If you are planning to visit Kenya or wish to visit Kenya anytime soon, here is the complete information about the Kenya visa policy. Kenya Visa Policy is an important kind of visa policies Which you have to follow to achieve Kenya visa so that no hurdles come between your visa processing or visa approval. Kenya is a beautiful country in Africa, one cannot forget the beautiful landscapes, incredible view of nature and amazing wildlife that one gets to witness here.
With a thrill of safari and great memories of Kenya, you would want to visit this country again and again. To help you in planning your trip, we will provide you all the information about the visa to Kenya.
Contents -
- Who needs a visa to enter Kenya?
- Visa exemption for diplomatic and service category passport holders
- Types of visas to Kenya
- FAQs
Who needs a visa to enter Kenya?
If you are planning a trip to Kenya you must check whether the country you belong to needs to apply for a visa to enter Kenya or not. There are many countries that fall under the exempted country list and would not require to have a visa before traveling to Kenya.
These countries include -
| Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Botswana | Brunei | Burundi |
| Cyprus | Dominica | Eswatini | Ethiopia | Fiji | Gambia |
| Ghana | Grenada | Jamaica | Kiribati | Lesotho | Malawi |
| Malaysia (30 days) | Maldives | Mauritius | Namibia | Nauru | Papua New Guinea |
| Rwanda ID | Samoa | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | San Marino |
| Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Singapore | Solomon Islands | South Africa (30 days) | Tanzania |
| Tonga | Trinidad and Tobago | Tuvalu | Uganda ID | Vanuatu | Zambia |
| Zimbabwe |
Visa exemption for Diplomatic and Service category passport holders -
There are certain other countries whose diplomatic and service category passport owners do not require to have a visa to enter Kenya. The countries include -
| Brazil | China | Israel | Iran | India | Turkey |
Apart from these countries, there are also some other countries whose citizens can travel to Kenya with just their national identity cards. These nations are -
- Uganda
- Rwanda
Types of Visas for Kenya -
1. Single Entry visa to Kenya -
- Single entry visas for Kenya are meant mainly for visitors who wish to visit Kenya for tourism, business, or medical reasons.
- A single entry visa to Kenya is only valid for one entry, and you cannot re-enter Kenya again even in the valid visa period once you have departed from the country.
- You can apply for a single entry visa online easily.
- In case you could not apply for a single entry visa prior to your visit to Kenya, you can get a visa on arrival.
The validity of Single Entry Visa to Kenya -
A single entry visa to Kenya is valid for 90 days. If you have a single entry visa to Kenya, you can stay in Kenya for a maximum duration of 90 days only.
Renewal of Single Entry Visa to Kenya -
If you wish to extend your stay in Kenya, then you can renew your visa to Kenya by applying to the immigration office. You may stay in Kenya for another 90 days with a renewed visa. However, you can stay in Kenya for a maximum duration of 6 months only.
Requirements for a Single Entry Visa to Kenya-
- You should have an original passport issued by the government of your native country.
- The passport should be valid for at least six months or more.
- The passport should also have at least one blank page.
- You should have a return ticket from Kenya at the time of applying for a single entry visa to Kenya.
2. Multiple Entry Visa To Kenya -
- A multiple entry visa to Kenya is suitable for people who wish to visit Kenya multiple times in a short period of time.
- This visa allows you to re-enter Kenya even after you have departed, but within the valid visa period only.
- You cannot get a multiple entry visa to Kenya on arrival.
- You will have to apply for a multiple entry visa to Kenya online.
3. Transit Visa To Kenya -
A transit visa is a special type of visa for people who do not wish to stay in Kenya but would be transiting through Kenya while traveling to some other country.
4. East Africa Tourist Visa -
An East Africa tourist visa is for the people who wish to visit these three countries including Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda for the purpose of tourism only.
The validity of an East Africa tourist visa -
The validity of an East Africa tourist visa is for 90 days from the date of visit and this visa is a multiple entry visa. It means a person can travel multiple times to these countries until the visa is valid.
5. Diplomatic Visa for Kenya -
A diplomatic visa for Kenya is only issued for people on official duty or for the people who own a diplomatic passport. This type of visa cannot be granted to any other person with a normal passport on any basis.
Validity of a diplomatic Visa -
A diplomatic visa is a multiple entry visa, unlike the normal single entry visa which is granted to the tourist. It comes to the use of officers who might need to visit Kenya for any official purpose.
6. Courtesy Visa to Kenya -
This type of visa is also called an official visa. It is only granted to the officers or people having an Official or Service Passport. It is only allowed for people on official duty or to people that may not have a diplomatic visa but are somehow of international courtesy based on some factors.
E - Visa to Kenya -
Are you stepping back from the idea of standing in lines for the submission of the visa application form for Kenya? Then this option is completely for you. Kenya has recently introduced a whole new and easy way to apply for a visa online. Now you can sit at your home, decide a suitable visa type from the list we have made for you, and then apply for a visa to Kenya online. Isn't it easy? Just collect the relevant documents and click some buttons and you are done.
Visa on arrival to Kenya -
Did you forget to apply for a visa to Kenya? Did you make a sudden plan to visit Kenya and could not apply for a visa online? Here is the solution to all your problems. Now with the visa on arrival facility in Kenya, you can actually get a visa at the Kenya airport. So, in case you have not applied for a visa prior to your trip, which is not advisable, you can still get one at the Kenya airport.
FAQs -
1. Who needs a transit visa to Kenya?
Whether you will need a transit visa to Kenya or not, totally depends on your stay in Kenya -
- If you wish to stay for only sometime in Kenya during your transit and you will not move out of the airport, then you will not require a transit visa to Kenya. You can transit easily without a transit visa in such cases.
- If you would be in Kenya for a duration of 72 hours or less but would want to move out of the airport for some reason, then you will need to apply for a transit visa to Kenya online prior to your trip.
- If you want to stay in Kenya for more than 72 hours, you will have to apply for a tourist visa to Kenya only. In such cases, you cannot stay in Kenya with a transit visa, as a transit visa is only valid for a stay of 72 hours.
2. What are the basic requirements for applying a transit visa to Kenya?
You should have some requirements if you wish to apply for a transit visa to Kenya -
- A valid passport issued by the government of your native country.
- The passport should be valid for at least six months or more.
- The valid passport should also have at least one blank page in it.
- You should have an onward ticket to the journey from Kenya.
- You should have a recent photograph to upload in the online visa application form of the transit visa application.
