Kenya entry requirements

Kenya has strict entry and import regulations that all international travelers must follow. Learn about all the necessary documents, processes, and guidelines, and get practical tips for your entry into Kenya.

In order to be allowed to enter Kenya, you will need to present a number of documents to the local border officials. These include:

• Your passport that has at least six months of validity remaining at the time of entry and three empty visa pages
• A return or onward travel ticket
• Your approved eVisa or visa for your stay in Kenya
• Proof of sufficient funds for your stay, as well as your return trip (at least $ 500)
• Proof of hotel reservations or comparable evidence of your planned itinerary
• For business or family visits: letters of invitation from companies or relatives in Kenya
• For business travel: copies of registry entries of the companies involved
• For family visits: copies of the host's identification documents

If you are traveling to Kenya with minors, you may need to prove your relationship status or custody, as well as the consent of the child and both parents.

For this purpose, have all necessary proof documents ready, such as birth certificates, custody orders, adoption certificates, signed consent forms, and copies of IDs of all parents or guardians.

In addition to the documents presented at the border counter, you must undergo a personal assessment by border officials prior to entry. You will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Are you entering Kenya for the purpose stated in your eVisa or visa application?
• Do the data in your passport and the data in your eVisa or visa permit match?
• Do you plan to leave again before the expiration of your residence permit?
• Could you pose a threat to the country or the Kenyan people?

During the interview with the border officials, remain calm and answer briefly, accurately, and truthfully.

In order to protect the homeland security, biosecurity, and health of the Kenyan people, international travelers must disclose some information about themselves and declare the goods they plan to bring into the country before visiting Kenya.

Your obligations as a traveler include completing and submitting the handwritten Passenger Declaration Form.

Before entering Kenya, you must provide information about who you are and what goods you intend to bring into Kenya. The Passenger Declaration Form will ask you for the following information:

• First and last name
• Gender
• Date of birth
• Nationality
• Passport number
• Flight number and departure airport
• Date of entry
• Residence status (resident or non-resident)
• First overnight address in Kenya
• Information on bringing animals and plants, means of payment, alcoholic beverages, cosmetics and perfumes, tobacco, foodstuffs, commercial products, and other high-value or regulated merchandise

If you have been in a yellow fever area for 12 hours or more before entering Kenya, then vaccination against yellow fever is mandatory for you.

Vaccinations against poliomyelitis (polio), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies, meningococcal disease (ACWY), and standard childhood vaccinations are also recommended.

No insurance is required for entry into Kenya. However, we recommend that you take out travel medical insurance, which will provide you with adequate protection on the ground.

In addition to an interview with the border officials and the presentation of your travel documents, you must also expect a measurement of your body temperature and a search of your luggage upon entry.

Therefore, fill out all data requests and the customs form truthfully and be sure to follow the announcements of the officials and the prescribed procedures on site.

After collecting your bags, you will walk through customs clearance's green or red channel. You will know which of the two you should use after completing the customs form:

• Red channel = goods to be declared
• Green channel = nothing to declare

The import regulations for Kenya are strict, and a violation is punishable in many cases. Therefore, be sure to obtain daily updates on allowable carry quantities, prohibitions, and goods subject to declaration.

You are allowed to take the following duty-free goods across the border per person without declaring them:

• Alcohol: 1 l of high-proof beverages or 2 l of wine
• Cosmetics: ¼ l of perfume or 1 l of other liquids
• Tobacco: 250 g

You are not allowed to bring the following goods and items into Kenya:

• Counterfeit money
• Pornographic material
• Matches with white phosphorus
• Weapons, gas, and toy guns, CS gas, pepper spray (only with special permission)
• Harmful substances in drinks, e.g., absinthe
• Drugs
• Toxic waste
• Products containing mercury
• Used tires
• Pesticides / chemical herbicides
• Plastic bags
• Ivory
• Exotic / protected species (dead or alive)
• Animal traps
• Counterfeit goods / fake designer goods
• Postal franking machines (only with special permission)
• Drones

If you wish to enter Kenya with the following goods and items, you must declare them on the Customs Form and be prepared for thorough inspections by officials:

• Animals and animal products
• Plants and plant products
• Currency over $ 6,000
• Valuable goods over $ 500 (e.g., electronic items)
• Cosmetic products over 1 l
• Perfume over ¼ l
• Tobacco over 250 g
• Food in any form
• Commercial products (for sale or gift)
• High-proof alcoholic beverages over 1 l
• Wine and beer over 2 l
• Unprocessed precious metals or precious stones
• Weapons and ammunition
• Bones and horns, including turtle shells