At the beginning of 2024, the visa for Kenya was replaced by the eTA. Just like the visa, the eTA is also valid for 90 days from the moment it is issued. Within this validity period, you are allowed to travel to Kenya once and stay in the country for up to 90 days.

The eTA for tourists and business travellers

There are multiple types of visas for Kenya. The Kenya eTA for tourism and business trips is the most popular variant. This travel authorisation is suited for the most common travel purposes and has a long validity of 90 days. Therefore, the eTA grants enough time to discover different places in Kenya. The application procedure can be easily completed online using a digital application form. Are you unsure if the eTA is suited for your trip? Read the page with the requirements for the Kenya visa.

Zebras in the Kenyan savannah

Entering Kenya during the validity period

The Kenya eTA that can be applied for on this website is valid for 90 days. This means that you are allowed to arrive in Kenya within 90 days from the date of issue. Therefore, you do not need to know the exact date of your trip when applying for this visa. Are you arriving in Kenya more than 90 days after the eTA was issued? Then the visa is no longer valid and you are not allowed to enter the country. In this case, you must apply for a new eTA.

However, it is still possible to apply for the eTA more than 90 days before your expected arrival date. The application form requires you to indicate the date on which you plan to arrive in Kenya. Based on the arrival date that you fill in, the application may be put on hold to ensure that your visa is valid during your trip to Kenya. Are you submitting your application within 30 days of your departure to Kenya? Then your application will be processed immediately.

Are you applying for your eTA more than 30 days before departure?
It is always recommended applying for your visa as early as possible. This also applies to the eTA Kenya. To ensure that the validity of your visa does not expire before your trip, your application may be put on hold. This happens based on the expected arrival date that you fill in in the application form. Your visa application will be automatically processed exactly 30 days before this date. The average delivery time of 9 days starts from this moment. This way, you will receive your eTA well in time, and you can be certain that you will not forget to submit your application at the right time.
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Maximum length of stay in Kenya

Like the validity period, the maximum length of stay in Kenya is also 90 days. This means that you can spend up to 90 days in the country. When you arrive in Kenya, your passport will be stamped. The maximum length of stay of 90 days starts from that moment. The validity duration of your visa, which started when your visa was issued, is not taken into account. This means that regardless of whether you arrive in Kenya on the first or last day of the validity period of your eTA, you will still be allowed to stay in the country for the full 90-day period.

An example with travel dates

Imagine you are applying for a visa for a trip to Kenya on 1 January. In the form, you fill in that you expect to arrive in Kenya on 31 May. Your application is automatically put on hold and processed exactly 30 days in advance, so on 1 May. On 8 May, your application is approved and you receive your eTA. You are then allowed to arrive in Kenya between 8 May and 90 days after, which is 6 August. However, something changes in your plans, and instead of arriving on 31 May, you instead arrive in Kenya on 1 July. On arrival, an immigration officer stamps the date of arrival, 1 July, in your passport. You can then stay in Kenya for up to 90 days. This means that you must have left the country by 29 September. You are, of course, allowed to leave earlier.

Are you planning to leave Kenya to visit a neighbouring country and then return to Kenya?
The eTA Kenya is a single-entry visa and can only be used for a single trip to Kenya. The validity of the visa expires automatically as soon as you leave the country. However, there is a special agreement that concerns Kenya and some of its neighbouring countries. If you travel to Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania or South Sudan after your stay in Kenya, you may enter Kenya a second time using the same visa. Note: The validity of your visa must not have expired when you arrive in Kenya the second time. Moreover, be sure to check the visa requirements of the neighbouring country you intend to travel to.

The validity of your visa can expire earlier

Your eTA for Kenya is only valid if you meet all the visa requirements. If you do not meet the requirements (any more), your visa is invalid. In particular, make sure that your passport is still valid for at least 6 months when you arrive in Kenya.

Do you want to stay in Kenya for longer than 90 days?

There are various possibilities to stay in Kenya for longer than 90 consecutive days:

• You can extend the maximal length of stay of your visa after arrival in Kenya.
• You can leave Kenya and apply for a new eTA.
• You can opt for one of the other visa types. You can obtain more information on other types of visas by contacting the Embassy of Kenya. However, the application process is often more complicated, and the processing times longer.