Kenya tourist visa: eTA and visitor's pass for holidays and family visits

Under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations, every person intending to travel to Kenya must hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation before embarking, and the Directorate of Immigration Services stresses that this includes infants and children. Exempt are citizens of the East African Community partner states (Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, for up to 180 days), nationals of a list of countries for up to 90 days (among them South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malaysia, Singapore, Cyprus and San Marino), many other African nationals for up to 60 days (including Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia), residents holding Kenyan permits or passes, and several categories of diplomats and laissez-passer holders.

Nationals who do not appear on any exemption list must apply for an eTA. Some countries’ diplomatic, official or service passport holders are exempt for set periods, for example Turkish diplomatic, official, special and service passport holders for transit or stays of up to 90 days.

The application is completed entirely online. You need a passport valid for at least six months with at least one blank page, a selfie or passport-style photo, an email address and phone number, your arrival and departure itinerary, an accommodation booking, and a card for payment. Family visitors should have the host's invitation letter and a copy of the host's ID, passport, alien card or entry permit. Travellers coming for treatment add a hospital referral letter, and conference visitors an invitation or participation letter. Vaccination certificates may be requested.

At the border the officer may ask to see the eTA, a return or onward ticket, evidence of enough funds for the stay, the hotel booking or the host's address and phone number, and your travel itinerary in Kenya. Your face and fingerprints are captured on arrival.

The eTA portal lists USD 30 for the standard single-entry eTA, USD 300 for a one-year multiple-entry eTA and USD 185 for a five-year multiple-entry eTA available to American nationals only. Expedited, immediate processing costs an additional USD 100. Fees are non-refundable and cannot be transferred, even if the eTA is refused or the trip changes; a new application after a mistake is charged again.

Under the Social Health Insurance Act 2023 and its 2024 Regulations, all non-Kenyans entering for less than 12 months from 5 October 2026 must have individual travel health insurance, children included. According to an official Kenyan notice, the cover is bought on etakenya.go.ke or insurance.ecitizen.go.ke, foreign travel insurance policies are not accepted, and the electronic policy is valid for 90 days and can cover several entries while valid. Airlines check it at check-in and immigration officers verify it at the border.

The eTA is only permission to travel; the immigration officer decides admission and writes the permitted period on the visitor's pass. A visitor's pass may be extended, but its total validity cannot exceed six months from the date of entry. Extensions are requested online on the Foreign Nationals Services portal (form 22) with a copy of the passport bio page and the previous entry endorsement; the fee is USD 50 and the Directorate's 2025 charter sets two days for the decision. Apply before your current period ends: overstaying can lead to fines, detention, removal or a re-entry ban.

Kenya's Regulations still provide for an East Africa Single Tourist Visa: a single-entry document for tourists who need a visa and travel on to Rwanda or Uganda. The consolidated fee schedule prices it as an East Africa Single Tourist eTA at USD 100, but on the date checked the eTA portal listed the East African Tourist eTA as coming soon. Until it opens, travellers combining Kenya with Uganda or Rwanda need Kenya's eTA plus whatever the other countries require, and a new Kenyan eTA for each re-entry unless they hold a multiple-entry eTA.