kenya visa processing time

Kenya is a country located in East Africa that has amazing landscapes to amaze tourists. The country is very popular among the tourist across the world for its safari parks, adventure and incredible wildlife that can only be seen here. To visit Kenya, you need a Kenya Visa. Applying for visas and understanding the process might get confusing sometime. But you need not worry as her is the answer to all your queries.

Overview

• Need for a visa to travel to Kenya
• Visa types for Kenya visit
• How to apply for a Kenya visa?
• Kenya visa processing time
• Important Docs for Kenya visa

Need for a visa to travel to Kenya

Just like any other country, you will be needing a visa for your travel to Kenya depending on your nationality. Some countries have been exempted from prior visa and some countries are eligible for Kenya Visa On Arrival. Let’s have a look at the countries list accordingly:

• Countries whose diplomatic and service category passport owner who does not need a visa to travel to Kenya are:

1. India
2. China
3. Turkey
4. Israel
5. Brazil

• Countries allowed to enter Kenya with their national ID cards only are Uganda and Rwanda.
• Countries allowed entry permit without visas are:

• There are some countries who are not eligible to apply for a visa online. They have to process offline through the Director of Immigration Services.

The list of these countries are:

Visa types for Kenya visit

1. Multiple entries: visa offers permits for multiple entries and is suitable for someone who would be travelling to Kenya for multiple times within short duration.
2. Single entry: Applicable for tourist, professionals or family visit and is issued for 90 days. The visa grants you your stay in Kenya for 90 days. With this visa enter Kenya once
3. Business visa: A good option for businessmen. This visa is applicable for business professionals and entrepreneurs who have plans to expand business in Kenya.
4. Visa on arrival: With this visa, the travellers will not have to apply for a visa before their travel. They will get their visa on arrival during the immigration process.
5. Transit visa: If you have a layover at Kenya airport then you can apply for a Kenya Transit Visa. The duration of transit visa is of 72 hours and cannot be extended.
6. Tourist visa: Applicable for tourist who wishes to explore the beauty of Kenya. This visa is applicable for 90 days. For a tourist visa, the tourist must have a passport that has a validity of a minimum of 6 months.

How to apply for a Kenya visa?

You may either apply online or offline for you Kenya visa. Let us see the steps for both processes:

1. Offline visa process: You will have to visit the official embassy office if you wish to apply for offline visa application. Information related to visa application will be shared with you when you reach the embassy. The embassy will share with you the list of the essential documents that you will have to submit with your visa for processing.
2. Online visa process:

• Visit Tourist Visa Online website 
• Fill in relevant details of the Country that you live in, your citizenship country, and the country that you are willing to apply for a visa.
• After filling these detail you can click on Apply Visa option.
• You can select the visa according to your plan
• For Kenya, Tourist Visa Online has 2 two– 90-day tourist visa(single entry) and 3 days tourist visa (single entry)
• Fill in the Kenya Visa Application Form on online portal
• Upload required document on the portal
• Pay relevant visa fee
• Track visa status

Kenya visa processing time

Processing time of Kenya visa is the time taken for approval of visa after the application has been submitted. It is a very crucial and essential stage as your one mistake in your application or document submission can lead to denial or rejection of your visa. Your Kenya visa processing time is 4-5 days if you are applying through a Tourist visa online. Tourist visa online offers speedy process compared to any other OTA. So if you want to ensure fast and smooth process then you must proceed with your Kenya visa application through Tourist visa online.

Read Also: Kenya Visa Types and Document Required for Kenya Visa.

Important Docs for Kenya visa

1. Passport: That has a validity of six months minimum
2. Photograph: Passport size photography that looks decent and is recently been clicked. Make sure the dimension of your photograph is 35x45mm and must be against a white or off-white background.
3. Hotel booking: You will have to submit the details of your hotel booking where you will be staying in Kenya during your visit.
4. Flight bookings: You will have to submit flight booking details of your round trip to Kenya.