The Kenyan Tourist Visa for your Holiday or Visiting a Family
Applying for a Kenyan Tourist visa is necessary if you are travelling on holiday trip or to visit a family living in Kenya.
Generally, a visitor should be able to apply for the required Kenyan tourist visa online/ at the nearest Kenyan embassy in the country where you live, for a stay in Kenya of up to 3 months.
General Visa Requirements and Validity Period of Kenyan Tourist Visa
It is advisable to check the Kenyan tourist visa requirements, before applying for your tourist visa to Kenya.
A brief list of the most important requirements and conditions when getting the tourist visa for Kenya:
- You do not intend to carry out volunteer job that can otherwise be performed by a paid employee in Kenya.
- You do not intend to join an employment relationship in Kenya.
- You do not plan to provide services to Kenyan organisations (this is allowed with a Kenyan work visa or business visa).
- You do not plan to supply or sell services or products to consumers in Kenya.
- You and your family members are not in debt to the Kenya Government.
- You do not pose a risk to the health or safety and security of the people of Kenya.
- You have the ability to demonstrate that you have adequate financial resources to pay for your visit and return from Kenya.
Do I need a Kenyan tourist visa?
It relies on your citizenship and the type of travel document you are using to take a trip to Kenya.Please click here to find out if you require a Kenyan visa.
Who exactly can obtain a Kenyan tourist visa?
Anyone wishing to go on holiday to Kenya can apply for a Kenyan tourist visa.
There are several types of visa for Kenya which you can use as a visitor to Kenya. If you are unsure which sort of Kenyan tourist visa you need to apply, please call the closest Kenyan visa office to obtain more clarification as goal of this page is to give you general overview when requesting Kenyan tourist visa.
What kind of Kenyan visa do I need?
This depends upon 3 points:
- The nationality according to your passport – If the citizenship according to the passport is from a country that is on visa free travel to Kenya or eligible to get a visa on arrival in Kenya, then you may not require to obtain a Kenyan tourist visa before departure from your home country. Please click on this link to check if you need a Kenyan visa.
- The length of your trip in Kenya – If you want to remain in Kenya for a much shorter period no more than ninety days, then you can get the Kenyan tourist visa. If you wish to remain much longer, then call the nearby Kenyan visa office to secure the appropriate visa for your trip.
- The activities you wish to execute in Kenya – If your sole purpose of taking a trip is for vacation, then you can apply for all kinds of Kenyan tourist visas discussed on this page.
General Visa Application Requirements to Apply for Kenyan Tourist Visa
- Traveler visa application form for Kenya – Completed Kenyan visa Form.
- Original and signed passport – The passport needs to be valid for at least six months before entering Kenya and 3 months after departing Kenya. It has to have at least two extra visa pages and can not be older than 10 years.
- Passport type photo – Photo has to be no older than six months and should be 35 x 40mm in width.
- Previous passport – Provide a previous passport if you had any.
- Previous visas – Copies of previous Kenyan visas details if you had any.
- Flight tickets to Kenya – Reservation of return or round trip flight tickets. In some instances the Kenyan visa office might ask for prepaid air travel tickets to Kenya.
- Travel insurance policy – Evidence of travel insurance coverage with a minimum cover set by the Kenyan embassy provided with the Certification of Insurance coverage and the table of benefits. The travel insurance policy should cover the expense of repatriation for medical reasons and the Certificate of Currency must be issued by an insurer. If you are thinking of using your credit card travel insurance for your travel to Kenya, please call Kenyan consular office for additional information and travel insurance coverage requirements for the Kenyan visa.
- Original financial institution declarations – Original financial institution statements for the last 3 months revealing adequate funds to cover your visit in Kenya. If statements are printed online after that it needs to be Verified (stamped) by the bank officials.
- Hotel Reservations in Kenya – Copy of confirmed hotel bookings including name of the applicant, name and address of the hotel, duration of stay. In many circumstances, only bookings which are partially or completely pre-paid can be accepted.
- Employment letter – This letter must be: original and signed letter from employer written on company letter head paper, validating your ongoing employment, the status of employment, regular monthly income and yearly leave. Likewise, please give your three latest pay slips. If you are self-employed: offer certified copies of business registration, income tax return.
- For students. Please provide the following:
- Proof of present student status: Certificate of Enrollment.
- Original and signed letter from university written on university letter head paper, affirming on-going enrolment, verifying the payment of tuition fees or any kind of scholarships, and confirming semester break.
- Insurance policy from Organisation/University – Provide a letter from the University specifying the purpose, period of travel and confirmation that you are going to be covered by the insurance for the entire journey in addition to the Certificate of Currency and summary of benefits.
In general, visa applications for Kenyan visa ought to be sent for an optimum of 6 months, and no later than 15 days, before the trip.