The Kenya eTA: who needs one, what it costs and how to apply

Kenya abolished its tourist visa in January 2024 and replaced it with an Electronic Travel Authorisation, the eTA. You apply online before you fly, you receive the approval by email, and nothing is stuck in your passport. The official portal is etakenya.go.ke. It is the only website you should use.

The figures on this page were checked on the official portal and on Kenyan government and embassy pages on 23 September 2026. The Kenyan government sets them and changes them without much notice, so confirm each one on the portal on the day you apply.

Who needs a Kenya eTA?

Most visitors do. Every traveller needs their own, whatever their age, so a family of four makes four applications, each with its own passport and photograph. A parent or guardian completes the application for anyone under 18.

Some travellers are exempt, and the list has grown since the eTA started:

• Citizens of East African Community member states do not need an eTA.
• Since July 2025, citizens of most other African countries do not need one either. Libya and Somalia are the exceptions.
• A number of other nationalities are exempt too, each with a set maximum stay. The list is on the portal’s general information page.
• Holders of a valid Kenyan residence permit or pass do not apply as visitors.
• Passengers in transit who stay inside the airport do not need one.

Check your own nationality and circumstances on the portal rather than going by a friend’s experience. The exemption lists are the part of the system that changes most often.

How much does the Kenya eTA cost?

On 23 September 2026 the portal gave the standard fee as USD 30, paid online by card when you apply. An expedited service, processed immediately, cost an additional USD 100. Diplomatic and official passport holders travelling on official duty are exempt from the fee.

Pay only on etakenya.go.ke. Many websites that appear when you search for a Kenya visa or eTA are private companies that fill in the same form and charge their own fee on top of the government’s.

How long does it take, and when should you apply?

The portal says applications are generally processed within three working days, and that some take longer while details are checked. It recommends applying at least two weeks before you travel. Kenya’s embassies say the eTA is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued, and that you must enter Kenya within those 90 days.

In practice, apply once your international flights and your first night’s accommodation are confirmed, and not in the final week. Most problems we see come from a late application meeting a small error.

The eTA is normally for a single entry. Kenya’s embassy guidance says that if you leave for another East African Community country and come back, for example a few days in Uganda or Tanzania in the middle of a Kenya trip, the eTA stays valid for the return.

What do you need to apply?

Have these ready before you start, rather than hunting for them halfway through:

• A passport valid for at least six months beyond your arrival, with at least one blank page.
• A selfie or passport-style photo of the traveller: face straight on, plain background, no hat or sunglasses.
• An email address and phone number.
• Your flight details, arriving and leaving.
• Confirmation of your accommodation. If you are travelling with us, we send you this in writing before you need it.
• A credit or debit card for the fee.

How to apply for the Kenya eTA, step by step

1. Go to etakenya.go.ke and start a new application, choosing tourism as the purpose of a holiday or safari.
2. Enter your personal and passport details exactly as they appear in the passport.
3. Upload the photo and the passport page.
4. Enter your travel details: arrival and departure flights and your accommodation in Kenya.
5. Pay the fee.
6. Wait for the email. It usually arrives within three working days.
7. Keep the approval on your phone and a printed copy in your hand luggage. The airline checks it before you board, and immigration checks it again in Kenya.

Why eTA applications get delayed or refused

The same few problems come up again and again.

• The name does not match the passport exactly, including middle names and their order.
• The passport has less than six months left on it.
• The photo is a holiday snapshot: a busy background, sunglasses, a hat or a tilted face.
• The accommodation is left blank or made up. Put in the real first night.
• The application goes in a few days before the flight, and one of the above then leaves no time to fix it.

If your application is refused or you made a mistake, contact the eTA office through the portal or at the email address on immigration.go.ke. Do not book a second application through a third-party site to try again.

Arriving in Kenya

Most visitors land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, or at Moi International in Mombasa. At immigration, an officer checks your passport against the eTA approval and may ask where you are staying and when you are leaving, which is why the accommodation and return flight on your application need to be real. Have the approval ready on your phone or on paper before you reach the desk.

After immigration comes baggage and customs. Kenya banned plastic carrier bags in 2017, so pack shopping and duty-free in something else. If you are on one of our trips, a driver will be waiting in arrivals with your name on a board.

What the tourist eTA does not cover

The tourist eTA is for holidays, safaris, visiting friends and family, and short business trips. Working, studying or volunteering in Kenya needs a different permit, and the portal lists other categories for those. If your trip mixes a safari with any of them, check which category applies before you apply.

Trips to more than one country

Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda and Rwanda each have their own entry rules and their own online systems. Nothing about a Kenyan eTA covers entry to another country. Multi-country trips are where entry paperwork is most often left too late, so apply for every country’s permission at the same sitting. Tell us your route and we will list what each border needs. Our itineraries include several that cross borders, and we can book the flights for every leg.

Other paperwork for Kenya

The eTA is only one part. See a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly about vaccinations, malaria tablets and whether your route means you need a yellow fever certificate. Buy travel insurance that covers medical evacuation. The practical facts by country page lists plugs, currency, time zones and phone networks, and the safari packing list includes the documents to carry.

We will not apply on your behalf

We do not submit eTA applications for our travellers, and we would be wary of anyone who offers to. The application is short, in English, and goes straight to the Kenyan government. We will tell you what any question is asking for, and if you are travelling with us, we make sure you have your accommodation details before you apply.

Once entry is sorted, your first safari covers the rest of the planning.