Permit required to conduct activities of an NGO in Uganda

Application for a permit

The law is express under s.31 that an NGO shall not operate in Uganda without a valid permit issued to it by the Bureau for that purpose.

An organization is required to apply to the Bureau for the permit. The law doe not however prescribe the form of application. Under the repealed Act, the permit was issued together with the certificate of registration. The permit may be issued within 45 days of application. It is issued with conditions or directions for a period not exceeding five years at a time. 

Where an organization is given a permit to operate in a given geographical area in respect of a given field of operation, it must limit its operations within such boundaries and where such organization would like to extend or shift its operations, it must apply to the bureau for review of the permit.

It is an offence for an NGO to operate without a permit issued by the Bureau for that purpose. The section which makes this prohibition does not expressly criminalize such act but such act may be captured under the general provisions on offences under the Act in particular s. 40(1) (d) which provided that an organization or a person commits an offence if they engage in any activity that is prohibited by the Act.