Kenya Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into Kenya.
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Guide
Kenya abolished visas for foreign visitors on 1 January 2024 and replaced them with the Electronic Travel Authorisation. Most non-Kenyan visitors, infants and children included, need an approved eTA before the journey starts, and there is no visa on arrival option for most travelers in 2026. The fee is about 30 to 35 US dollars depending on the source, with Wikipedia giving 32.50, and applications can be submitted up to 90 days before travel and at least 3 days in advance.
Many Africans are exempt. On 30 May 2025 Kenya widened its exemptions to cover most African nationals, excluding Libya and Somalia, with East African Community citizens from Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda allowed 180 days visa free, and Rwandan and Ugandan citizens able to use national ID cards.
If your safari crosses borders, the East African Tourist Visa lets you visit Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda on one visa. It is a non-extendable, multiple entry, 90 day visa for 100 US dollars, and it is open to any nationality.
Border crossings
- Namanga, the safari road to Arusha
The most popular and busiest Kenya-Tanzania crossing, connecting Nairobi with Arusha and Moshi. It is extremely busy but reasonably simple, with immigration and customs offices and a queue to see the officer.
- Isebania and Sirari, between the Mara and the Serengeti
Isebania in Migori County faces Sirari in Tanzania's Mara Region, and it is used by traders and by tourists linking the Maasai Mara with the Serengeti.
- Taveta and Holili, from Voi to Moshi
Also known as the Holili crossing, this is the route for visitors going between Voi and Moshi in Tanzania, and it operates as a One Stop Border Post.
- Lunga Lunga and Horohoro, down the coast
The crossing south of Mombasa toward Tanga and Dar es Salaam. Formalities include checking your yellow fever card, queuing for immigration, and then crossing to Horohoro on the Tanzanian side. Malaba and Busia connect with Uganda and Moyale with Ethiopia.
Transit routes
- Bring the yellow fever card at the coast
Officials at Lunga Lunga check it, and it is worth carrying it whenever you cross a border in East Africa.
- Use the joint visa for a three country safari
The East African Tourist Visa saves applying for three separate authorizations if you plan to visit Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda within 90 days.
Entry point notes
- Fees are quoted inconsistently, so check the official portal
Amounts of 30, 32.50, and 34 dollars all appear, depending on whether processing charges are included. Apply through the government's official eTA site, not a reseller.
- Airports and land borders both count
Kenya accepts entry through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Moi International Airport in Mombasa, the seaports of Kilindini and Lamu, and designated land borders with Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda, and the eTA rule applies at all of them.