Accepted at only a few hotels in Kigali. MasterCard and Visa are the preferred cards.

International Visa cards are accepted at Ecobank head office in Kigali and at Kigali airport. They can also be used at Access Bank head office in Kigali. However, these ATMs are affected by power cuts. It is best to travel with US dollars, some banks won’t accept sterling.

It may be difficult to change traveller's cheques outside Kigali.

Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1400-1700, Sat 0800-1200.

The import and export of local currency is limited to RWF5000. The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited, but must be declared upon arrival and exchanged within 8 days.

The following items may be imported into Rwanda by persons over 18 years of age without incurring customs duty:

• 250g of tobacco products.

• 1L or spirits or 2L of wine.

• 500ml of perfume and eau de toilette, of which up to a quarter may be perfume.

• Goods up to US$500 in value.

Prohibited goods include counterfeit coins and notes, pornography, matches made with white phosphorus, distilled beverages such as absinthe, soaps and cosmetics containing mercury, used tyres, and counterfeit goods.

Restricted goods include animal traps, unwrought precious metals and stones, arms and ammunition, historical artefacts, ivory, rhino horn, tortoise shell, coral, and non-indigenous species of fish.

Game trophies can only be exported with special permission of the Game Department.