Kenya eases travel requirements for African citizens

The Kenyan Cabinet has issued a statement that travellers holding African passports will soon no longer be required to obtain Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter Kenya.

The directive of 21 January 2025 however excluded citizens of Somalia and Libya due to security concerns. African visitors will now on arrival be permitted to stay in the country for two months, while East African Community (EAC) nationals will be permitted to stay in the country for six months under the EAC free movement protocols. 

The Kenyan government also plans to introduce an expedited ETA processing option which will allow visitors to receive near instant approval. The expedited ETA will be processed within 72 hours, subject to operational capacity.

With Kenya serving as a hub to most of east and central Africa, this is likely to lead to a rise in visitors once operationalised. 

Following the launch of Kenya’s much anticipated digital nomad work permit, the immigration regulatory regime has now been amended to introduce a new class (Class N) of work permits.

These are applicable to foreigners who work for companies based outside Kenya and work remotely while resident in Kenya, or to freelancers working remotely for clients based outside Kenya while resident in Kenya. 

For an individual to obtain the digital nomad work permit, they will need to provide:

• a valid passport;
• proof of remote work;
• have an assured annual income of USD 24,000 derived from sources outside Kenya;
• proof of accommodation in Kenya; and 
• proof of a clean criminal record from their country of habitual residence. 

Additionally, applicants are required to undertake that they will not accept paid or unpaid employment or engage in any income-generating activities in Kenya for an employer or company domiciled in Kenya. 

Separately, a new work permit class (Class R) has been created that is specifically applicable for EAC member state citizens. These applications will continue to be exempted from both issuance and processing government fees. 

To be granted a Class R permit, applicants will need to demonstrate that:

• they are a citizen of a member state of the East African Community;
• they are not a prohibited immigrant; 
• they intend to reside, engage in employment, activity, business, trade, or engage in any prescribed profession in Kenya; and
• their presence in Kenya will be of benefit to the country. 

The government fees payable to the Department of Immigration for these classes of applications are as follows:

While the above has been gazetted, the Department of Immigration is yet to operationalise the two new work permit classes and make them available on the eFNS portal used to apply for work permits. This is likely to be done in coming weeks.

With the rise of digital nomads and a growing global shift to flexible working arrangements, there is a strong universal push to provide immigration status applicable to such individuals.

If you have any questions, please contact Mati Munuve and Andrew Njau.