Kenya abolished traditional tourist visas in January 2024 and replaced them with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) — a pre-travel online clearance most visitors must obtain before boarding. It is genuinely simple, as long as you know the handful of rules and apply through the one official site.
How the eTA works
Apply online at etakenya.go.ke (the only official portal — third-party lookalike sites charge markups for nothing). You upload passport details, a photo, travel dates, accommodation and proof of onward travel, pay the fee (around US$32.50 for most nationalities), and receive the authorisation by email — officially within three working days, usually faster. Print or save it; airlines check before boarding.
The eTA covers stays up to 90 days for tourism. Your passport must be valid at least six months beyond arrival with blank pages. Children need their own eTAs (fees vary by age). Citizens of the East African Community and several African states are exempt or auto-approved — Kenya extended visa-free entry to most African nationals in 2024–25, with the eTA remaining as a light registration step for many.
Practicalities for safari travellers
Apply as soon as flights are booked — two weeks out is comfortable, 72 hours the official minimum. Airlines enforce it at check-in, so a missing eTA means a missed flight, not a fixable problem in Nairobi.
Combining with Tanzania (Serengeti add-on) or Uganda? Each country runs its own system; Kenya’s eTA is single-entry in principle, but the East African Tourist Visa (Kenya–Uganda–Rwanda, US$100 multi-entry) still exists as an alternative for multi-country trips — check current terms when booking, as regional arrangements evolve.
Health paperwork rides alongside: a yellow fever certificate is required if arriving from a yellow-fever-risk country (and worth carrying regardless), and standard travel insurance is expected by camps.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Kenya eTA the same as a visa?
Functionally yes, administratively no: Kenya formally scrapped visas and the eTA is a lighter pre-clearance. For travellers the practical difference is that everything happens online before you fly, and there is no visa-on-arrival counter to fall back on.
Which website is the real one?
Only etakenya.go.ke. Search results are crowded with agency sites charging US$70–100 for the same US$32.50 authorisation — some legitimate resellers, some not. Go direct.
Do children need an eTA?
Yes, every traveller needs their own, applied with their own passport. Fees for minors vary; under-16s have been discounted or free at times — the portal shows the current rate during application.
What if my eTA hasn’t arrived and my flight is tomorrow?
Contact the eTA support channels immediately and check spam folders — approvals usually land within 24–48 hours. Airlines cannot board you without it, which is why the two-week application habit exists.
Practical summary, not legal advice. Verify current rules on official channels before travel.