Rwanda has announced a new visa regime that allows travelers from across the world to be issued a 30-day visa on arrival in Kigali, beginning January 1, 2018.

The first of its kind in Africa, the visa-on-arrival policy was approved by a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on November 8.

“Citizens of all countries will get a visa upon arrival without prior application, starting January 1, 2018.

Before that, only nationals of African countries and a few others were getting a visa upon arrival,” said a statement signed by Yves Butera, spokesperson of the Directorate-General of Immigration and Emigration.

“The new visa regime opens Rwanda to the world and is good for business. Rwanda believes that the free movement of people fosters trade and tourism and is good for the continent’s integration policy.

We are aware of the challenges of open borders, but as a country, we also believe that the benefits of our policy outweigh the potential setbacks,” said Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo.