Tourists visiting Kenya must have a valid visa. Your passport must also be valid for at least six months after the date of your arrival in the country.
Effective Jan 1, 2023/2024, all passengers travelling to Kenya from countries that require visas to enter Kenya shall be required to apply and obtain E-visa before boarding an aircraft as no visas shall be issued on arrival.
Electronic visa application for Kenya:
The visa application process involves uploading your passport picture along with your passport photograph. Your visa shall be issued approximately five days after you register. You shall be required to print a copy of your electronic visa, bring it with you for presentation along with your passport on arrival in Kenya. If you have any problems or enquiries related to applying for an electronic visa, please contact the Kenyan Embassy in your country / region or email evisa@immigration.go.ke.
Kenya Evisa Application procedure:
- Click register on evisa.go.ke (This is the only official portal, others are scams).
- Select Register as a Visitor.
- Once Logged in, Select Department of Immigration services.
- Select submit Application.
- Select Kenyan Visa.
- Select the type of Visa and read the Instructions Carefully.
- Fill in the application form.
- Pay Using visa card, Mastercard and other debit cards.
- Await approval via email, then download and print the E-Visa from your eCitizen account.
- The processing time is 2 business days.
- Present your printed E-Visa to the immigration officer at the port of entry.
Visa Charges as at 5th January, 2023/2024:
- Single entry visa + service charge: us$51.00
- Transit entry visa + service charge: us$21.00
- Courtesy entry visa + service charge: us$0.00
- East African tourist visa + service charge: us$101.00
- Multiple entry visa + service charge: us$101.00
- 5yr multiple entry visa + service charge: us$201.00
- Fast tracked visa fees: coming soon
Useful Links:
- Eligibility & Exempted States: http://evisa.go.ke/eligibility.html
- Visa Types & requirements: http://evisa.go.ke/evisa-types.html
- E-visa FAQs: http://evisa.go.ke/evisa-faqs.html
Visa Validity:
An E-visa to Kenya once issued is valid for 3 months before you travel. Once you present yourself to immigration control at the port of entry, you may be issued with a stay period not exceeding 90 days, which may be renewed for a further 90 days at the immigration headquarters. The maximum number of days a visitor may stay in Kenya is 6 months.
Related information on e-visa application:
- Approval Time:
The e-Visa takes a maximum of 48hrs to approve but can be issued in a much shorter period.
Availability in different languages will be looked into but poses a challenge for local Immigration Officers who may not be familiar with different languages.
- Auto Save:
The ability to auto save applications has been updated to the system. Should the system “hang”, one can refresh the page then click on the “history” tab to access the information saved.
- Payments:
The system currently only accepts Visa & Mastercard and arrangements are in progress to include American Express, Union Pay, PayPal & Mpesa.
Critical to note is that when making payments, the system sends a One Time Password (OTP) for the owner of the credit card to confirm. Failure to enter this OTP has been a cause for card payment decline.
- Communication (in case of a hitch in process)
Application process assistance is provided in a timely manner
The system flashes two dedicated telephone numbers & an email that can be used to get help:
- General Enquiries: +254 110 922 063 /4
- Payment Issues: +254 110 922 062
- Email: evisa@immigration.go.ke
- System Downtime:
The E-visa system has very little downtime but is occasionally taken offline for system upgrade.
During the downtime ,a message shall be displayed indicating the system was offline for upgrade and the time this would take.
Other things you need to bear in mind with regard to your visa:
- You shall be required to complete a landing card that will be issued to you on the plane, or at the visa desk when you enter Kenya.
- You shall be required to complete an exit card, which will be provided to you in the departure terminal when leaving Kenya.
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