Kenya replaced its visa with an electronic travel authorisation, the eTA, at the start of 2024, and for Australians it's the easiest form in East Africa. One application per traveller, USD 30, an approval PDF in your inbox within a few days. Here's how it works, what to have open before you start, and the handful of places people get stuck.
The short version. Australians need a Kenya eTA before they fly. Apply at etakenya.go.ke or in the official Kenya Travel Authorisation app, pay USD 30 by card, and allow three business days. There's no visa on arrival any more. One eTA each, children included.
Use the official site, nothing else
Search "Kenya eTA" and you'll find a page of agencies charging USD 50 to 95 to type your details into the government form. The only site you need is the Directorate of Immigration's own portal, etakenya.go.ke. The address ends in .go.ke, the Kenyan government domain. The government also runs a free app called Kenya Travel Authorisation, which is handy because it stores your approved eTA offline. Anything else is a middleman.
Cost and timing
The standard eTA is USD 30 and the site says applications are processed within three business days, though it warns they can take longer when something needs checking. An expedited option exists for an extra USD 100 and is approved on the spot. You won't need it if you apply on time. You can lodge the application up to three months before you travel; we tell guests to do it two to three weeks out, once the flights and the first night's lodge are confirmed, so every detail on the form matches the trip.
Visa on arrival is gone. Airlines check for the eTA at check-in in Australia and again at your transit stop, and they'll refuse to board you without it. The site is blunt about it: you may only travel once the Government of Kenya has approved the application.
Before you start
- Your passport, valid for at least six months past your arrival date, with at least one blank page.
- A clear photo of the passport photo page.
- A selfie or passport-style photo, plain background, no sunglasses or hat. A phone photo in daylight is fine.
- Your flight details in and out of Kenya, including the arrival airport.
- An accommodation booking confirmation. Your Kingse itinerary covers this; if the form wants a single document, we'll send you the confirmation for your first night.
- A credit or debit card, and an email address you check.
The application, step by step
- Apply Now. If you're travelling together, choose Apply as a Group. You enter each person's details once and pay in one go, and every traveller still gets their own eTA.
- Trip details. Purpose of travel is Tourism. Arrival is the day you land in Nairobi, not the day you leave Australia. The port of entry for almost all our Kenya safaris is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA, code NBO). Departure is your flight out of Kenya, even if that flight only goes as far as Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar.
- Passport and photo. Upload the photo page and your selfie. Type your name exactly as the passport prints it.
- Accommodation. Enter the first lodge or hotel on your itinerary with its town or park, for example "Hemingways Nairobi, Karen, Nairobi". You don't need to list every camp. If a box asks for a local contact number, use the first property's phone number from your itinerary.
- Health questions. If the form asks about a yellow fever certificate, that applies to travellers arriving from a yellow fever risk country. A flight from Australia through Doha, Singapore or Johannesburg isn't one. Answer for your own routing.
- Pay and submit. USD 30 by card. You'll get one email confirming receipt and another with the decision. The approval comes as a PDF.
Save the PDF to your phone, add it to the app, and print one copy. It's checked at the airline desk in Australia, at your transit airport and at Kenyan immigration.
At the airport in Nairobi
Immigration at JKIA scans the eTA, takes fingerprints and a photo, and stamps you in. Allow an hour from the aircraft to the kerb at busy times. If you're flying straight on to the Masai Mara, that flight leaves from Wilson Airport across town, and your Kingse driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the transfer. The eTA isn't needed again for domestic flights, but keep your passport handy at park gates.
Kenya and Tanzania on one trip
Tanzania is a separate visa, always. The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, not Tanzania. We route Kenya first and cross by the Migori to Tarime air bridge or via Kilimanjaro. Our Tanzania visa guide walks through that form box by box, and our Kenya vs Tanzania comparison explains why the order matters.
Kenya with Uganda or Rwanda
The East Africa Tourist Visa costs USD 100, covers all three countries for 90 days and lets you move between them freely. It only pays off if you re-enter a country. For a one-way trip, say Nairobi to Entebbe to Kigali, the separate documents cost less: Kenya eTA USD 30, Uganda eVisa USD 50, and Rwanda is free for Australians on arrival. We'll tell you which way is cheaper for your routing.
Vaccinations and health
Kenya asks for a yellow fever certificate only from travellers arriving from a country with yellow fever risk. Uganda is one, so a Uganda-first trip means carrying the card into Kenya. Whether to have the vaccine, and what to do about malaria, is a conversation for a travel doctor with your full itinerary in front of them, around eight weeks before you fly. We point you at the official sites; we don't give health advice.
Quick answers
Do Australians need a visa for Kenya?
Yes, in the form of an electronic travel authorisation, the eTA, applied for online at etakenya.go.ke before you travel. There is no visa on arrival in Kenya any more.
How much does the Kenya eTA cost?
USD 30 for standard processing, paid by card on the official site. An expedited option costs an extra USD 100 and is approved immediately; you won't need it if you apply a couple of weeks ahead.
How long does the Kenya eTA take?
The official site says up to three business days, with a warning that checks can take longer. Apply two to three weeks before you fly, once your flights and first night are confirmed.
Does the Kenya eTA cover Tanzania or Zanzibar?
No. Tanzania is always its own visa, and the East Africa Tourist Visa does not include Tanzania either.
Do children need their own Kenya eTA?
Yes. Every traveller needs an eTA, children included. Use the Apply as a Group option so the whole family goes through in one application and one payment.
Can I use an agency to get my Kenya eTA?
You can, but you'll pay two or three times the fee for someone to type your details into the same government form. Use etakenya.go.ke or the official Kenya Travel Authorisation app.
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