(UGANDA) — Uganda’s Ministry of Health said travelers leaving the country do not need Ebola-free certificates, and such certificates are not required for visa applications, moving on June 15, 2026 to counter rumors and paid offers that officials described as fraudulent.

The clarification, in force as of June 16, 2026, addresses two points that had begun to shape outbound travel from Uganda during the Ebola outbreak: whether passengers needed a health clearance to depart, and whether visa applicants had to present one at consular interviews or in application files. Ugandan officials said the answer to both was no.

“Travelers leaving the country do not need Ebola-free certificates, and such certificates are not required for visa applications to any destination.” the ministry said in its statement dated June 15, 2026. The statement also warned the public against people offering Ebola testing or certificates for a fee to facilitate travel or employment.

Dr. Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services, set out the ministry’s testing position the same day. “Testing is only recommended for individuals who develop symptoms consistent with Ebola Virus Disease or those who are identified as contacts of confirmed Ebola cases.”

That guidance leaves Uganda’s outbound travel rules narrower than many travelers feared. Screening protocols tied to symptoms or exposure remain part of the public health response, but the ministry did not make Ebola-free certificates a general requirement for departure or for visa paperwork.

U.S. policy has moved in the opposite direction on entry. A Title 42 public health order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 18, 2026 suspended the entry of covered aliens who had been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or South Sudan within the last 21 days.

Four days later, the U.S. expanded that restriction. An amended order effective May 22, 2026 extended the suspension to Lawful Permanent Residents, a category that had not been included in the earlier order.

The CDC described the change in direct terms. “The revised rule now applies the ability to suspend introduction into the United States to U.S. lawful permanent residents. [they] are prevented from entering the United States [if they have been in the affected regions in the last 21 days].”

Separate Department of Homeland Security arrival restrictions also changed how passengers from Uganda can enter the United States. Flights carrying travelers recently present in Uganda must land at designated airports for enhanced screening, with Washington Dulles International Airport, IAD, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, ATL, serving as those hubs. Atlanta was added in June 2026.

Those U.S. rules have created a split between departure and arrival. Uganda does not require Ebola-free certificates for outbound travel or visa applications, but noncitizens and Green Card holders who were in Uganda within the 21-day window face U.S. entry blocks, while U.S. citizens returning from Uganda must undergo health monitoring and screening at the designated airports.

The outbreak behind those measures involves the Bundibugyo virus, or BVD. Uganda had recorded 19 confirmed cases as of June 16, 2026, including 5 Ugandan nationals, and 2 fatalities, both Congolese nationals who were seeking treatment.

Ugandan authorities also reported a short stretch of improved case data. As of June 15, the country had gone 10 consecutive days without a new confirmed case.

The international response, however, has remained severe. The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026, describing the outbreak as a cross-border health threat at a time when governments were tightening screening protocols and reworking travel rules.

The United States kept its broader travel warning in place. The State Department renewed a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for Uganda on June 4, 2026, citing the Ebola outbreak and related security concerns.

That advisory sits alongside the public health orders but serves a different function. One warns Americans against travel; the other controls who can enter and under what conditions, especially after recent presence in Uganda. Together they have disrupted routings, family visits, work travel, and immigration plans linked to the country.

Visa processing has been affected as well. Ebola-free certificates are not required for visa applications, but U.S. visa services in Kampala have been largely paused since late May 2026, limiting how quickly applicants can move even when they have the documents normally needed for a case.

That distinction matters in practical terms because the certificate question and the visa service question are not the same. Ugandan officials removed one source of confusion by saying no certificate is needed, while the pause in visa operations has left a separate barrier in place for applicants trying to schedule interviews or complete processing.

Airlines and passengers have had to absorb the operational side of the U.S. entry policy. Designated-airport rules can affect ticketing, connecting itineraries, and arrival times because flights carrying passengers recently present in Uganda must use approved ports where health authorities can carry out enhanced screening protocols.

Citizenship and immigration status now determine much of what happens after travel begins. U.S. citizens can return, but they face 21 days of health monitoring and enhanced screening at port-of-entry hubs. Noncitizens and lawful permanent residents who were in Uganda within that same window are barred from entering under the current order.

The ministry’s fraud warning adds another pressure point. By stating that routine Ebola-free certificates are not required for outbound travel or visa applications, officials drew a direct line between public confusion and an emerging market for paid documents that have no official role in ordinary departure or visa processing.

Uganda’s message also narrows who should seek Ebola testing. Olaro said testing is recommended for people who develop symptoms consistent with Ebola Virus Disease or who are identified as contacts of confirmed cases, not for all travelers seeking to leave the country.

That leaves travelers, migrants, and visa applicants working under two sets of rules at once. Inside Uganda, no Ebola-free certificate is required for departure or for visa applications. At the U.S. border, recent presence in Uganda can trigger screening, monitoring, or exclusion, depending on whether the traveler is a citizen, a noncitizen, or a Green Card holder.

Officials have pointed the public to government websites for updates as rules continue to shift. Uganda’s Ministry of Health posts information at [Ugandan Ministry of Health](https://health.go.ug), while U.S. travelers can check [CDC Ebola Information for Travelers](https://www.cdc.gov), [U.S. Embassy in Uganda](https://ug.usembassy.gov), and the Federal Register notice on [DHS arrival restrictions](https://www.federalregister.gov). For now, the clearest line from Kampala remains the one aimed at the certificate market: routine outbound travel and visa applications do not require Ebola-free certificates.