Kenya asks most visitors to apply online for an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) before they travel. Since 30 May 2025, citizens of most African countries have been exempt. The change came in Legal Notice No. 93 of 2025 (Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 75), which amended Kenya's immigration rules.

It is more than a year old, but many visa lists still show an eTA requirement for African travelers, including the dataset Wandava started from. If you hold one of the passports below, you can board a flight to Nairobi without an eTA.

Who no longer needs an eTA

The exemption list has three groups, each with its own maximum stay.

Up to 180 days: East African Community partners

Up to 90 days: 44 countries

This group mixes 18 African countries with 26 Commonwealth, Caribbean, Pacific and Asian countries:

Up to 60 days: 27 African countries

Together that makes 51 African countries, every African country except Somalia and Libya, plus 26 countries outside Africa.

Who still needs the eTA

Somalia and Libya are not named anywhere in the legal notice, so their citizens still need an eTA. Anyone whose passport is not listed above also still needs one. Apply on Kenya's official eTA portal before you travel.

What "no eTA" means in practice

You don't need to apply for anything before the trip. You still go through normal immigration checks when you land. Carry what border officers commonly ask to see: a valid passport, a return or onward ticket, and details of where you will stay.

Where the rule comes from

The lists above come from the Seventeenth Schedule of Legal Notice No. 93 of 2025, as printed in Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 75 of 30 May 2025. The Gazette names a few countries twice (Eswatini also as Swaziland, Gambia also as The Gambia). Seychelles appears in both the 90-day and 60-day lists; we show the longer stay. If you find a later official Kenyan notice that changes these lists, email us and we will correct this page and the passport data together.

Check your passport

Every country above links to its Wandava passport page. Open yours to see Kenya next to every other destination you can visit without an embassy visa.