Residence in Rwanda

Permits for you and your team

Rwanda sorts foreign residents into permit classes, each with a code, a fee in Rwandan francs and a validity period. Investors, self-employed entrepreneurs, employees and family members each have their own class. Every application goes online through Irembo, the government services portal, to the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration (DGIE).

Get a fixed quote Find your permit class

Reviewed October 2026Law N° 57/2018Sources 8Team 15+ years cross-borderFiled by licensed partners in Kigali

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The framework

How Rwanda classifies foreign residents

Entry and residence are governed by Law N° 57/2018 of 13/08/2018 on immigration and emigration in Rwanda. The detail, including the permit classes, the documents and the fees, sits in the implementing Ministerial Order N° 06/01 of 29/05/2019 relating to immigration and emigration. DGIE publishes the working version of those rules on its website, class by class, and runs every application through Irembo.

A visa and a permit do different jobs. A visa covers a visit: a director flying in for a board meeting, a founder meeting the bank, an engineer commissioning a machine for a week. A permit, uruhushya (permit, licence), covers residence and work. Anyone who will live in Rwanda, or work there beyond a short visit, needs a permit in the class that matches what they actually do.

The classes that matter for a foreign-owned company fall into four families:

Investor permits for the person behind a project registered with the Rwanda Development Board, coded by sector with the digit 1: A1, B1, F1, O1, W1, X1, Z1.
Entrepreneur permits for someone running their own registered business, coded by sector with the digit 2: A2, B2, F2, O2, W2, X2, Z2, plus trade classes G1 and G2 and the professional class C1.
Employment permits for staff: H1 for occupations in demand, H2 for employer-sponsored skilled workers, Q1 for intra-group transfers to a regional office, and several specialised classes.
Dependant permits for spouses and children: M2 for dependants of a temporary resident permit holder.

The letter tells you the sector, the digit tells you the family. An investor in hospitality holds O1, an entrepreneur in hospitality O2. The logic matters because the class you apply for has to match the business registration and, for investors, the investment certificate that sit behind it.

Sources: Law N° 57/2018 of 13/08/2018 on immigration and emigration in Rwanda and Ministerial Order N° 06/01 of 29/05/2019 relating to immigration and emigration (Refworld, UNHCR); DGIE, permit categories (migration.gov.rw), accessed October 2026.

Investors

Investor permits by sector

For the person behind a project registered with RDB. The investment certificate is part of the file.

Class	Sector	Fee	Validity
A1	Mining and related activities	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
B1	Agriculture, animal husbandry and related activities	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
F1	Manufacturing and processing	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
O1	Hospitality and related activities	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
W1	Information technology	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
X1	Transport and logistics	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
Z1	Any other sector	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
Recurring	Investor who has already held two permits in the class	RWF 250,000	Up to 5 years

Sources: DGIE, business investor permits (migration.gov.rw); Fragomen, Rwanda immigration updates; accessed October 2026.

What the investor file contains

Application letterWe draft it, naming the class and the company.
Detailed CVShowing the experience that fits the sector.
Business registration certificateThe company’s certificate from ORG.
Investment registration certificateFrom RDB. See investment certificate.
Police clearanceFrom the country of residence, not older than six months.
Tax clearance certificateFrom RRA, for the recurring five-year permit.

From two years to five

The first investor permit runs for up to two years. After two permits in the class, the holder can move to the recurring permit, which costs RWF 250,000 and runs for up to five years. The condition that matters is the tax clearance certificate from the Rwanda Revenue Authority. RRA issues it only when the company’s returns are filed and its taxes paid.

That makes the five-year permit a quiet test of compliance. A company that files its corporate tax return late, or has a disputed VAT balance, will find the investor’s residence slowing down with it. We keep the permit renewal date in the same compliance calendar as the tax deadlines for that reason.

The sector code has to agree with the business registration and the investment certificate. A company registered for software development whose founder applies under Z1 instead of W1 invites a question, and a question at DGIE usually means a resubmission.

Entrepreneurs

Running your own business without an investment certificate

Not every founder registers with RDB. The entrepreneur classes cover a foreigner who runs a registered business on their own account.

Class	Who it is for	Fee	Validity
A2 · B2 · F2	Entrepreneur in mining prospecting, agriculture, or manufacturing and processing	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
O2 · W2 · X2	Entrepreneur in hospitality, information technology, or transport and logistics	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
Z2	Entrepreneur in any other sector	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
C1	Self-employed foreigner in a prescribed profession, with membership of a registered professional body	RWF 150,000	Two years onwards
G1	Trader in goods or services who is a national of the region (EAC and CEPGL)	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
G2	Trader in goods or services from outside the region; passport valid at least six months	RWF 150,000	Set by DGIE
Recurring entrepreneur classes	Holder who has already held a similar permit at least twice	RWF 250,000	Up to 5 years

Sources: DGIE, business entrepreneur permits (migration.gov.rw/our-services/permit/business-entrepreneur), accessed October 2026.

The entrepreneur file is lighter than the investor file. DGIE lists a detailed CV, the business registration certificate, police clearance from the country of residence and an application letter. The investment certificate is not on the list. On renewal, DGIE asks for a copy of the trade licence. The recurring entrepreneur permit, like the investor version, depends on a tax clearance certificate from RRA.

The choice between the two families is less about immigration than about the business. If the company will register with RDB anyway, for the tax incentives or the facilitation, the investor class follows naturally and carries the hiring advantage at USD 250,000 invested. If the business is small and will pay tax at the standard rate, the entrepreneur class avoids building a business plan for RDB that the company does not otherwise need.

A Rwandan company still needs at least one director resident in Rwanda under Articles 7(4) and 157 of Law N° 007/2021. A founder who moves to Kigali on an investor or entrepreneur permit can fill that role. A founder who stays abroad cannot, and the company needs a resident director from elsewhere.

Sources: DGIE, business entrepreneur permits; Law N° 007/2021 governing companies, Arts. 7(4) and 157, via Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr; October 2026.

Employees

Employment permits for foreign staff

The employer, umukoresha (employer), sponsors the application, and the employee, umukozi (employee), holds the permit.

Class	Who it is for	Fee	Validity
H1	Skilled worker in an occupation on the in-demand list, with the qualification or relevant experience	RWF 150,000	Up to 3 years
H2	Skilled worker sponsored by the employer, with the required qualifications or experience	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
Q1	Employee of a multinational or regional company with its international or regional office in Rwanda, transferred within the group	RWF 150,000	1 year; renewable only in exceptional circumstances
H4	Semi-skilled worker or artisan who is a national of a country in the region	RWF 50,000	Up to 2 years
H3	Journalist or media representative with Rwandan accreditation	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years
N2	Employee of a non-governmental organisation registered with the Rwanda Governance Board	RWF 150,000	Up to 2 years

Sources: DGIE, employment permits (migration.gov.rw/our-services/permit/employment), accessed October 2026.

What an H1 or H2 file contains

Employment contractA copy, signed by both parties.
Academic certificatesCertified copies for H2; copies for H1.
Employer’s recommendation letterOn company letterhead, naming the role.
Detailed CVShowing the experience the role needs.
Police clearanceOriginal, from the country of residence for the six months before the application.

On renewal, DGIE asks only for the contract and a fresh recommendation letter.

The labour-market question

An H2 permit rests on the employer’s case that it needs this person. The cleanest shortcut belongs to registered investors: a company with at least USD 250,000 invested and an investment certificate may recruit three foreign employees without showing that the skills are unavailable locally. Beyond three, or below that investment, the employer builds the case in the recommendation letter and the job description.

H1 avoids the question for occupations on the in-demand list and runs for three years instead of two. When a role appears on the list, H1 is usually the better class. We check the current list against the role before the contract is signed, because a job title written to fit the list after the fact reads as exactly that.

Foreign employees join payroll on the same basis as Rwandans: PAYE on the monthly bands up to 30%, pension contributions to RSSB, maternity and community health contributions. The payroll page has a salary calculator.

Sources: DGIE, employment permits H1 and H2; RDB, investment registration benefits (rdb.rw/?p=1500); Law N° 66/2018 regulating labour in Rwanda; Presidential Order N° 086/01 of 12/12/2024 on pension contributions; October 2026.

The recommendation letter carries more weight than founders expect. A letter that explains the role, the skills it needs and the plan to train a Rwandan colleague reads as a business decision. A letter that only names the employee reads as a formality.

Family

Dependants of permit holders

The M2 permit

A spouse or child of a temporary resident permit holder applies for an M2 permit, the dependant permit. DGIE sets the fee at half of the fee paid by the principal applicant, and the permit has the same validity as the principal’s. If the investor holds an F1 permit at RWF 150,000 for two years, the spouse’s M2 costs half of that and runs to the same date.

Because validity is tied to the principal, we file dependants’ applications immediately after the principal’s permit is issued. Renewals then line up, and the family deals with one date instead of several.

What the M2 file contains

Application letter
Marriage certificateFor a spouse.
Birth or adoption certificateFor a child.
Police clearanceOriginal, for each dependant over 18, from the country of residence for the previous six months.
Copy of the principal’s identity cardThe card issued to the permit holder.

On renewal, DGIE asks for the application letter and a copy of the principal’s identity card.

Source: DGIE, dependant permits M1, M2 and M3 (migration.gov.rw/our-services/permit/dependant), accessed October 2026.

Marriage and birth certificates issued abroad usually need legalisation or an apostille and, if they are not in English, a certified translation. We confirm which languages DGIE accepts for each document. Rwanda joined the Apostille Convention with effect from 5 June 2024, which simplifies the chain for documents from other member states. We confirm the accepted form for your country before the documents are ordered, because a certificate that has to be sent back costs weeks.

Source: MINAFFET, Apostille Convention in force for Rwanda from 05/06/2024; October 2026.

Police clearance

Where your certificate comes from

DGIE asks for an original police clearance from the country where the applicant has lived for the six months before the application. That is the country of residence, which is not always the country of the passport.

Country of residence	Document	Issued by
Germany	Führungszeugnis (certificate of conduct), applied for for presentation abroad	Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz)
United Kingdom	Police certificate	ACRO Criminal Records Office
France	Extrait de casier judiciaire, bulletin n° 3	Casier judiciaire national, Ministry of Justice
Spain	Certificado de antecedentes penales	Ministry of Justice
Italy	Certificato del casellario giudiziale	Ministry of Justice, through the local court office
Russia	Certificate of no criminal record (spravka o nesudimosti)	Ministry of Internal Affairs, also via the Gosuslugi portal
United Arab Emirates	Police clearance (good conduct) certificate	Ministry of Interior or the emirate’s police

Sources: DGIE, permit requirements (migration.gov.rw); German Federal Office of Justice, via German Embassy Vienna leaflet on certificates of conduct; French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, extrait de casier judiciaire; UAE Government portal u.ae, police clearance certificate; accessed October 2026.

Residence, not nationality

A German founder who has lived in Dubai for three years needs the UAE certificate, not the German one. A Russian citizen resident in Spain needs the Spanish certificate. When someone has moved within the last six months, we check with DGIE which country’s certificate it will accept before ordering two.

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Age and form

The certificate should be recent: DGIE’s six-month rule means an older certificate will be refused. Order it last, after the other documents are ready. The original is needed, so plan for courier time, and for an apostille or legalisation where Rwanda asks for one. Certificates in other languages need a certified translation.

The police certificate is the document that most often arrives too early or too late. Ordered first, it can expire while the investment certificate is still in progress. Ordered last without planning courier time, it holds up an otherwise complete file. We schedule it backwards from the planned filing date.

Interactive

Find your permit class

Four questions about the person who will live in Rwanda. The result names the family of permits to start from.

The application

How a file moves through Irembo

Irembo is the single portal for government services, from birth certificates to residence permits. Permit files are submitted there and decided by DGIE.

Step 1
Underlying status
Company registered with ORG; investment certificate from RDB for investor classes; employment contract signed for employees.
Step 2
Documents
CV, letters, certificates and the police clearance, scanned in the form Irembo accepts, with originals ready.
Step 3
Filing and fee
The application is submitted on Irembo under the right class and the fee paid in Rwandan francs.
Step 4
Decision and card
DGIE decides and issues the permit; the holder receives the identity card that dependants’ files later refer to.

Sources: DGIE, permit services and Irembo application links (migration.gov.rw); DGIE, dependant permits (reference to the principal’s identity card); October 2026.

A realistic timeline

The immigration decision is rarely the long part. What takes time is everything the permit rests on. For an investor permit, the order is: incorporation with ORG, which can be done within hours once the file is complete; the business plan and RDB registration, which RDB decides within two working days of a complete file; the fee and the investment certificate; and only then the permit application. Police clearance and apostilled documents from abroad move at the speed of the issuing country and the courier.

For employees, the sequence is shorter: contract, recommendation letter, certificates, police clearance, filing. Where certificates need apostilles and translations, that work starts on the day the candidate accepts the offer.

DGIE does not publish a fixed processing time for permits on its permit pages, and we do not promise one. We give a schedule for the steps we control and track the DGIE stage with the licensed partners who file for us.

Where the directorate sits

DGIE is in Kigali, and permit holders deal with it there. For a company in the provinces, a hotel near Volcanoes National Park in Musanze or a lakeside business in Rubavu on Lake Kivu, most of the permit work still runs online through Irembo, with visits to Kigali only where original documents have to be presented.

Sources: Law N° 006/2021, Art. 18 (two working days); ORG registration time (Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr; RDB); DGIE contact page (info@migration.gov.rw); October 2026.

Geography

Where the permit classes meet the map

Gasabo District, KigaliKigali Special Economic ZoneManufacturers here usually apply under F1, and staff under H1 or H2.

Gasabo District, KigaliKigali Innovation CityTechnology founders apply under W1 or W2; employed developers under H1 or H2.

Musanze and RubavuVolcanoes and Lake KivuLodges and hotels are O1 or O2 territory, the hospitality classes.

Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western ProvincesFarming and agro-processingAgriculture and animal husbandry are B1 and B2.

Mombasa and Dar es Salaam corridorsTransport and logisticsFreight and logistics operators use X1 and X2.

Borders with Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, DR CongoRegional nationalsEAC and CEPGL traders have G1; regional artisans have H4 at RWF 50,000.

Sources: DGIE, investor, entrepreneur and employment permit classes (migration.gov.rw), accessed October 2026.

Glossary

Terms on the forms

UruhushyaPermit or licence. Used for residence permits and business licences alike.

UmukoziEmployee, the holder of an H-class permit.

UmukoreshaEmployer, the sponsor of an H2 application.

Icyemezo cy’ishoramariInvestment certificate from RDB, required for investor classes.

AmasezeranoAgreement or contract, including the employment contract in the file.

IremboThe government services portal through which every permit application is filed.

Legal basis

The rules this page relies on

Law N° 57/2018 of 13/08/2018Immigration and emigration in Rwanda. The framework for visas, residence permits and the immigration directorate.

Ministerial Order N° 06/01 of 29/05/2019Relating to immigration and emigration. Permit classes, requirements and fees, as published by DGIE.

Law N° 006/2021 of 05/02/2021Investment promotion and facilitation. Investment certificate; facilitation of visas and work permits for registered investors.

Law N° 007/2021 of 05/02/2021Governing companies. Arts. 7(4) and 157: at least one director resident in Rwanda.

Law N° 66/2018 of 30/08/2018Regulating labour in Rwanda. Applies to foreign employees as to Rwandans; probation up to three months, extendable once (Art. 13).

Sources: Refworld (UNHCR) legal database; UNCTAD Investment Laws Navigator; Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr; October 2026.

Questions

Before you apply

Do I need a permit to run the company from abroad?

No. A permit is needed to live and work in Rwanda. Directors and shareholders who visit for meetings use a visa. The company still needs at least one director resident in Rwanda, which is a matter of company law rather than immigration.

Should I apply as an investor or as an entrepreneur?

If the company is registered with RDB, apply as an investor under the class for your sector. If it is not, the entrepreneur class for the same sector is the usual route. The choice follows from whether RDB registration makes sense for the business.

Can my family join me?

Yes. A spouse and children apply for M2 dependant permits at half your fee, with the same validity as your permit. Each dependant over 18 needs a police clearance from the country of residence.

How many foreign staff can we hire?

There is no fixed quota in the permit rules we rely on. A registered investor with USD 250,000 invested can hire three foreign employees without a labour-market test. Other hires rest on the employer’s case in each H2 application, or on the in-demand list for H1.

Which country’s police clearance do I need?

The country where you have lived for the six months before applying. A Russian citizen living in Spain provides the Spanish certificate; a German living in the UAE provides the UAE certificate.

When can I get a five-year permit?

After holding two permits in the class. The recurring permit costs RWF 250,000, runs for up to five years and needs a tax clearance certificate from RRA.

Is there a digital nomad permit?

None of the DGIE permit classes we rely on is a digital nomad permit. Someone who works remotely for a foreign employer while living in Rwanda needs advice on the facts. We look at the current route case by case.

Does the permit holder pay Rwandan tax?

A resident employee of a Rwandan company pays PAYE and RSSB contributions like any colleague. Personal tax residence turns on the facts, so we look at it alongside the permit.

Sources: DGIE permit pages (migration.gov.rw); RDB (rdb.rw/?p=1500); Law N° 007/2021, Arts. 7(4) and 157; October 2026.

The letter is the sector, the digit is who you are.Voixa Rwanda

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