Practical4 min read
Entry requirements for Kenya: what to sort before you fly
Kenya replaced visas with an Electronic Travel Authorisation. What that means in practice, when to apply, and the details you will be asked for.
Kenya moved from visas to an Electronic Travel Authorisation, applied for online before travel. Most visitors need one, including many nationalities that previously did not need a visa at all — which catches people out.
Immigration rules change, and they change without much notice. Treat this as orientation, not authority: apply through the official Kenyan government portal at etakenya.go.ke and confirm the current requirements for your own passport there. Be wary of the lookalike sites that rank alongside it and charge a fee to fill in the same form.
Apply early, not the night before
Approval is usually quick, but “usually” is doing real work in that sentence. Applications are reviewed by people, and one that needs a second look can take several days. A week ahead is comfortable; the evening before your flight is a gamble with your trip.
You will normally be asked for your passport details, a photograph, your flight information and — the part that matters here — the address you are staying at.
The accommodation question
Applications ask where you will be staying, and so does the arrival card. A booking confirmation with a name, an address and dates is what you want to have to hand.
We send exactly that on confirmation, and guests are welcome to ask for it early if an application needs it — just message us. It is a common request and not an odd one.
Other things worth checking
- Passport validity. Six months beyond your date of entry is the usual expectation. Check yours before anything else.
- Yellow fever. Requirements depend on where you are travelling from rather than where you are going. If your route passes through a country where it is endemic, look this up properly.
- Onward travel. Some airlines ask to see a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Travel insurance. Not a legal requirement, but worth having — particularly for anyone coming for treatment.
If you are coming for medical care
Nairobi receives a great many patients from across East Africa and beyond, and the paperwork is usually more involved: letters from the treating hospital, longer stays, and companions travelling on separate applications. Give yourself considerably more time than a tourist would, and read our guide to staying near the Upper Hill hospitals for the rest of it.
On arrival
Immigration at JKIA is straightforward with an approved authorisation. Have it accessible offline — a screenshot beats hunting for airport Wi-Fi after a long flight. Then buy a SIM before you leave the terminal, and head for Upper Hill; we set out the journey in getting from JKIA to Upper Hill.