Arrival Procedures and the Responsibility of Travelers’ on Arrival
Arrival Procedures and the Responsibility of Travelers’ on Arrival
Regulation of entry into [and exit from] Kenya involves carrying out a number of activities and procedures to determine, establish, and ascertain a prospective visitor’s bona fides and eligibility and suitability for entry into Kenya.
- All travelers, whether foreign nationals, Kenyan citizens or residents, are responsible on arrival for: appearing, in person, before an immigration officer with their passport or other acceptable / valid travel document (valid for at least 6 months);
- present themselves for the capture of biometrics (facial photographs, fingerprints); and
- in the case of foreign nationals, if required by an immigration officer, producing all or any of the following:
- Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
- return or onward tickets or evidence of such onward travel arrangements; and
- evidence of enough funds for sustenance for the duration of stay in Kenya;
- hotel booking or physical address and telephone contacts of host;
- travel itinerary while in Kenya.
- A person who arrives in Kenya at a place other than a designated PoE must report to an immigration officer immediately after arriving and then comply with the responsibilities. Any person who does not report to an immigration officer at a designated PoE contravenes the Kenya Citizenship and immigration Act, 2011 [S.53(1)(j)] and may be arrested by an immigration officer or a Police officer for investigation and further action.
Departure Procedures and Travelers’ Responsibility on Departure
Departure procedures at PoEs mirror those applied at arrivals. If everything is in order, the passport or the travel document is stamped with an immigration exit security stamp and the traveler allowed to leave.
If there is an issue with the person or the documents, he/she has presented, then departure is denied and offloaded from the flight, and a report is to the supervisor on duty. The matter may also be referred to other agencies for further action depending on the nature of the issue in question.
The departing traveler is responsible for:
- producing a Boarding Pass to an immigration officer for inspection if leaving by air;
- producing their valid passport or acceptable travel document to an immigration officer for processing;
- presenting themselves to an immigration officer for capture of biometric;
if traveling to a third destination, to produce an onward ticket or boarding pass to their home country or country of domicile.