The German Foreign Office has updated its travel advisory for Kenya, stating that with immediate effect all foreign nationals—including Germans—must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) online before departure. Traditional e-visas on arrival have been discontinued; travellers who arrive without an approved eTA risk denied boarding or refused entry. The eTA, which costs USD 32 and can be applied for up to three months in advance but no later than 72 hours before travel, simplifies border formalities yet tightens pre-screening. Applicants upload passport data, itinerary details and proof of onward travel.
![Kenya replaces visas with mandatory eTA for German travellers, Foreign Office warns]()
For travellers who would like assistance navigating these new requirements, VisaHQ’s German portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers a streamlined solution: the service pre-checks documents, submits the eTA on your behalf, tracks real-time status updates and provides consolidated dashboards for corporate mobility teams, reducing the risk of delays or denied boarding.
Once granted, the eTA is valid for a single entry of up to 90 days and can be extended in Nairobi for a fee. For corporates, the change shifts compliance responsibilities from local Kenyan HR teams to the traveller: mobility managers must verify that employees have secured approval codes before issuing tickets. Airlines have begun integrating eTA verification into their document-check systems; carriers may off-load passengers without the code to avoid fines. The advisory reiterates that work assignments still require a separate Kenyan work permit even if the stay is under 90 days. Companies sending technicians under tight deadlines should budget at least five working days for eTA processing during peak periods. Kenya joins Ethiopia, Bahrain and Qatar on the growing list of destinations replacing visas with electronic travel authorisations—a trend that simplifies leisure travel but demands earlier data submission from business visitors.
For travellers who would like assistance navigating these new requirements, VisaHQ’s German portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers a streamlined solution: the service pre-checks documents, submits the eTA on your behalf, tracks real-time status updates and provides consolidated dashboards for corporate mobility teams, reducing the risk of delays or denied boarding.
Once granted, the eTA is valid for a single entry of up to 90 days and can be extended in Nairobi for a fee. For corporates, the change shifts compliance responsibilities from local Kenyan HR teams to the traveller: mobility managers must verify that employees have secured approval codes before issuing tickets. Airlines have begun integrating eTA verification into their document-check systems; carriers may off-load passengers without the code to avoid fines. The advisory reiterates that work assignments still require a separate Kenyan work permit even if the stay is under 90 days. Companies sending technicians under tight deadlines should budget at least five working days for eTA processing during peak periods. Kenya joins Ethiopia, Bahrain and Qatar on the growing list of destinations replacing visas with electronic travel authorisations—a trend that simplifies leisure travel but demands earlier data submission from business visitors.
