Visa policy of Kenya

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Visitors to Kenya need a visa unless they come from one of the visa-exempt countries. All visas to Kenya are issued online.[1]

All tourists, from 1 January 2024, irrespective of nationality, only need an Electronic Visa (e-Visa).[2]

Visa policy map[edit]

Visa policy of Kenya
  Kenya
  Visa-free
  eVisa
External image
image icon Kenya international border crossing points

Visa exemption[edit]

From 1 January 2024 all visitors need just an e-visa.

Prior to that, nationals of the following countries could visit Kenya without a visa for stays of up to 90 days (unless otherwise noted):[3][4]

  •  Bahamas
  •  Barbados
  •  Belize
  •  Botswana
  •  Brunei
  •  Burundi
  •  DR Congo[5]
  •  Cyprus
  •  Dominica
  •  Eritrea
  •  Eswatini
  •  Ethiopia
  •  Fiji
  •  Gambia
  •  Ghana
  •  Grenada
  •  Jamaica
  •  Kiribati
  •  Lesotho
  •  Malawi
  •  Malaysia[a]
  •  Maldives
  •  Mauritius
  •  Mozambique
  •  Namibia
  •  Nauru
  •  Papua New Guinea
  •  Rwanda[b]
  •  Saint Kitts and Nevis
  •  Saint Lucia
  •  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  •  Samoa
  •  San Marino
  •  Seychelles
  •  Sierra Leone
  •  Singapore
  •  Solomon Islands
  •  South Africa[a]
  •  South Sudan[7]
  •  Tanzania
  •  Tonga
  •  Trinidad and Tobago
  •  Tuvalu
  •  Uganda[b]
  •  Vanuatu
  •  Zambia
  •  Zimbabwe
  1. ^ a b For stays of up to 30 days.
  2. ^ a b Nationals of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda may travel between these countries using a national identification card.[6]

The following groups are also exempt from visas:[8]

  • Children under age 16, regardless of nationality;
  • Passengers in transit, if they do not leave the ship or the international transit area of the airport;
  • Holders of diplomatic, official and service passports of Brazil, Cuba and Turkey, of diplomatic and service passports of China and Iran, and of diplomatic passports of India, Israel and Nigeria;
  • Holders of laissez-passers issued by Africa Re, African Airlines Travel Association, African Housing Fund, African Development Bank, African Union of Broadcasting, African Union, Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Desert Locust Control Organization for Central and Southern Africa, Environment Liaison Centre International, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, International Labour Organization, International Monetary Fund, International Potato Center, International Red Locust Control Organization for Central and Southern Africa, United Nations and the World Bank;
  • Serving members of the British Armed Forces;
  • Crew members of aircraft for up to 7 days, and of ships for up to 14 days;
  • Owners of private aircraft stopping for refueling without leaving the airport.

On October 21, 2023,  Angola and Kenya agreed that each other would not require visas and would take steps to implement this as soon as possible.[9]

Visa exemption agreement for holders of ordinary passport was signed with  Indonesia in 21 August 2023 and it is yet to come into force. [10]

Visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic passport was signed with the  United Arab Emirates, but it is yet to come into force. [11]

Visa exemption agreement for holders of ordinary passport was signed with  Mozambique in November 2018. [12]

History

The San Marino-United Kingdom visa waiver agreement of 1949 was extended for Kenya and San Marino in 1963 and still applies.[13] The agreement is of symbolic value for Kenyan citizens but does have an effect on San Marino passport holders.

On 30 October, 2023, President William Ruto of Kenya declared the forthcoming elimination of visa requirements for all African visitors by year-end.[14] An updated statement was issued during Kenya's 60th Independence Day celebrations on 12 December, 2023, wherein the president declared that the decree would be expanded to encompass all countries globally, commencing in January 2024.[15]

Electronic Visa (e-Visa)[edit]

From 1 January 2021, all visas to Kenya are issued online and are no longer available on arrival.[1][16]

Visa applications from nationals of the following countries and from stateless people are referred to the Directorate of Immigration Services and may take longer for processing:[3][8][16]

  •  Afghanistan
  •  Armenia
  •  Iraq
  •  Kosovo
  •  Lebanon
  •  Libya
  •  North Korea
  •  Palestine
  •  Somalia
  •  Syria
  •  Tajikistan
  •  Yemen

East African Tourist Visa[edit]

From February 2014, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda issue an East African Tourist Visa.[17] The visa costs 100 USD and has no restrictions on nationality. It is a non-extendable multiple-entry 90-day visa that has to be first used to enter the country that issued it.[18]

See also[edit]

  • Visa requirements for Kenyan citizens

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b eVisa, Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Washington, D.C.
  2. ^ "Tourists to Kenya can go visa-free in 2024". 26 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Kenyan visa eligibility, eVisa, Republic of Kenya.
  4. ^ "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Kenya waives visit visa for DR Congo nationals".
  6. ^ Frequently asked questions, East African Community.
  7. ^ Kenya, South Sudan abolish visa requirement for their nationals, The East African, 26 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b About eVisa, eVisa, Republic of Kenya.
  9. ^ "Ruto scraps visa requirements for Angolan citizens".
  10. ^ "Kenya Extends Visa Free Entry to Holders of Indonesian Passport". Kenya Wallstreet. 2023-08-21. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  11. ^ "Nation - Breaking News, Kenya, Africa, Politics, Business, Sports | HOME". 13 June 2023.
  12. ^ Kenya, Mozambique sign visa waiver to allow free movement of people, Citizen Digital, 21 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Accordi bilaterali con altri Stati - Segreteria di Stato per gli Affari Esteri - Repubblica di San Marino". www.esteri.sm.
  14. ^ "Kenya to scrap visas for all African visitors by year-end".
  15. ^ "Kenya to scrap visas for all visitors, president says". Reuters. 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  16. ^ a b Visa and exemption services, Directorate of Immigration Services of Kenya.
  17. ^ East Africa: Single Visa to Boost East Regional Tourism, All Africa, 6 March 2014.
  18. ^ "T12-East Africa Tourist Visa". www.migration.gov.rw. Retrieved 2016-01-25.

External links[edit]

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