To organise a future trip to Kenya, you will undoubtedly need to complete some administrative procedures beforehand. Among the formalities you will have to deal with, obtaining a visa is of course the most important. In order to be allowed to travel to this country, you will need to prove that you have the necessary authorisation to do so. In this article, we will explain how you can quickly obtain a visa for Kenya by using the e-visa procedure, which will greatly simplify your procedures and save you precious time.
Apply for a Kenya e visa online: Key points
- The e-visa is an electronic visa for Kenya that can be obtained online.
- You no longer need to go to an embassy to obtain a visa for Kenya*.
- It takes 8 working days to obtain an e-visa for Kenya
- The documents required for a Kenya e-visa can be downloaded online
- The average price of an e-visa for Kenya is between €50 and €100.
What is the e-visa for Kenya?
First of all, we will explain in more detail what the e-visa for Kenya is and what its advantages are compared to traditional visa applications.
A few years ago, Kenya decided to make it easier and faster for tourists to enter the country, as many other countries have done. To do this, the government introduced an e-visa or electronic visa system. As the name suggests, this e-visa is a visa application procedure that is done entirely online. The process will only take a few minutes and you will not have to go to the Kenyan embassy, as was previously the case.
Once you have registered your e-visa application online, you will not have to do anything else as the visa will be sent directly to the email address you have provided. We will of course explain below how to obtain it.
Which travellers can benefit from the e-visa procedure for Kenya?
The Kenyan government's e-visa or electronic visa programme is available to many travellers. However, there are of course some exceptions. Therefore, only nationals of countries that are members of this scheme and whose detailed list can be found on our partner's website can benefit from it. If you are an English, German or Italian national, you are among the lucky travellers who can take advantage of this opportunity.
There are therefore countries that are not eligible for the e-visa but also countries that are completely visa-free for that destination. It is therefore advisable to check this list before making your application.
However, people living in countries not eligible for the e-visa for Kenya can apply for a traditional visa by contacting the Kenyan embassy.
Other requirements for obtaining a Kenya eVisa that you must meet:
In addition to being eligible for the Kenya eVisa programme, travellers wishing to visit Kenya must also meet other requirements, which we will outline here in more detail.
First of all, an important condition concerns the reason for your trip to Kenya. In fact, the e-visa only applies to travel for the purpose of tourism, business travel or simply transit or stopover in the country. The e-visa is also a single entry visa. This means that you can only use it once and cannot re-enter the country once you have left.
If you need a visa for multiple entries or for any other reason, you will need to apply for a traditional visa by contacting the Kenyan embassy.
When and how to apply for an e-visa for Kenya:
Now let's get down to business by explaining how you can apply for an eVisa online and when you should do it.
First of all, we advise you to apply for this visa at least two weeks before your departure date. Although the processing of this application is quite fast and takes only 6 to 7 days on average, you should make sure that you do not get stuck if your application is refused and that you have time to either reapply for an e-visa or to follow the standard visa application procedure.
For the e-visa application, you should therefore follow this step-by-step procedure:
- First of all, go to a service provider that offers an online e-visa service for Kenya like the one we recommend on this page.
- Once you have access to the form, simply complete it by answering all the items requested.
- You will need to bring your passport with you as you will be asked for its number. Note that this passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your arrival date.
- From the online form, you will be asked for certain supporting documents. In particular, you must upload a travel document directly online. This may be a flight or hotel reservation with your outward and return dates or your dates of stay.
- You will also need to scan your passport and upload a photo or a scan of the passport information page. You will also be asked for a legal-size passport photo, which you can also upload online.
- If you are travelling to Kenya to visit your family or a close friend, you will also need to provide a letter of invitation from that person.
- If you are travelling to Kenya on business, this time you will need to provide a letter of invitation from the company you are joining or visiting in Kenya.
- You can then validate your application by paying the requested fees directly online and by different payment methods that we will present to you later.
To fill in the e-visa application form for Kenya, you will simply be asked to provide some information about yourself and your stay and its reasons. Of course, the service provider we have chosen for you will be there to help you if you have any questions about any of the items and will give you access to a simplified form. In this form, you will be asked for your contact details including your email and postal address, details of your trip including dates and accommodation, personal information such as your identity, date of birth or place of birth, documents to be uploaded, previous trips you have made and countries visited, names of your parents or spouses, information from your passport, the name of your employer and some security questions.
How long is a visa valid for Kenya?
A visa for Kenya is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued and this also applies to the e-visa, i.e. 3 months. Therefore, once you have received your e-visa by email, you have 90 days to travel to Kenya.
It is also important to understand that this validity period is also the maximum length of stay allowed in the country. This means that the Kenyan e-visa allows you to stay in Kenya for a maximum of 3 consecutive months. It is also possible to extend this period by going to the immigration office in Nairobi, but this extension will in no case exceed 6 months.
Let's also look at the time frame in which you will receive your e-visa. As mentioned above, once you have registered your application, it will be processed within an average of 6 to 7 days. All you need to do is print it out and take it with you when you travel.
Payment of eVisa fees online and accepted methods:
When you register your application, you will be asked to pay the Kenya visa application fee. These fees must be paid directly online using secure methods. Depending on the website you use, you can pay by credit card, paypal, iDeal or other similar electronic payment methods.
