GlobeQuest

Kenya visas and residency

Who can visit Kenya without a visa, and the 5 long-stay routes that let you actually live there.

Short stay

Visiting Kenya, by passport

How the 198 passports we track get in. A visitor entry is never permission to work, study or settle — that is what the routes further down are for.

United StatesTravel authorisationUnited KingdomTravel authorisationIndiaTravel authorisationCanadaTravel authorisationAustraliaTravel authorisationGermanyTravel authorisationFranceTravel authorisationNetherlandsTravel authorisationIrelandTravel authorisationSpainTravel authorisationItalyTravel authorisationPortugalTravel authorisationPolandTravel authorisationSwedenTravel authorisationSwitzerlandTravel authorisationSouth AfricaVisa-free · 90 days
Long stay

How you actually move to Kenya

Digital nomadHigh confidenceVerified August 2026

Class N — Digital Nomad Work Permit

Remote workers and freelancers earning from outside Kenya. Introduced to make Nairobi a regional base for remote work.

What you need
  • Minimum annual income of USD 24,000 from foreign sources — cut from the USD 55,000 announced at launch by the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Regulations, 2024, gazetted 16 December 2024
  • Proof of remote employment or client contracts with non-Kenyan entities
  • Proof of accommodation in Kenya
  • Police clearance certificate
  • Filed through the eFNS portal
How long it lasts
Issued annually, renewable.
Path to permanent residence
Permanent residence generally requires seven years of continuous lawful residence, so a long-held Class N permit could in principle contribute — but the permit is new and this has not been tested at scale.
Cost
USD 200 non-refundable processing fee plus a USD 1,000 issuance fee per year.
Processing time
Several weeks through eFNS.
Worth knowing
  • The threshold cut from USD 55,000 to USD 24,000 transformed this permit's accessibility. Any guide quoting the higher figure is out of date.
  • It authorises no work for Kenyan employers or clients.
  • At USD 1,000 a year the permit is not cheap relative to the income bar, but it is dramatically cheaper than the Class D employment permit.
  • Apply for the alien card — the foreign nationals certificate — as soon as you hold valid status, not after 90 days. The 90-day rule is the point at which registration becomes compulsory for anyone residing in Kenya, not a waiting period you have to sit out, and holders of a visitor's pass for three months or less are simply exempt. Plenty of relocation guides state it backwards and people postpone applying for no reason. The KRA PIN — which gates banking, leases and utilities — sits behind either that card or a passport-endorsed permit, so the delay cascades.
  • Entry itself changed in January 2024: Kenya scrapped visas for all nationalities in favour of an Electronic Travel Authorisation, applied for online before travel. The eTA is entry only and confers no right to live or work here — the Class N permit is a separate application.
Sources:eFNS — Foreign Nationals Services portalDirectorate of Immigration Services
Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Class D — Employment Permit

Foreign employees, technical specialists, managers and professionals with a confirmed offer from a Kenyan employer.

What you need
  • A confirmed job offer from a Kenyan employer, who applies on your behalf
  • Evidence that your skills or qualifications are not readily available in Kenya
  • Certified academic and professional credentials, and registration with the relevant Kenyan professional body where the role is regulated
  • Police clearance and, for some roles, a tax compliance certificate
  • Filed through the eFNS portal
How long it lasts
Usually 2 years, renewable, tied to the employer and the approved role.
Path to permanent residence
Counts toward permanent residence, which generally requires seven years of continuous lawful residence.
Cost
KES 20,000 processing fee — doubled from KES 10,000 in the 2025 fee revision — plus a KES 500,000 per-year issuance fee, normally employer-borne and by far the most expensive element. A security bond is also a standard condition; the bond is a guarantee for a large sum but what you pay is the insurer's premium, a small fraction of it. East African Community nationals are exempt from the permit fees.
Processing time
Several months in practice, driven by the labour-availability assessment.
Worth knowing
  • The KES 500,000 annual issuance fee is the single biggest fact about hiring foreigners in Kenya — roughly USD 3,800 a year, per employee. It shapes which roles employers will sponsor at all.
  • The permit names your employer and role. Changing either requires a new permit, not an amendment.
  • Professional-body registration for regulated occupations is a separate process and commonly the long pole.
Sources:Directorate of Immigration ServiceseFNS — Foreign Nationals Services portal
InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Class G — Investor Permit

Investors and founders establishing or acquiring a business in Kenya.

What you need
  • Minimum investment commonly set at USD 100,000 in a Kenyan business
  • A registered Kenyan company with the appropriate licences
  • A business plan and evidence that the venture benefits Kenya, including local employment
  • Bank confirmation of the capital
How long it lasts
Typically 2 years, renewable.
Path to permanent residence
Counts toward the seven-year permanent-residence route; substantial investors have a dedicated category.
Cost
KES 20,000 processing fee plus a KES 250,000 per-year issuance fee, on top of the investment itself.
Processing time
Several months including company formation.
Worth knowing
  • The investment must be demonstrably in Kenya and productive — a bank balance is not an investment for these purposes.
  • Local-employment expectations are assessed at renewal, so a business with no Kenyan staff is a renewal risk.
Sources:Directorate of Immigration Services
FamilyMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Spouse of a Kenyan citizen

Foreign spouses of Kenyan citizens — the cheapest and most durable route into Kenya by a wide margin.

What you need
  • Valid marriage to a Kenyan citizen
  • The Kenyan spouse's proof of citizenship
  • Police clearance and supporting documentation
How long it lasts
Dependant pass renewed periodically, leading to permanent residence.
Path to permanent residence
Permanent residence becomes available after a qualifying period of marriage — substantially shorter than the seven years required on other routes.
Cost
Modest fees, with none of the Class D issuance cost.
Processing time
Several weeks to a few months.
Worth knowing
  • A dependant pass does not automatically carry work rights; permission to work is a separate endorsement.
  • Kenya permits dual citizenship, so eventual naturalisation does not require renouncing your existing nationality.
Sources:Directorate of Immigration ServiceseFNS — Foreign Nationals Services portal
StudentMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Student pass

Students at Kenyan universities and colleges.

What you need
  • Admission to a recognised institution, which sponsors the application
  • Proof of funds and accommodation
  • Filed through eFNS
How long it lasts
Course length, renewed as required.
Path to permanent residence
Counts as lawful residence toward the seven-year route, though graduates must switch to a work permit to stay on.
Cost
Modest pass fees plus tuition.
Processing time
Several weeks after admission.
Worth knowing
  • Employment is not permitted on a student pass without separate authorisation.
  • Nairobi hosts a large number of regional NGO and UN offices, which is the practical reason many graduates find sponsored roles — worth knowing before choosing a field.
Sources:eFNS — Foreign Nationals Services portal
On the ground

Where you'd land in Kenya

Nairobi

Africa's regional headquarters city — a national park inside the city limits, mobile money the world copied, and spring weather on the equator.

Full Nairobi guide

Kenya at a glance

Capital
Nairobi
Population
57.5M
Languages
English, Swahili
Currency
KES