During the celebration of national independence in December 2023, the Kenyan President Ruto announced that as of January 2024 European travellers, among others, no longer need a visa to travel to Kenya. Instead of a visa, all travellers must now apply for an eTA for Kenya.

What is the eTA?

The abbreviation eTA stands for electronic Travel Authorisation. By introducing this digital travel authorisation, Kenya draws inspiration from countries that have already been using electronic travel documents for a long time, such as the United States, Canada and New Zealand.

eTA Kenya mandatory from 2024

Since the beginning of 2024, anyone wishing to travel to Kenya for holidays or business must already hold an eTA before departure. The eTA replaces the e-visa that was available until the end of 2023. The eTA Kenya can be easily applied for online using a digital form, which means that the application can be easily submitted from home. If the application is approved, the eTA is issued in digital form. From that moment, the eTA allows its holder to enter Kenya and stay in the country for up to 90 days.

Apply for your Kenya eTA

Eligible nationalities for the eTA

Kenya has announced that no traveller in the world will still need a visa to enter the country. However, most travellers must apply for an eTA. Only travellers with the passport of a country that is part of the East African Community are allowed to travel to Kenya without an eTA or visa. You can read more about this below. For travellers from all European countries, including the United Kingdom and Ireland, applying for an eTA is mandatory.

Countries with visa waiver for Kenya

Even though travellers no longer need to apply for a visa for Kenya, they must almost always apply for an eTA before departure. It is necessary to apply for the eTA before departure. The only exception concerns travellers with the nationality of a country that is part of the East African Community, who are allowed to travel to Kenya using their ID card and stay in the country for up to 90 days without a visa or eTA.

Nationalities with visa requirement for Kenya

The requirement to apply for an eTA before leaving for Kenya applies with no exceptions to travellers from all countries outside the East African Community. Minors and travellers from about 50 other countries who were already exempt from the visa requirement before 2024 will now have to apply for an eTA before travelling to Kenya. Travellers of all ages and from any country in the world can easily apply for the eTA online. It is important for travellers visiting Kenya to be well informed about the requirements for using the eTA.

Kenya eTA requirements

To be eligible for the electronic travel authorisation for Kenya, travellers must hold a passport that is valid for at least 6 more months upon arrival in Kenya and must contain at least 3 blank pages. In addition, travellers must already be able to show a return ticket upon arrival in the country. All data and information requested in the eTA application form for Kenya must be filled in truthfully and in full. If you apply for your eTA through e-Visa.co.uk, your application will be checked for common errors by experienced visa specialists before it is forwarded to the Kenyan immigration services.

Validity and authorised duration of stay of the Kenya eTA

Upon arrival in Kenya, your passport and eTA will be checked by a customs officer. The eTA is automatically linked to your passport number when granted, so you do not need to print anything. The check is done based on your passport number.

The eTA is valid for 90 days. This means that you may enter Kenya within 90 days after your eTA is granted. Once you arrive in the country, you may stay there for a maximum of 90 days.

Apply now for your eTA for Kenya