Information about the Kenya visa

If you are going on a holiday or a business trip to Kenya in 2024 or 2025, you will need an eTA. The eTA, an electronic travel authorisation, was introduced at the beginning of 2024 as a replacement for the visa for Kenya. Since then, travellers must apply for an eTA instead of a visa. Whenever the visa for Kenya is mentioned on this website, it refers to the eTA Kenya, unless otherwise stated. The requirement to apply for an eTA applies to all travellers, except nationals of countries that are members of the East African Community. Minors must also have their own eTA for Kenya.

What kind of visa do I need for my trip to Kenya? For a holiday, business trip or for visiting friends or family in Kenya, you always need a Kenya eTA. The eTA allows you to stay in the country for up to 90 days. You can apply for the eTA for Kenya online. Specify the purpose of your trip in the application form and you will receive the right visa for your trip. Since 2021, you can no longer obtain business and tourist visas via the embassy.

The eTA for Kenya is valid for 90 days
The validity period of the eTA is 90 days from the moment the visa is granted. You can submit your application as long before departure as you like. Your visa is never granted more than 30 days before departure, to ensure that it is still valid during your trip.

The maximum length of stay in Kenya is 90 days, regardless of whether you arrive in Kenya at the beginning or the end of the eTA validity period. You can extend the maximum length of stay after arrival.

What else you should keep in mind?

You must meet certain visa requirements when travelling to Kenya on an eTA, such as:

• You must present the same passport that you used to apply for your visa upon arrival in Kenya. This passport must be valid for at least six more months upon arrival and must contain at least three blank pages. You must also be able to show the booking confirmation of your return or transit journey to another country.
• If you are travelling for tourism, you must provide a booking confirmation of your first accommodation during your visa application. Print this document and bring it with you to Kenya.
• If you are staying overnight with friends or family living in Kenya, the person you are staying with must write a letter of invitation and provide a photo or scan of their Kenyan ID card, Kenyan passport or Foreigner Certificate. You must attach these documents to your visa application online. Print the invitation letter and bring it with you on your trip.
• If you are on a business trip, you will need to apply for a business visa. This visa allows you to attend business meetings and provide services in Kenya. You may not be employed by a Kenyan employer or do volunteer work. During the online application process, you must provide a letter of invitation from the organisation you will be visiting. Print this invitation letter and take it with you on your trip.

The application process of the Kenya eTA

You can easily apply for your Kenya visa using the online application form. You will find a clear explanation of what to fill in at each field. After completing the form, you can make the payment. You can choose among Mastercard, Visa, American Express, PayPal, Trustly, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Finally, you will be asked to provide some documents digitally. If you do not have these on hand, you can do so at a later time. These include the documents mentioned above, as well as a passport scan and a photograph of each traveller applying for a Kenya visa.

Once submitted, your application will be carefully checked by the visa specialists at e-Visa.ie. If any information appears to be incorrect or incomplete, or if there are any issues with the submitted documents, you will be contacted so you can correcting your application. Once your application is complete, it will be submitted for you to the immigration office in Kenya.

Paying for and receiving your visa

You will receive your Kenya eTA via email within an average of 9 days from the moment you have provided all the required documents in good order and paid the Kenya visa fee. The total cost is € 64,95 per visa (including a € 35,05 service fee and a 32,50 USD consular fee).

Do you need your visa urgently? For an additional fee of € 17,50, you can reduce the average delivery time to 3 days. Note that all delivery times are averages and not maximum delivery times. Delivery times can never be guaranteed, as the immigration service could always perform a random background check. You are advised to submit your application at least several weeks before departure.

Apply for your Kenya visa

You can start eTA application right now to make sure you receive it in time for a hassle-free holiday or business trip. If you are still unsure about something, please check out the frequently asked questions.