U1 Student Permit- Documents to be submitted by applicants for ALU Rwanda

Step-by-step checklist to guide international students applying for a U1 student permit to study at ALU Rwanda:

Step 1: Gather the required documents, including your passport, original police clearance, recommendation letter from ALU (also known as the eligibility to enroll letter), and two passport-sized photographs with a white background.  Start the process of obtaining your police clearance as early as possible, as it may take several weeks to obtain. The certificate must be valid for at least 2 months after your arrival in Rwanda.

Step 2: Within the first 15 days of your arrival in Rwanda, apply for your U1 student permit on the Irembo website. Ensure that the name you use on the application matches the name on your official documents (passport, police clearance, etc.). Provide a valid email address or Rwandan phone number to receive notifications about your student permit application. You must also have adequate payment methods to pay the online student permit fee of RWF 20,000 to the DGIE.

Step 3: Once your student permit is approved, collect it at the Rwandan Immigration Office and have your passport stamped. If you do not receive any feedback from the Rwandan Immigration Office within two weeks, follow up with them immediately in person.

Step 4: Upload a copy of your U1 student permit on your ALU portal.

Step 5: Note that the student permit you receive is valid for one year only, and you must renew it every year you are in Rwanda. To renew your permit, you must follow the same process as for your initial application.

As you complete your Admitted Student enrollment process with ALU, you will be able to download your Admissions letter and your eligibility to enroll letter, which are required documents for your U1 student permit application. Please note that the latter will only be available to you once you have completed all required steps in the process and have been cleared for arrival by the Admissions team. For steps 1 & 2, you must bring the original documents with you to Rwanda. Visit the Irembo website for all the details and requirements to successfully apply for your U1 student permit.

• Passport: Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your date of entry into Rwanda and have at least 2 blank pages.
• Original Police Clearance: Students above 18 years of age are required to submit a police clearance certificate from the country they have lived in for the past 6 months. The certificate should be in English or French, and if translated, it should be notarized by a certified government body. Please start this process as early as possible as it may take several weeks to obtain. The certificate must be valid for at least 2 months after your arrival in Rwanda.
• Recommendation Letter: ALU will issue a recommendation letter, also known as the eligibility to enroll letter, which is required for your U1 student permit application. Please ensure that you have completed all the necessary enrollment requirements on the portal at least 15 days before your arrival in Rwanda to receive this letter.
• Two passport-sized photographs with a white background.

For steps 1 & 2, you must bring the original documents with you to Rwanda

If you have any questions or concerns about the U1 student permit application process, please do not hesitate to contact the ALU Rwanda help desk at  help.alueducation.com.

Note: If you are a registered refugee in Rwanda holding an asylum certificate/refugee ID card, you are considered to be a resident of the country; and hence, will not require a passport. If you are a refugee, but not based in Rwanda, you will need an international refugee passport issued by your country of residence or an ordinary passport issued by the immigration office from your country of origin. If you travel on an international refugee passport, you will need to pay $100 upon arrival at the Rwandan airport for an entry visa as Refugees are considered stateless. If you have an ALU scholarship, this amount will be covered as part of your scholarship package.

Disclaimer: You are responsible for bringing all necessary and valid documents required for your permit application. ALU verifies the date validity, accuracy, and completeness of information only. Should any of your documents not meet application criteria, the delay in obtaining another document will result in penalty charges by the Rwandan Immigration department, to which you will be fully liable.