By Ogova Ondego
Published May 13, 2016
There is nothing as inconveniencing as having to seek permission to travel to certain destinations. Many countries require you to apply for and be issued with travel papers or stamps known as visas before you visit them.
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Kenya, like these countries around the world, require all foreigners visiting the East African country to have a visa. But there are exceptions to the rule as citizens of some countries either do not have administrative entry restrictions imposed on them, can have their visas processed at the point of entry or shouldn’t arrive in Kenya without approval to travel in their possession.
So, do you require a visa to enter Kenya?
All visitors to Kenya must hold a passport valid for at least six months.
If you hold a diplomatic or service passport of China, you don’t require a visa to Kenya.
While citizens of 43 countries do not require a visa to Kenya, nationals of 16 others are required to apply for a visa from the Director of Immigration services for processing and approval prior to travelling.
If you come from a country whose nationals require a visa, Kenya issues e-visa online that you must apply for at least seven working days in advance. Once issued, it is valid for up to 30 days.
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The 16 countries whose citizens cannot obtain an e-visa include:
- Afghanistan
- Azerbaijan
- Cameroon
- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
- Eritrea
- Iraq
- Kosovo
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Mali
- Palestine
- Senegal
- Somalia
- Syria, and
- Tajikistan.
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The 43 countries whose nationals may visit Kenya as one does one’s own home–with no entry visa in advance–and stay in the country up to 90 days are:
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Botswana
- Brunei
- Burundi
- Cyprus
- Dominica
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Jamaica
- Kiribati
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mauritius
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Papua New Guinea
- Rwanda
- Samoa
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- San Marino
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia, and
- Zimbabwe.
If you are travelling with your children who are under the age of 16, you don’t have to pay a visa fee for them.
Kenya also issues an ‘East African Tourist Visa’ to citizens of any country. It is a non-extendable multiple-entry valid for 90 days for entry into Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. It has to be first used to enter the country that issued it.
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Holders of a Kenyan passport, on the other hand, can enter the following countries visa-free:
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Botswana
- British Virgin Islands
- Burundi
- Barbados
- Cayman Islands
- Comoros
- Costa Rica
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Grenada
- Ghana
- Haiti
- Hong Kong
- Jamaica
- Lesotho
- Macau
- Malaysia
- Malawi
- Micronesia
- Montserrat
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Panama
- Philippines
- Rwanda
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts & Nevis
- Saint Vincent Grenadines
- Samoa
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia, and
- Zimbabwe.
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As immigration policies change without notice depending on the prevailing socio-political and economic circumstances based on the people and parties in power, it is always advisable to seek the latest information from the concerned parties before travelling.
