Beforehand
Passport
Your passport must be valid for at least six months after your scheduled arrival in Kenya. If not you will be prevented from flying at your departure airport.
Visas
Kenyan visas should now be obtained prior to arrival in Kenya. The procedure is quite tortuous and is done online via https://www.ecitizen.go.ke.
You will need a number of things to hand before you login to start the process. The site does not save details so have all of the following ready before you start so you can complete the process in one go.
Passport
Passport size photo – different to that in your passport (the quality of this does not seem to matter too much so a phone picture should be acceptable).
Travel itinerary – get these details from us.
Details of hotel where you will be staying during your visit to Kenya including email and telephone number as follows (detailed below).
A scan or photo of the front cover of your passport.
A scan or photo of the bio page of your passport.
A scan or photo of the Wildebeest Booking email (contact us for this).
Debit/credit card for payment approx US$52 – this includes the card handling fee and admin fee.
Go to: https://www.ecitizen.go.ke and register as a user. For this you will also need a photo, you can upload any photo of passport size – taking a photo on your phone/tablet works fine.
Once you have registered for an account and logged in go to the "Department of Immigration Services" section on the site by clicking on the "Get Service" button.
Then go to the "Make Application" section and follow the site through to the "Single Entry Visa" application page and check through the information before clicking on the "Apply Now" button.
Answer the questions ensuring they match what is in your passport. Be careful…the dates are in the format dd-mm-yyyy
When asked to upload a photo, ensure you read the information about what is required.
When asked for a scan of your passport, again, follow the instructions about it being in full and no reflection etc. An uploaded photo of the passport taken on a Phone, Laptop or iPad works fine – so it doesn't necessarily have to be a scan
Travel itinerary – this can be uploaded as an image and can be obtained from us.
Details of contact in Kenya are as follows:
Follow through the instructions and go through the payment process. Be patient with this and let the pages load fully!
Once it is complete, you can review your application at any point. The status of the application will remain on ‘approve’ until the application has been accepted and the visa issued. You can view your payment in the ‘billings’ section.
You can then view/print the visa from this part of the website. YOU MUST TAKE THIS WITH YOU WHEN YOU TRAVEL. It may also be a good idea to print your summary page and the confirmation of payment.
Note there is no automatic notification that the Visa status has changed from “Approve” to “Issued”, so you will need to keep checking on the site to find out.
Confirmation of payment should also be carried and where possible try to make sure you have the debit/credit card used for payment with you – although there are no requirements for this it seems like a good idea so that you can prove that you have paid if you are questioned at immigration.
It also states that you need proof that you are leaving the country so make sure you have your e-ticket for your return flight with you.
If you haven’t already obtained a visa before travelling, you can still buy one at the airport on arrival. This costs US$50 or £30 in cash. Application forms are sometimes available on the plane, if not then you can get them at the immigration desks when you arrive, but this will generally mean you take much longer getting through the immigration arrival process.
Travel Insurance
This is your responsibility and should be in place as soon as you know you are going. Please make sure that you take a photocopy of the relevant documentation with you. In the event of a claim, you will need to contact the insurers and the whole process is made much easier if you have the paperwork with you. It is also worth carrying a photocopy of your passport.
Willetts is registered with AMREF, the Flying Doctor Service, which means we can take out additional emergency cover with them for 10 US$. This is in addition to and dependant upon normal travel insurance being in place. If you are on one of our mountain bike trips or a member of a school group then we will automatically register you with AMREF.
Gifts
If you are visiting schools or clinics then it is normal to take small gifts for your local counterparts. These could be things like books about localities e.g. local town/city/cathedral, postcards, football shirts, plate depicting local scenes etc. Don’t load yourself up with too much but these are much-appreciated items. Presentations of these gifts are formal events. If questioned by customs officials on arrival in Nairobi you may be asked if you are bringing gifts for anyone. If you answer yes, then you may be asked to pay an import duty on these items.
