HOW TO GET A VISA TO KENYA – Kenyan Visa

Traveling outside you continent is an incredible way to broaden your mind and expose yourself to various people and cultures; and ranked as one of the top destinations for tourism and business, Kenya might be a good place to begin broadening your horizon. Here is how to get a visa to Kenya. The country in itself is a microcosm of Africa.

In order to embark on a trip to Kenya however, there are a few things you’ll need, one of which is a valid physical or electronic tourist visa approved by the Kenya Department of Immigration. While a traditional, physical visa is great, and works just as fine, the process of obtaining one can be more complicated and lengthy thus the alternative electronic visa provided.

Kenyan Visa at the airport

Visas are temporarily available upon arrival at the airport or can be obtained via the Department of Immigration Services eCitizen website. It is recommended that visas be obtained in advance of arrival through the website.

The first thing to consider before obtaining a visa is of course;

What Kind of Kenyan Visa Do You Need?

The type of visa you must have related to the purpose of your travel and is ultimately defined by the Kenyan and Visa Regulations;

• Single Journey Visa: these are visa’s Issued for Single or Multiple entries to persons whose nationalities require visas to enter Kenya. They can be Used for both business and tourism.
• Transit Visa: These are issued for periods not exceeding three days to persons whose nationalities require visas to enter Kenya and who intend to transit through Kenya to a different destination – Maybe you’ll stop by and enjoy the scenery at a later time.
• East Africa Tourist Visa: This type of visa is a joint tourist visa that entitles holders to travel to and within the Republic of Kenya, Republic of Rwanda and Republic of Uganda for the purpose of tourism.
• Diplomatic Visa: This is issued for Single or Multiple entries to holders of Diplomatic passports who are on official duty.
• Courtesy / Official Visa: These are issued to persons holding Official or Service passports on Official duty and to Ordinary passport holders who are not entitled to a Diplomatic visa; but where it is considered by the Director to be desirable on the grounds of international courtesy.

Things You Need To Apply For a Kenyan Visa

• a knowledge of the kind of visa you need
• A Digital Passport Photo of 500px x 500px max.
• Scanned copy or photo of the biodata page on your passport (the page with your photo, name and biographical data).
• A credit card for online payment (Visa or MasterCard Credit or Debit card) – Depending on the type of visa, it may cost between $50 and $200 to obtain, however the government of Kenya has been generous enough to wave visa fees of children ages 16 and below.
• Additional documents related to the trip that may be required by immigration staff to verify the purpose of your trip e.g. Invitation letter, Hotel Booking or travel Itinerary.

An e-visa into Kenya is an excellent alternative for travelers who want to carry less physical paperwork or who want to obtain a visa rapidly. A valid e-visa can be obtained online from a credible visa procurement service like the highly trusted iVisa.com and takes about two working days to process and finally obtain.

Ultimately, the entire process should be over quickly and hassle free soon enough for your trip to the home of than fifty of the world’s most breathtaking national parks that harbors some of Earths most threatened wildlife.

Overall, a trip to Kenya promises an experience that is both spiritually moving and visually luminous – and productive, of course.