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Money and Safety in Uganda

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Tip: There is no black market in Uganda for changing your foreign currency. If someone should approach you anyway, simply decline politely!

The currency in Uganda is the fairly stable Ugandan shilling, which has been in use since the 1990s. The rate currently stands at around 4,470 Ugandan shillings per euro (as of October 2026). You can now exchange all major currencies at banks and bureaux de change, although the rates can fluctuate somewhat. It can be worth comparing. For dollars the following should be noted:

  • The notes should be as new and in perfect condition as possible; older series are often exchanged only at poorer rates.
  • For large notes you get a better exchange rate than for small notes.

Foreign currency may be imported without limit and without declaration. Travellers’ cheques are more the exception, and do not forget the purchase receipt, which must be presented when exchanging.

Banks

In Kampala and the other larger cities, large national and international banks are represented with many branches (e.g. Stanbic, Standard Chartered, Absa – formerly Barclays – and dfcu). With a credit card (preferably VISA or Mastercard) and PIN you can obtain cash from many ATMs. Important: you need your passport to withdraw money!

At banks and near shopping centres (e.g. Garden City Shopping Mall) there are also ATMs, where you can likewise obtain cash. Outside the larger cities it can be difficult to find a bank. So always carry enough cash with you.

Emergency Tip

With services such as Moneygram or Western Union, for example, you can have money transferred by your relatives from home. Within less than an hour you will then have any amount deposited in your home country available in Uganda. The higher the amount, the lower the fee for this service.

For money transfers today it is best to use online services such as Wise or WorldRemit or mobile money; classic cash transfers are more expensive and slower.

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Tipping

Tipping is not generally “compulsory” in Uganda, but it is gladly accepted. Note, however: orient yourself to the local framework. For what is normal from a European perspective can already be far too much in Uganda. After a breakfast for 3 euros, for example, 20 or 30 cents (500 to 1,000 USh) is quite enough as a tip.

Where only foreign tourists go, however, tipping is expected, for example in hotels or in the comparatively expensive restaurants. In restaurants simply round up the amount (around 10 %). Drivers and guides are happy with 10 to 15 US dollars per day.

Safety

Uganda is a comparatively safe travel destination. However, the Federal Foreign Office continues to point to a risk of terrorism and advises against unnecessary travel to Semliki National Park and the 20-km border zone with the DR Congo; check the current travel and safety advice before travelling.

The former unrest in the north – shaped by the militias of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) – ended many years ago. When a peace agreement was to be signed in April 2008, however, the leader of the LRA did not appear. He now carries on his activities in eastern Congo. Northern Uganda, by contrast, is calm.

Anyone travelling on safari who wants to be absolutely sure avoids a stay in the region north of Gulu. Current information on the security situation in Uganda is available on the website of the German Federal Foreign Office (see below).

As a traveller you can move freely without problems in all villages and also in Kampala. Nevertheless, you should not be tempted to disregard the safety precautions that apply in all poorer countries: valuables belong in a bag, money is carried on the body and you never carry more than necessary. And at large crowds of people (for example at the taxi rank) pickpockets are of course also at work. On balance, Uganda does better in terms of crime than Kenya, for example.

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