The regime that applies
Kenya replaced its visa system with an electronic travel authorisation required of almost all visitors, applied for online before departure and approved within a few days. Citizens of East African Community states are exempt. Use the official government portal: the number of imitation sites charging several times the fee is unusually high for this destination.
Passport validity of six months beyond arrival is required, along with proof of accommodation and a return ticket. An East Africa tourist visa also exists, covering Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda on a single authorisation — worth considering for a regional trip.
Yellow fever and malaria
A yellow fever certificate is required from travellers arriving from an endemic country, which includes several neighbours — so a regional itinerary needs it even if your home country does not. Malaria is present in most of the country below eighteen hundred metres, including the coast and the Masai Mara; Nairobi and the central highlands are essentially malaria-free because of the altitude. Prophylaxis should be discussed with a doctor for the areas you will actually visit.
Arrival and practicalities
Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta airport is the regional hub; Mombasa takes some direct flights. Arrange a transfer in advance. Take ordinary urban precautions in Nairobi, and take local advice on the north-eastern counties and the Somali border area, which are subject to restrictive advisories.
Three rules that hold for every destination
- Use the official portal. Sites that "facilitate", "expedite" or "check" a visa charge for a service the state does not require, and collect your identity documents on the way. The official site is always cheaper and usually faster.
- A visa is not a right of entry. It is permission to present yourself at the border; the officer there decides. Carry the return ticket, the address of your stay and evidence of funds.
- Read your own foreign ministry's travel advice before booking, not after. It conditions your insurance and your consulate's ability to help.
The passport comes first
The commonest reason for being refused boarding is not the visa but the passport: insufficient validity beyond the return date, no free pages, a damaged document. Check it the day you decide to travel, not the week you leave — a renewal takes weeks.