Flying to or through Entebbe: Uganda's Ebola rules for airlines and OTAs (October 2026)

On 25 October 2026 Uganda's Health Minister, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, set out the country's Ebola border rules in a statement. Uganda has had no confirmed case since its own outbreak ended on 28 July. The statement says all 60 contacts traced in Uganda in connection with a Kenyan traveller's Ebola case have completed their 21-day follow-up and been discharged. It also says investigations into a Nigerian Ebola case, including the patient's time in Uganda and route to Abuja, are ongoing, with findings to be shared later.

Most of the rules are not new. Some date from Uganda's National Task Force resolutions of May 2026, and the form has been required at Entebbe since 23 May. The statement puts them in one place. It says there are no exemptions from screening and appeals to other countries, airlines and travel operators to ensure that travellers with a history of travel to the DRC "are not facilitated to enter or transit through Uganda".

The key facts

Point What the statement says

Passenger Locator Form Every traveller entering Uganda by air, land or water must complete it at the point of embarkation or before arrival. At Entebbe the Civil Aviation Authority also requires it from departing passengers. Official form: https://poes.health.go.ug/declare

Screening Every traveller entering Uganda is screened by Port Health. No exemptions, including diplomats and United Nations staff. At Entebbe, transit (transfer) and departing passengers are screened too, and the Civil Aviation Authority requires secondary screening for anyone who has been through the DRC in the last 21 days

Transit after the DRC Travellers with a history of travel to the DRC are not permitted to transit through Uganda by any means of transport, including chartered flights. The statement does not give a look-back period

DRC nationals Non-essential travellers who are DRC nationals are returned to the DRC through the nearest point of entry, at their own cost

Ugandans back from the DRC 21 days of quarantine at their own cost

Uganda-DRC land border Open only to essential travellers, such as humanitarian workers and truck drivers

Contacts of a case Placed on a no-fly list until their 21-day follow-up ends

Flights to and from the DRC Suspended at Entebbe since 23 May 2026 (Civil Aviation Authority notice S04/26). We have not found a notice lifting it

Source Uganda Ministry of Health, statement of 25 October 2026; Uganda Civil Aviation Authority notice S04/26

Why it matters for sellers now

For any itinerary that lands in or connects through Entebbe International Airport, two things in the statement are easy to miss in a booking flow:

The form is for everyone. It is not limited to travellers coming from the DRC. A family flying London to Entebbe for a safari has to fill it in, just like a business traveller from Nairobi.

The transit ban looks at travel history, not nationality. The statement bars transit for travellers "with a history of travel to the DRC", whatever passport they hold, and does not say how far back that history goes. Uganda appeals to airlines and travel operators to ensure these travellers "are not facilitated to enter or transit through Uganda".

Other Ebola measures apply on the same routes. Kenya requires a health declaration from every passenger entering or leaving the country, and travellers coming from 10 countries, including the DRC and Uganda, must also complete its Electronic Traveler Health Surveillance Form. Tanzania requires a health surveillance form from every traveller. From 3 November every passenger flying to the United States must sign a statement that they were not in the DRC in the past 21 days.

What travel sellers should do

OTAs, tour operators and safari specialists

Add the Passenger Locator Form link to every Uganda booking confirmation and pre-departure email: https://poes.health.go.ug/declare. The official form page says it takes about 2 minutes. Point travellers only to that official address.

Ask about DRC travel at booking for any itinerary touching Uganda: has the traveller been in the DRC, or will they be before they reach Uganda? Our reading: because the statement gives no look-back period, treat any recent DRC travel as barring transit and check with the airline or the Uganda authorities before ticketing. Itineraries that combine the DRC with Uganda need a closer check.

Tell customers to expect screening on arrival and to keep their contact details and accommodation address at hand.

Airlines and ground handlers

Brief stations and contact centres that the form applies to every traveller to Uganda, and at Entebbe to departing passengers too.

Check the travel history of passengers connecting through Entebbe. Travellers with a history of travel to the DRC are not permitted to transit, and that includes chartered flights. The statement gives no look-back period, so check any recent DRC travel with the Uganda authorities.

The Ministry says the form lets its teams locate and follow up travellers when necessary. Listed contacts of an active case go on a no-fly list and may not leave Uganda until their 21-day follow-up ends. In the Kenyan case, the contacts it traced included staff at points of entry and exit and transport operators.

TMCs

Flag Uganda trips for staff who also work in the DRC, such as NGO, mining and logistics travellers. The transit ban applies to anyone with a history of travel to the DRC, with no look-back period stated, and DRC nationals on non-essential trips may be returned at the border.

Ask about DRC travel for onward trips too. From 3 November, travel to the DRC in the past 21 days also decides whether a traveller can board a flight to the United States.

How SimpleVisa handles it

Treat the Passenger Locator Form as a pre-departure step for every Uganda trip and send the official link with the booking. Ask about recent DRC travel whenever an itinerary touches Uganda, Kenya or a US-bound flight, because the same answer now feeds several checks. Uganda says it can enforce the rules through quarantine and prosecution, so tell every traveller about them before departure. Uganda can change these measures at short notice, so check the Ministry of Health and Civil Aviation Authority pages again before peak departures.

FAQ

Do all travellers to Uganda need to fill in a Passenger Locator Form? Yes. Uganda's Ministry of Health says all travellers entering Uganda by air, land or water must complete the Passenger Locator Form at their point of embarkation or before arrival. The official form is at https://poes.health.go.ug/declare.

Do departing or transit passengers at Entebbe need the form? Uganda's Civil Aviation Authority says all travellers arriving and departing through Entebbe International Airport must fill in the form beforehand, and that arriving, departing and transit passengers go through Port Health screening.

Can a traveller who was in the DR Congo connect through Entebbe? No. The Ministry of Health says travellers with a history of travel to the DRC are not permitted to transit through Uganda by any means of transport, including chartered flights. The statement does not say how far back that history goes, so check any recent DRC travel with the airline or the Uganda authorities.

Are diplomats or UN staff exempt from screening? No. The Ministry of Health says all travellers entering Uganda must be screened by Port Health, with no exemptions, including for diplomats and United Nations personnel.

Does Uganda have Ebola cases now? The Ministry of Health said on 25 October 2026 that Uganda remains Ebola-free. Its last outbreak was declared over on 28 July 2026. The rules are precautions against cases coming in from the DRC.

Does Uganda still require a yellow fever certificate? No. Uganda's immigration authority said on 2 October 2026 that a yellow fever certificate is no longer required for entry. Other countries on the same itinerary may still ask for one.

Operational guidance for travel sellers, not legal or medical advice. Updated 28 October 2026.

Sources

Uganda Ministry of Health, statement on Ebola preparedness and response, 25 October 2026 verified 28 Oct 2026 · Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, S04/26 Bundibugyo Ebola health measures for Entebbe (dated 1 June 2026, effective 23 May 2026) verified 28 Oct 2026 · Uganda Ministry of Health, Traveller Health Declaration (Passenger Locator Form) verified 28 Oct 2026 · CDC, Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation (updated 27 October 2026, counts as of 25 October) verified 28 Oct 2026

Loris Mazloum

Founder, SimpleVisa

Loris Mazloum founded SimpleVisa and writes the coverage notes on this blog for airlines, OTAs, and other travel companies. Each note is checked against the government source named at the bottom before it publishes. SimpleVisa keeps requirement data for 190+ destinations and files applications where a government channel exists.