Pick up at Kigali International Airport, step by step.
To be picked up at Kigali International Airport, send us your flight number and arrival time. After immigration, baggage and customs, your driver meets you just past the arrivals exit doors, and central Kigali is about 11 km away, 15 to 30 minutes. Pickups start from $40.
Step by step, from landing to your car
- Land at Kigali International Airport (KGL) in Kanombe, on the east side of the city.
- Clear immigration: visa on arrival is available to all nationalities.
- Collect your baggage and pass through customs.
- In the arrivals hall, get cash or a SIM card if you need them: there is an ATM and a 24-hour forex bureau at the airport.
- Walk out through the exit doors: pre-booked drivers usually wait just past the arrivals exit doors with a name sign.
- Meet your driver, load your luggage and set off, 15 to 30 minutes to central Kigali.
Before you fly
Most visitors do not need to arrange a visa in advance: visa on arrival is available to all nationalities, a single-entry visa costs up to USD 50, and the fee is waived for 30 days for African Union, Commonwealth and Francophonie nationals. Rules change, so check the current requirements with the Rwandan immigration service before you travel.
Keep any vaccination certificates with your passport, because health screening and yellow fever rules can apply on arrival, and check the latest official travel advice for your country.
Cash, SIM card and phone
You can land without Rwandan francs and sort cash out at the airport. For your phone, SIM cards are sold at or just outside the terminal, and you need your passport to buy one. A local number makes it easy to message your driver or share your location once you are through arrivals.
What the pickup covers
An airport pickup starts from $40 per trip, with a driver and car to take you from arrivals to your hotel or address in Kigali. Tell us how much luggage you have and whether you need a child seat, and we confirm the right car and the exact price before you fly.
If you are heading straight out of Kigali, to Musanze, Akagera or Lake Kivu, tell us when you book, and we plan the onward drive and its timing with you.
If you would rather take a taxi or bus
Taxis are available on arrival: licensed airport taxis from ATAK and Move wait at ranks outside arrivals, 24 hours a day. For budget travel, Kigali Bus Services routes stop at Kanombe Airport on the main road, paid with a Tap&Go card; the stop is a short walk from the terminal.
The new airport at Bugesera
You may read about plans for a second airport: the new Bugesera International Airport, about 40 km away, is under construction, with opening set for 2028. Until it opens, all flights use Kigali International Airport at Kanombe, and that is where your pickup happens.
More about arriving
For more on arriving in Kigali, see the Kigali arrival guide.
Sources, checked September 2026: Rwanda immigration: visa on arrival · Sleeping in Airports, March 2026 · Kigali airport guide (commercial) · UK travel advice: entry requirements · TravelTomTom SIM guide · Rwanda Airports Company · Kigali Bus Services routes · allAfrica, June 2026