Travellers holding passports for visiting Kenya are divided into three categories. Most nationalities falling under category 2 can apply for an eVisa before planning their trip to Kenya.

Category 1 includes those nationalities that are exempt and do not require Visa to enter Kenya. Category 3 includes those countries and persons who require referrals which means they need to visit the local Kenyan embassy before arrival.

Which category does your country fall into? Find out here.

You can apply for a tourist visa by visiting the official eVisa website for Kenya. Thereafter, follow the simple steps mentioned below:

1. First, set up an account by giving in your username and password. Keep the details with you as you could need them later to see your application status.
2. Fill up all the necessary details that are asked like travel itinerary details, and recent colour photograph.
3. After giving the details, submit the application. Sometimes you may be asked to give some extra information like the details of the accommodation where you are planning to stay.
4. The website says that you will get an email confirmation of your application or payment. But, if it fails to happen, do not panic. You can log in to your account and check the visa status online. Also, there is a dedicated website to verify your visa.

A single entry visa that is valid for 3 months from the date of issue is used for tourism purposes. The cost of the Visa is US $51 and the payments are always done in US dollars. Single-entry visas are also used for business, medical or other reasons.

The basic requirements for a single-entry visa are

• The valid travel document (passport) needs to have at least 6 months from the date of entry.
• You must have a return ticket.

Note: Kenya also offers multiple entry visas which cost around US $101. This is required for those travellers who plan at least two trips to Kenya in a year. The validity of this visa is about 3 to 12 months from the date of issue.

If you want to leave the airport and your transit time is less than 72 hours, you don’t need to apply for a full visa. In this case, apply for a transit visa which costs around US $21.

If you are visiting multiple countries (Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya) in East Africa together, then you can apply for an East African Tourist Visa. This visa costs around US $101 and is only valid for 3 months from the date of issue. Visitors travelling to East Africa can apply for this visa online.

Once the visa is issued, you can take a print and show it to the immigration officials at the first port of entry, the officials will put an East Africa visa sticker for your period of stay.