How to Apply for Kenya’s eTA in 2026/2027: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Kenya swapped its old eVisa for the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) back in January 2024, and the rules have kept shifting since. If you’ve read our general Kenya visa requirements overview and still have questions about the actual application, this is the walkthrough: exact steps, real costs, how long it takes, and what’s changed most recently, including a new health insurance requirement that’s currently tied up in court.

Do You Need Kenya’s eTA?

For most of the travelers who book a safari with us, yes. Kenya requires an approved eTA before you board your flight, not on arrival. There’s no more visa-on-arrival option.

Traveler type	eTA required?
US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, and most other nationalities	Yes, apply online before you fly
East African Community citizens (Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda)	No, visa-free for up to 180 days
Other African Union nationals	No, exempted since May 2025, except Somalia and Libya
Transit passengers who don’t leave the airport	No eTA needed for a same-airport connection
Somalia and Libya nationals	Yes, eTA still required

Kenya opened its borders to visa-free travel for nearly every African nationality in 2025, which is a genuinely big change if you’re coordinating a multi-country trip with regional guests. If you’re flying in from North America, Europe, or Australia, though, none of that changes anything for you: you still need to apply.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Have these ready before you open the application, it takes about 15 minutes if everything’s in order and considerably longer if you have to stop and find a document halfway through:

• A passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your planned arrival date, with at least one blank page
• A recent digital passport photo (you can also take a selfie during the application)
• A working email address, you’ll get updates and your final approval here
• Your flight itinerary or booking confirmation
• Proof of accommodation: your safari itinerary from us works fine for this, as does a hotel booking
• A debit or credit card for the $30 fee
• If you’re arriving from a yellow fever endemic country, your vaccination certificate

How to Apply for Your Kenya eTA (Step by Step)

1. Go to the official portal. The only legitimate site is etakenya.go.ke. A lot of copycat sites charge double the government fee for the same application, so don’t apply through a third-party site unless you know exactly what you’re paying for.
2. Create an account and verify your email.
3. Fill in your personal and passport details, plus your travel purpose and dates.
4. Upload your documents: passport photo page, passport-style photo, and your itinerary or accommodation proof.
5. Pay the fee online by card.
6. Wait for approval, officially within 3 working days, though most people we’ve heard from get a decision in 48 to 72 hours.
7. Download and save your approved eTA as soon as it arrives. Keep both a printed copy and a copy on your phone; airline check-in staff will usually ask to see it before you board.

Each traveler, including children, needs their own individual eTA application. There’s a group application option on the portal if you’re applying for your whole family or travel party at once, but each person still gets their own approval.

Kenya eTA Cost and Processing Time

eTA type	Fee	Processing time	Validity
Standard single-entry (tourist)	$30	Up to 3 working days (often 48–72 hrs)	90 days from issuance to travel, stay up to 90 days
Expedited	$30 + $100 rush fee	Same day	Same as standard
Multiple-entry	Higher fee, check current pricing at application	Same as standard	Valid up to 5 years, 90 days per visit

You’ll see other numbers floating around online, we found figures anywhere from $20 to $50 depending on the site. $30 is the figure that matches both the official government messaging and the independent sources we cross-checked, so budget for that and treat anything wildly different as a sign you’re not on the official portal. Fees are non-refundable even if your application is denied, so it’s worth getting your documents right the first time.

You can apply as early as 3 months before your trip. We’d suggest applying as soon as your flights and safari dates are locked in, and at minimum a week out, so you have room to fix anything if there’s an issue with your documents.

A Heads-Up on Kenya’s New Travel Insurance Requirement

Here’s something worth knowing about before you apply, because it’s genuinely still unsettled and we’d rather tell you that plainly than pretend it’s simple. In July 2026, Kenya’s Health Ministry gazetted a rule requiring incoming visitors to hold travel health insurance with a minimum combined cover of $50,000, tied to the eTA process. It was challenged in court almost immediately by residents who argued the Health Ministry didn’t have the authority to impose it, and a High Court judge issued an interim order suspending enforcement in late August 2026, pending further hearings.

As of when we published this guide, reporting on where things stand afterward has been inconsistent, some sources describe the requirement as still suspended, others describe it as back in effect. We’re not going to guess which is currently true, because it’s a live legal matter and guessing would do you a disservice. What we’d actually recommend: check the requirements section on etakenya.go.ke directly when you apply, since the application itself will tell you if insurance proof is currently being requested, and carry proper travel health insurance regardless. Evacuation and medical cover on safari is a good idea whether or not it’s legally mandatory, and we cover what to actually look for in a policy in our travel insurance guide.

Common Mistakes That Delay Kenya eTA Approval

• Name mismatches. Your eTA application needs to match your passport exactly, including middle names. A typo is one of the most common reasons for a delay.
• Blurry or cropped photos. Use a plain background and good lighting for your passport-style photo; rejected photos are a common hold-up.
• Applying through unofficial sites. Several third-party sites rank well in search results and charge $60 to $100 for the same application that costs $30 on the real government portal. If the site isn’t etakenya.go.ke, be careful.
• Waiting until the last minute. Processing is usually fast, but “usually” isn’t “always.” Applying with only a day or two of buffer means a slow review can put your flight at risk.
• Passport validity under 6 months. Check your expiry date before you even start the application.

Getting Your Documents Sorted Early Makes the Rest Easy

Once your eTA is approved, that part of your trip is genuinely done, it’s a one-time thing per visit and doesn’t need any follow-up. If you’re still finalizing dates or want an itinerary you can attach to your application, we can put one together for you before you apply. Browse our safari packages or get in touch and we’ll help you plan the trip first, so your eTA application has real dates and a real itinerary behind it.

Frequently Asked Questions