How to get an E-Visa for Kenya
July 25 2023 | Tagged: Kenya
This is the process for a single-entry tourist visa for Kenya as of June 2023.
For 2024, the Kenya E-Visa has been replaced by the ETA so the details here are no longer valid.
For 2024, the Kenya E-Visa has been replaced by the ETA so the details here are no longer valid.
|
|
|
|
Do you need a visa to visit Kenya?
The chances are, you will need a visa to visit Kenya unless you come from one of a select group of countries who are visa exempt.
All visas are now issued online. Gone are the days of Visa On Arrival and going to the embassy in a neighbouring county, which I have done.
Just before the Covid pandemic, I had received a Visa On Arrival at the airport and back in 2016 I had gone to the Kenyan embassy in Addis Ababa.
All visas are now issued online. Gone are the days of Visa On Arrival and going to the embassy in a neighbouring county, which I have done.
Just before the Covid pandemic, I had received a Visa On Arrival at the airport and back in 2016 I had gone to the Kenyan embassy in Addis Ababa.
What is the best site for an eVisa to Kenya?
This was the website I used to get my eVisa:
Applying for the E-Visa for Kenya
First of all, you need an account. It's easy to do. I struggled at the beginning but then I remembered I had created an account back in 2020 when I was stuck in Naivasha and had to get my visa extended as I couldn't leave as the airport and borders were shut.
So I just requested a new password be sent via email, et voila!
There are lots of questions: You do not need to supply details of an onward ticket just the date of expected entry.
I had a flight ticket anyway but the visa is good for 3 months from the date of issue.
You need to supply details of a hotel reservation, their email address and phone number.
You need to enter your next of kin and your parents' names. The rest is pretty straightforward stuff.
And unlike getting a visa on arrival in the old days, you cannot leave any part blank.
So I just requested a new password be sent via email, et voila!
There are lots of questions: You do not need to supply details of an onward ticket just the date of expected entry.
I had a flight ticket anyway but the visa is good for 3 months from the date of issue.
You need to supply details of a hotel reservation, their email address and phone number.
You need to enter your next of kin and your parents' names. The rest is pretty straightforward stuff.
And unlike getting a visa on arrival in the old days, you cannot leave any part blank.
What documents are needed for Kenya eVisa?
At the end of the application you are asked to upload these 4 documents:
1. Passport-style photo. This must be square on a white/off-white background.
2. Photo of the cover of your passport
3. Photo of the Bio-metrics page of your passport
4. Photo of hotel reservation
All photos must be less than 293kb!
1. Passport-style photo. This must be square on a white/off-white background.
2. Photo of the cover of your passport
3. Photo of the Bio-metrics page of your passport
4. Photo of hotel reservation
All photos must be less than 293kb!
How much is the eVisa for Kenya?
The single entry visa costs 51 USD (50 USD with a 1 USD handling fee) and there is also a service charge for using a credit card, added. I paid 55.20 USD which came out at £44.32.
On the Kenya E Visa portal, you can also apply for a multiple entry visa, or transit visa which is valid for 72 hours if you are leaving the airport for a night or 2, or rushing from the border to the airport. The transit visa is not issued at the airport. You must apply online. Those on connecting flights do not need a transit visa. The Kenya Transit eVisa costs 21 USD (20 USD with a 1 USD handling fee).
You can also apply for an East African Tourist Visa which is good for Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda but for me, seeing as Rwanda is visa-free for Brits, I didn't bother. The East African Tourist eVisa cost 101 USD (100 USD with a 1 USD handling fee).
I had assumed Uganda was a VOA, but this is no longer correct. You need to apply for an Uganda E-Visa too.
The East African Tourist Visa is 100 USD, so the cost for me is the same as getting separate visas for Kenya and Uganda but you need to go through all the crap of applying twice.
Countries have to realise, they can get good income from tourists, why the hell do they make it long-winded and complicated to apply?
But the approval came through pretty fast.
I applied on a Sunday and received an email to say that it was approved by 11 am the next day.
You have to go into your account to access the download:
On the Kenya E Visa portal, you can also apply for a multiple entry visa, or transit visa which is valid for 72 hours if you are leaving the airport for a night or 2, or rushing from the border to the airport. The transit visa is not issued at the airport. You must apply online. Those on connecting flights do not need a transit visa. The Kenya Transit eVisa costs 21 USD (20 USD with a 1 USD handling fee).
You can also apply for an East African Tourist Visa which is good for Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda but for me, seeing as Rwanda is visa-free for Brits, I didn't bother. The East African Tourist eVisa cost 101 USD (100 USD with a 1 USD handling fee).
I had assumed Uganda was a VOA, but this is no longer correct. You need to apply for an Uganda E-Visa too.
The East African Tourist Visa is 100 USD, so the cost for me is the same as getting separate visas for Kenya and Uganda but you need to go through all the crap of applying twice.
Countries have to realise, they can get good income from tourists, why the hell do they make it long-winded and complicated to apply?
But the approval came through pretty fast.
I applied on a Sunday and received an email to say that it was approved by 11 am the next day.
You have to go into your account to access the download:
You need to print it out in full colour before arrival.
Arriving in Kenya:
With my eVisa printed out in full colour, I boarded my Kenya Airways flight from Antananarivo, Madagascar, bound for Nairobi.
The flight is just 3 hours. Getting into Kenya is easy. If you are coming from certain countries, mostly West Africa, you need to show proof of Yellow Fever Vaccination. Madagascar is not on that list.
I got my entry stamp pretty quickly;
I got my entry stamp pretty quickly;
