To apply for a Kenya visa, you need to upload some documents, including a booking confirmation or an invitation letter. This article describes the difference between both of them.
Visa application Kenya: documents required
Filling in the Kenya visa form usually only takes five to ten minutes. After you have checked the entered data again and paid the fee, you will be redirected to the upload page. Here you have to upload some documents:
- A passport photo (this may also be a selfie, as long as the face is in focus, it is a colour photo and the photo has a light, even background)
- A scan of the passport
- A booking confirmation or invitation letter
- A confirmation of the return or onward flight
- If you are staying with family or friends, you need a passport or ID card of that person
After you have provided the required documents, they will be checked by a visa specialist. If the documents are correct, the application will be processed. Please note: even if your documents are completely compliant, your visa application may be rejected. Uploading the documents is a requirement to be able to process the application, and does therefore not mean that your visa application will be automatically approved.
Booking confirmation: staying at a hotel or resort
When uploading the documents for the Kenya visa it can sometimes be unclear which document is required: a booking confirmation or an invitation letter? Which document you need to upload depends on what you filled in in the application form. The Kenya visa application form asks about your first night in Kenya. You have to fill in the type of accommodation, the name, address, city and contact details.
If you select ‘hotel or resort‘, you must provide a booking confirmation on the upload page. The document does not have to be issued by the hotel or resort, but can also be a booking confirmation from, for example, a travel agency. It is important that the booking confirmation contains your name, the date of your stay and the name and location of the accommodation.
Invitation letter: staying with family or friends
If you are not staying in a hotel or resort, but with family or friends at home, you must provide a letter of invitation instead of a booking confirmation. This letter must contain the following information:
- Your name
- The name of the person you are staying with
- The address where you are staying
- The contact details of the person with whom you are staying
The letter of invitation may also be an (informal) e-mail or text message, as long as it contains the above information. If you indicate that you are staying with family or friends, you must also provide an identity document of the person with whom you are staying in addition to the invitation letter. It happens that travellers upload a passport or ID card of a friend or relative outside Kenya. This is not the intention. You must provide the identity document of the specific person with whom you will be staying in Kenya.
Visa delivery time after uploading documents
The average delivery time for a Kenya visa is 8 business days, for urgent applications 4 business days on average. However, this average delivery time starts after all documents have been submitted and approved. If one or more of the documents provided are incorrect, you will receive an email with instructions to provide a better version. Until then, the application remains on hold. When you deliver the documents again, they will be checked again. So please follow the instructions on the upload page and the e-mails carefully to avoid repeated rejections.
Please note: this news article about the visa for Kenya is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Kenya.