This is the travel guide for passengers traveling to the Republic of Kenya for tourism, business, transit and all other purpose relating to traveling. This is the Kenya travel requirements one must meet before entering the country.
Kenya travel requirements, what you must know?
Kenya is an Eastern African country that is widely visited for tourism activities, business and also as a transit to the other African countries.
Recommended reading.. Interesting Facts and Information About Kenya in Africa
Before traveling to the country, all travelers must meet the covid-19 vaccination requirements after securing a visa prior to entry.
What is PCR and health requirement for Kenya?
The general travel requirements which became effective on the 18th march 2022 his these information;
1. All travelers arriving into Kenya through any point of entry must have a certificate of COVID-
19 vaccination.
The following categories of travelers are exempt from the requirement:
Travelers with medical conditions precluding vaccination. Such persons shall
be required to provide a letter from a recognized medical practitioner detailing
the medical reason precluding vaccination.
Travelers who have recovered from an active COVID-19 infection or received
convalescent plasma in the preceding 90 days. Such persons shall be required
to provide a letter from a recognized medical practitioner showing that the
person may have recovered from an active infection in the preceding 90 days.
Returning unvaccinated Kenyans who have difficulty accessing vaccines in their
current country of residence. Such persons must be prepared to be vaccinated
immediately upon arrival and must register for vaccination on Chanjo-Ke
platform before departure. Proof of registration shall be required before entry in
to the country.
2. All travelers coming to Kenya who are fully vaccinated shall be exempt from the requirement
of a PCR test.
3. All eligible unvaccinated travelers arriving at any port of entry into Kenya, must be in
possession of a valid COVID-19 negative PCR test certificate conducted within 72 hours
before departure regardless of the route of entry. Children below the age of five (5) years
are exempt from this requirement.
4. Unvaccinated travelers arriving at any point of entry shall be subjected to rapid antigen test
at their own cost of 30 USD .Any person who test positive on antigen RDT will be subjected
to PCR test at their own further cost of 50 USD and self-isolate. Travelers below the age of
five (5) years are exempt from this testing requirement.
5. There will be no paper verification of COVID-19 test results and vaccination certificates
upon arrival into Kenya. Airlines should ensure that all travelers have uploaded both
documents into global haven before boarding via this site.
6. Operating crew are exempt from COVID-19 test when on a layover between flights. They
must adhere to COVID-19 protocols from airport to hotel/residence and back to airport.
7. All travelers arriving at any port of entry into Kenya will be required to fill the passenger
locator form on the ‘jitenge’ platform. Airlines are advised to allow passengers onboard to
use paper passenger locator forms whenever the “jitenge” platform may be down. Port
health officers shall clear passengers upon arrival into Kenya.
8. Passengers travelling out of Kenya will be required to abide by the particular travel, health
and COVID-19 related requirements of the destination country.
9. Pre-departure testing may be considered at the discretion of any of the airlines departing
from or terminating in Kenya.
10. All travelers to countries requiring antigen testing hours before travel will be required to
undertake pre-travel rapid antigen test at the MOH Port Health facility at the airport and the
results uploaded to the Trusted Travel platform.
Visa requirements for traveling to Kenya
A visa is the major travel requirements for all passengers traveling to or through the borders of Kenya. Though, some citizens are exempted from visa applications however, some are required to apply for visa from the embassy or issued on arrival. For the purpose of tourism, travelers are permitted to a maximum stay between a month to 3 months in Kenya.
Visa free countries to Kenya
List of countries exempted from applying for visas to Kenya include the following;
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cuba, Dominica, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Haiti, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Micronesia, Namibia, Panama, Palestine, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Singapore, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
How does visa free countries’ citizens travel to Kenya?
Passport holders from countries who have visa free agreements with Kenya are required to show evidence of these documents before entering the country.
- Travel health insurance.
- Proof of return ticket.
- Evidence of hotel reservation (or any other accommodation).
- Evidence that you have enough money to finance your trip.
E-visa countries to Kenya
The following countries are also required to obtain an e-visa before traveling to the country.
Bahrain, Cambodia, Djibouti, Gabon, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, India, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar, Myanmar, Pakistan, Qatar, Sao Tome and Principe and Suriname.
Application guide
- Create an account on the official website of the government of Republic of Kenya.
- Fill the application and upload the required documents, then pay the fees using mobile money, cards and online banking from local banks.
- Receive notifications every time your application has progressed and download your application in PDF.
- Get your approved visa sent to your email.
Visa on arrival to Kenya
The citizens from the following countries can also travel to Kenya and obtain a visa on arrival while at the port of entry.
Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Jordan, Laos, Madagascar, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Palau, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Togo and Tuvalu.
How to obtain visa on arrival at Kenya port of entry
- See if a visa on arrival is available. Check the table to see if the country you want to visit issues visas on arrival for Kenyan citizens. If it doesn’t then you won’t be able to get a VOA and you won’t be allowed to enter that country.
- Find the correct airport. Before you depart, check to see which airports in that specific country issue visas on arrival since not all airports do.
- Prepare your documents. You should also prepare a number of documents that may be required for your visa on arrival. These documents differ from country to country, but the general requirements include:
- Your passport
- Visa application form
- Proof of financial means
- Proof of hotel reservation
- Travel Insurance
- Proof of purchased return ticket
- Pay the visa fee. To get a visa on arrival, you have to pay the fee as required by the office that issues your visa. The fee changes based on your country of destination, the visa type and whether it’s a single or a multiple entry visa.
Business Visa Application Requirements for a Kenya Visa
- Eligibility and Documentation
The Government of Kenya utilizes an electronic visa issuance system which is the equivalent to a visa, but no stamp or label is placed in the passport.
To be eligible the traveller must:
- Hold a passport valid at least six months on entry with one blank visa page
- Hold proof of sufficient funds
- Hold proof of onward/return flights
- Hold proof of hotel reservation
- Hold all documents required for the next destination
To complete the order form the traveller must provide:
- A photograph
- A copy of the passport information page
- A copy of the passport front cover page
- A letter of invitation
- A copy of the Company Registration Certificate of the company in Kenya
- A copy of the staff ID of hte person who signed the letter of invitation
- A copy of a previously issued Kenyan visa if applying for a multiple entry visa
Visa application guide to Kenya
Applicants whose countries are not in the list provided above can make their visa applications through the Kenyan embassy in their home country. They should contact the embassy for the required documentations in the process and the duration for the visa application. The embassy provides single entry visa, transit visa and a multiple entry visa for as long as 5 years travel to Kenya.
Tourist Application Requirements for a Kenya Visa
- Eligibility and Documentation
The Government of Kenya utilizes an electronic visa issuance system which is the equivalent to a visa, but no stamp or label is placed in the passport.
To be eligible the traveller must:
- Hold a passport valid at least six months on entry with one blank visa page
- Hold proof of sufficient funds
- Hold proof of onward/return flights
- Hold proof of hotel reservation
- Hold all documents required for the next destination
To complete the order form the traveler must provide:
- A photograph
- A copy of the passport information page
- A copy of the passport front cover page
- A copy of the flight confirmation
- A copy of the hotel confirmation
- A copy of a previously issued Kenyan visa if applying for a multiple entry visa.
Arriving in Kenya
While on arrival at the international airport in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, the passenger will be required to fill the passenger locator form or the traveler surveillance form which would be containing details of the traveler’s information while in the country.
The passenger locator or surveillance form and the health declaration from can be accessed here.
A 14 day quarantine rule will be applicable when the traveler shows symptoms against their health requirements.
Thank you reading this and wish you a safe trip to Kenya.