Kenya Visa Requirements for U.S. Citizens
Africa · KE
Kenya visa requirements for U.S. citizens
Electronic Travel Authorisation required; up to 90 days
- U.S. passport status
- eTA / ETA
- Visa-free days
- 90 days
- Document route
- Embassy legalisation
- Translation
- Not required
- Short-stay fee
- $30
- Schengen area
- No
Entering Kenya
Kenya abolished visas in January 2024 and replaced them with a mandatory Electronic Travel Authorisation that every visitor, including U.S. citizens, must obtain before travelling. It is applied for online through the official government portal, costs around 30 dollars plus processing charges, and is normally approved within a few days. It is not technically a visa but it functions as one and it is checked at boarding.
Passport requirements
Valid for at least six months beyond your intended departure, with at least two blank pages.
What is specific to Kenya
Kenya is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so U.S. documents require legalisation through the Kenyan Embassy rather than an apostille. English is an official language, which removes translation from the process entirely. Kenya has become a significant East African hub for remote workers and international organisations, and it introduced a digital nomad work permit in 2024 with an annual income threshold.
Visa categories for Kenya
Each has its own page combining the universal process for that category with what Kenya specifically requires.
Tourist and Visitor Visa
eTA required, then up to 90 days.
Business Visitor Visa
The same eTA covers business visits.
Student and Study Visa
A student visa is one of the most document-heavy categories, and it is also one of the most mechanical: if you have an unconditional…
Work and Employment Visa
Class D permit, employer-sponsored, with a requirement to show no Kenyan could fill the role.
Digital Nomad and Remote Work Visa
A digital nomad work permit introduced in 2024 with an annual income threshold.
Family, Spouse and Partner Visa
Family routes are usually the most generous immigration category a country offers and simultaneously the most document-intensive. There is normally no income test on…
Retirement and Passive Income Visa
A Class K permit for those aged 35 and over with an assured income from outside Kenya.
Permanent Residence and Citizenship
Available after seven years of continuous residence.
Where and how to apply
- Authority
- Directorate of Immigration Services
- Official portal
- Kenya eTA (official)
- Where to file
- At the consulate with jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence.
- Biometrics
- Fingerprints and a facial image are collected for most visa categories.
- Fees
- The eTA is around 30 dollars plus processing. Work and residence permits cost substantially more.
- Short-stay processing
- Usually within three days
- Long-stay processing
- Several months for work and residence permits
Documents and authentication for Kenya
Kenya is NOT a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. An apostille alone will be rejected. U.S. documents must be authenticated domestically and then legalised by that country’s embassy or consulate, which is slower and more expensive.
Translation. Not normally required. English is an official language of Kenya.
- 1 Obtain a certified original From the issuing authority. Photocopies, scans and souvenir certificates cannot be authenticated.
- 2 Notarise, if it is a private document Letters, affidavits, powers of attorney and diploma copies need a notary acknowledgement first. Government-issued vital records do not.
- 3 County clerk, in some states A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
- 4 Authenticate at the right level State-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the ISSUING state. Federal documents, including the FBI Identity History Summary, go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
- 5 Apostille or embassy legalisation Hague Convention destination: the apostille ends the chain. Non-member destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate. For Kenya, an apostille alone will be rejected. The document must go on to that country’s embassy or consulate.
- 6 Certified translation Translate the document together with its apostille or legalisation certificate. Doing this first means paying twice. Not normally required. English is an official language of Kenya.
- 7 File with the right consulate Jurisdiction is by your U.S. state of residence. Bring originals plus a full copy set.
The two expensive mistakes. Sending a federal document such as an FBI Identity History Summary to a Secretary of State, which cannot authenticate it. And translating before authentication, so the apostille certificate is not inside the translation and the whole set has to be paid for twice.
Official sources
- Kenya eTA official portal The only legitimate eTA application site.
- Directorate of Immigration Services Permit classes and requirements.
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: immigration.go.ke, www.etakenya.go.ke
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal or immigration advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Visa rules, fees, processing times and entry requirements change frequently and often without notice, and individual circumstances change the answer. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over your place of residence before you book travel or file an application. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
