Kenya will soon introduce a new transit eTA and a new digital nomad visa. This was recently announced by Kenya’s president William Ruto. The Kenyan authorities hope that these visas will attract more foreign visitors, who will give a boost to the local economy.
The Kenya eTA
The Kenya eTA was introduced at the beginning of 2024. The eTA can be considered a replacement of the e-visa for Kenya, which was available online until the end of 2023. You can apply for the eTA easily online. It takes no longer than half an hour to fill in the application form. In the form, you are asked about your personal details, as well some details about your trip to Kenya, including the address of your first accommodation. You also have to submit some documents, including a passport photo, a scan of your passport, a booking confirmation of the place where you will spend your first night and a flight ticket.
The eTA allows you to travel to Kenya for tourist, business or medical purposes. The eTA is The eTA is valid for 90 days, and it allows you to stay in the country for 90 days. This means that you have 90 days to enter Kenya, from the moment the eTA is issued. Once you arrive in Kenya, you may stay in the country for 90 days, even if you arrive on the last day that your eTA is valid.
The eTA for a layover
During the Magical Kenya Travel Expo, a convention surrounding international tourism in Kenya, president Ruto announced to introduce a new type of eTA for travellers with long connection times in Kenya. This eTA type is specifically meant for travellers transiting through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. This eTA allows transit passengers to leave the airport’s transit zone temporarily, to be able to visit the country.
The digital nomad visa
Additionally, it was announced that Kenya will introduce a digital nomad visa. This work permit allows foreigners to work for an employer outside of Kenya, and to stay in the country for extended periods of time. This visa is supposed to boost the Kenyan economy. As foreign workers are allowed to stay in Kenya for an extended period of time, they get the chance to invest the money they earn from their foreign employer directly in the Kenyan economy.
Many people expect that the number of digital nomads will rise in the upcoming years. Therefore, Kenya hopes to attract an increasing amount of foreign travellers in the future, by offering the digital nomad visa.
Rising number of tourists in Kenya
President Ruto announced these plans with the objective of stimulating the tourism industry. 2 million foreign tourists arrived in Kenya in 2023. The preliminary numbers for 2024 also look promising. Compared to the first six months of 2023, the number of tourists arriving in Kenya in the same period in 2024 increased by more than 20%.
The Kenyan authorities hope to welcome 3 million foreign tourists by the end of 2024, and they are targeting 5 million tourist arrivals in 2027. Tourism is an important pillar of the Kenyan economy. At the moment, 1.6 million Kenyans depend directly or indirectly on tourism to earn their income. Tourism generated an income of GBP 2.1 billion (EUR 2.5 billion) in 2023, and this is expected to increase in the upcoming years.