What documents do I need to travel to Kenya?

Entering Kenya - what you need

Kenya's paperwork is all done online now, so the work happens before you leave home. Sort these out as soon as your flights and your trip1 hotel booking are confirmed.

• A passport valid for at least six months from your arrival date, with at least two blank pages.
• An approved eTA, unless your nationality is on the exemption list.
• A return or onward ticket.
• Your accommodation address - the eTA form asks for it, and your trip1 booking confirmation has everything you need.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate if you are arriving from a country with a transmission risk.

The eTA replaced Kenya's tourist visa

Kenya scrapped its tourist visa on 1 January 2024 and replaced it with an Electronic Travel Authorisation. The government calls the country visa-free, which is true on paper only: you still apply online, still pay, and still need approval before you board.

The eTA is normally single entry, though you can re-enter from another East African Community country while it is still valid. It is tied to the passport you applied with, so a renewed passport means a new application.

The published fee has been USD 32.50 including the processing charge. Fees get reviewed, so trust the amount shown on the official Kenyan eTA site rather than an older article.

How and when to apply

Apply on Kenya's official eTA website, no earlier than 90 days before travel and no later than three days before departure. Have these ready when you start.

• A clear scan or photo of your passport photo page.
• A recent passport-style photo of yourself.
• Your flight details and the address of your first night's accommodation.
• A payment method for the fee.

Approvals often come back within a day or two, but give yourself two weeks if you can. Use the official government site only, because lookalike sites charge a markup for the same document.

What changed recently

Kenya widened its exemption list in 2025. Most African nationals now enter without an eTA, with a small number of exceptions, and citizens of several Caribbean countries were added at the same time.

East African Community citizens can travel on a national ID card instead of a passport, and children under 16 are treated differently from adults. These lists move, so check the eligibility page on the official eTA site against your own passport.

Hotel check-in in Kenya

Kenyan hotels and safari lodges ask each adult guest for a passport at check-in and log the details in a guest register. Carry the physical passport rather than a photo.

Your trip1 booking confirmation is both what the front desk needs to find your reservation and what you use to fill in the accommodation section of the eTA form. Keep a copy on your phone and one on paper.

Some properties ask for a card at check-in to hold a deposit against extras. That is the hotel's own policy and has nothing to do with how you paid for the room on trip1.