The Gambia — Africa's smallest mainland country — is a warm, welcoming destination with Atlantic beaches, the River Gambia, and the Roots heritage of Juffureh. VOA on arrival (USD 40). YF mandatory from Uganda. Getting there requires a connection through Lagos or London.
Key Warnings
Insider Tips
Six months beyond your intended stay, with a blank page for the entry stamp. There is no visa to apply for — Gambia admits Ugandans without one — so the passport is the document that decides whether you travel.
The card must be at least 10 days old before travel and the original is required — photocopies and phone photos are not reliably accepted. This is the document most likely to stop you, not the absence of a visa.
Immigration routinely asks visa-free arrivals for a confirmed return or onward ticket and a first night's booking. Keep both reachable on your phone rather than describing them.
The officer sets the permitted stay, up to 90 days, and prints it on the entry stamp. Check it before leaving the counter — the stamp, not the published allowance, is what governs your stay.
⚠️ Yellow Fever Certificate required. Uganda is a yellow fever endemic country. Gambia requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate from travellers from endemic countries including Uganda. Certificate must be at least 10 days old. The yellow card is checked at Banjul Airport on arrival. Vaccinate at UVRI Entebbe or Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala.
No visa application is made on this route, so there is no refusal rate. Entry can still be declined at the border.
The Gambia is visa-free for all African Union members, 90 days
The Gambia's exemption is granted by bloc rather than by country: every African Union member state, plus the Commonwealth, EU and EFTA, gets 90 days without a visa. This page previously described a 28-day visa on arrival.
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