20. Starting and getting through the visa-work permit process

Nov. 16 - 24, 2015

Rwanda Development Board (RDB) building

I had been dreading it -- but with my 30 day tourist visa window closing, I forced myself to tackle the process of obtaining a resident visa. "Keep expectations low" for how fast and how transparent the process will be. That's how I got through it. And really, it was not that bad compared to stories I've heard of obtaining visas in other countries.

I had decided, for no really good reason other than it seemed simpler (but how would I know?) -- to go for an "entrepreneur" resident and work visa instead of a "researcher" resident and work visa. So this is a class G2 visa. The steps I took were approximately as follows:

1. Go to the DGIE (Directorate of Immigration and Emigration), between 7:30 and 11:30am, to ask what forms, docs, certs, etc. needed. Wrote down the things he verbally listed I would need. (No such thing as an easy-to-pick-up printed list, nor a list on a website.)

2. Go to Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to register my small business, Artisan Coffee Imports. This was an amazingly modern and helpful process. With no wait at all, an agent had me sit next to her and we walked through the steps of registering my business while I watched her fill out the fields on her computer. 6 hours later, my certificate with a tax id number was available to download from the website.

3. Go to photo printing store near the Kimihurura house where one can get passport photos quickly taken and printed. Nice Indian-Rwandan guy runs this store.

4. Go back to DGIE with registered business form, application forms, photo, CV, police letter. Forgot to write a letter requesting residency and the agent told me I had not printed the correct certificate from RDB for my business. (There are 2. I had printed the short one, not the long one.)

5. Went to "printing shop" nearby the DGIE to quickly type and print needed letter and get the correct RDB form printed from the RDB website. The young lady managing the printer seemed very used to this process. It was trickier than the first time I was there, however, because the internet was down.

6. Got back to the DGIE at about 11:25am on the Friday. Got a 'number' still (they stop giving them out at 11:30am).  After handing my passport and documents to the agent, he checked them and then said I was ready to pay my ~ $120 fee. I had to go to another room with a "mobile money" agent to pay the fee. I immediately got a text confirming that I had paid.

7. Go back to the DGIE agent who checks on a computer screen that I have paid. He writes something on my application form and says I'm done. They will notify me when my passport is ready to pick up. So I walk out... without my passport and with only a verbal promise that it will be ready sometime next week.  I only realize later that it would be wise to ask for some kind of tracking number or receipt, confirming what I had just given them.

8. Fortunately, I was spared any hard lessons about asking for receipts. A couple of DGIE agents called and visited the following Monday to ask questions about my business. And before the end of the week I was able to pick up my passport with it's resident visa pasted inside.