in Ethiopia, also they will give you a paper with all your valuables on it otherwise they will not stamp your Carnet de Passage. When leaving Ethiopia they stamp after checking the other papers.
Sudan – We used our Carnet de Passage. They signed and stamped really easy nothing asked. When leaving Sudan we did it at the airport as well fly out of Sudan. You can check the article about how you can leave Sudan to Europe with motorcycle.
