UhamiajiEntry rules read 12 November 2026
The Kenya eTA is the Electronic Travel Authorisation every visitor to Masai Mara, Kenya, and the rest of the country needs before the journey starts, infants and children included, unless their nationality is on an exempt list. US, UK, Canadian, Australian and most EU passports are not. The Standard eTA costs USD 30 per traveler, USD 130 expedited, on the Directorate of Immigration Services' site (read 12 November 2026).
Photo: Ninara / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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The Directorate says processing typically takes three working days and recommends applying at least 2 weeks before travel. Since 5 October 2026 most visitors also need Kenya's inbound travel health insurance, up to USD 44 per person, bought inside the eTA application. The checker below gives the answer for your passport.
If a tour is part of your trip, book it before you apply, because the form asks for your itinerary and a place to stay. A seven-day Kenya safari to the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli is one example.
MpangoYour passport, your trip
Pick the passport you travel on and the kind of trip. Three answers follow: the eTA, its cost per traveler, and the health insurance, each with the body that states it and the date.
Showing: United States, holiday, adult
1 · eTA
2 · Cost per traveler
USD 30normal processing
USD 130expedited
Standard eTA, entry once
3 · Health insurance
An eTA is permission to travel, not the final authority to enter Kenya: the immigration officer at the point of entry decides.
Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cyprus, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malaysia, Maldives, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Comoros, Samoa, San Marino, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Bahamas, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Congo, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia.
Directorate of Immigration Services, eTA site, General Information, read 12 November 2026. Transit passengers who stay airside, ship passengers who stay on board and holders of Kenyan residence, permits and passes are exempt too.
TiketiPer traveler, read 12 November 2026
| eTA type | Normal | Expedited | KCAA AIC 14/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard, entry once | USD 30 | USD 130 | USD 30, expedited USD 100 more |
| Transit, "for travellers who are on a transit flight through Kenya" | USD 20 | USD 120 | USD 20 |
| One Year Multi-Entry | USD 300 | USD 400 | USD 300 |
| Five Year Multi-Entry, American nationals | USD 185 | USD 285 | USD 185 |
| East African Tourist | "COMING SOON" on the eTA site | USD 100 | |
The eTA FAQ puts expedited processing at USD 100 more than the normal fee, processed immediately. KCAA's notice lists an East African Tourist eTA; the eTA site shows it as "COMING SOON".
Per traveler, entry costs the eTA fee, USD 30 for a Standard eTA, plus the Kenyan health insurance, up to USD 44. The park tickets are separate again: the Masai Mara entrance fee counts them, and the safari cost page prices the safari itself.
SaaFrom application to arrival
The Directorate recommends applying at least 2 weeks before travel, only on etakenya.go.ke or the official "Kenya Travel Authorisation" app.
Typically three working days, longer in some cases; the FAQ says generally within 72 hours, and expedited applications are processed immediately.
A PDF by email: print it or keep it on your phone or in the app. Travel only after approval.
Kenya's 2024 regulations bar airlines from boarding a passenger without an eTA, and you show it at every departure and arrival point.
The officer at the point of entry decides whether you are admitted.
A passport valid at least 6 months with at least one blank page, a selfie or passport-style photo, an email address and phone number, your itinerary with arrival and departure, an accommodation booking and a payment card.
The application asks for an accommodation booking, so book at least your first night before you apply. If you apply months ahead, ask the eTA help desk how long an approved eTA stays valid.
Each traveler needs their own eTA, couples and groups included; the portal has an "Apply as a Group" option, and one person may apply for others. Parents, guardians or accompanying adults answer for what a minor's application says.
The eTA help desk: [email protected], WhatsApp +254 110 922 064, telephone +254 717 436 070. Start at the eTA site and read its general information and FAQ.
AfyaKenyan inbound travel health insurance
Under Gazette Notice No. 11492 of 30 July 2026, non-Kenyan visitors need Kenya's inbound travel health insurance from 5 October 2026, and a home-country travel policy does not replace it. eTA applicants buy it inside the eTA application; anyone already holding an eTA buys it on the eCitizen insurance portal.
USD 44Premium per person, at most, levies and stamp duty included
USD 50,000Total limit per person
USD 25,000Of which evacuation
eCitizen insurance portal
Visitors staying under 3 months
Up to 3 months
Multiple entries; starts once paid and issued; full refund if canceled before travel; cashless treatment at accredited providers in all 47 counties, within the policy's terms and limits.
Exempt: Kenyan citizens and residents, East African Community citizens, asylum seekers, diplomatic, official and service passports, qualifying crew, transit passengers who do not enter Kenya.
UK FCDO, updated 6 November 2026
Most travelers visiting for less than 12 months
90 days
Valid for 90 days, multiple entries in that time.
Exempt: Kenyan citizens, holders of Kenyan residence, citizens of East African Community partner states, transit passengers who do not pass immigration control.
Every traveler needs a policy of their own, each child included; there are no family or group policies. eTA-exempt African nationals from outside the East African Community buy it on its own before boarding.
Within the USD 50,000: medical care USD 20,000, evacuation USD 25,000, repatriation USD 5,000, mental illness USD 1,000, prescribed medicines USD 300. Assistance line +254 719 044 777. What the health bodies say about the Mara itself is on Is Masai Mara safe?.
MpakaAt the airport and the border
The eTA is one paper. These are the others the UK FCDO and the US Department of State name for entry.
The eTA site asks for at least one blank page. The UK FCDO (6 November 2026, full British citizen passports) says at least 2 blank pages, and so does the US Department of State. Travel with two.
The FCDO asks for an expiry date at least 6 months after the day you arrive; the State Department, 6 months beyond arrival.
The State Department says a notarized consent letter from the other parent may be required, or proof of sole custody, and advises carrying each child's birth certificate.
No maximum, the State Department says, but more than USD 10,000 or its equivalent in shillings needs papers explaining the funds.
Bringing a drone in or out without prior approval from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority is illegal, the FCDO states. What to pack for a safari in Kenya covers the rest of the bag.
Required if you arrive from a country listed as a yellow fever transmission risk (FCDO). Malaria and vaccines are on the safety and health page.
A visa granted before the eTA replaced visas in 2024 stays valid until it expires, unless revoked; the UK FCDO says the same. Going on to the Serengeti in Tanzania means Tanzania's own entry papers: Masai Mara vs Serengeti compares the two.
After landing, the next questions are the road or the flight: Nairobi to Masai Mara, the Mara flights, and a night in Nairobi if you land late. The home page has the whole plan.
MaswaliKenya eTA questions
The rules in full: how to apply, eligibility and fees, terms, KCAA AIC 14/25, the 2024 regulations, UK entry requirements, US travel advisory.
No, you need an eTA instead. Kenya's 2024 amendment regulations require every traveler to hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation before embarking, and airlines may not board a passenger without one. A visa granted before the change stays valid until it expires. Nationals on the exempt lists need neither; the checker above shows yours.
The eTA FAQ says applications must be made only on the official site, etakenya.go.ke, or in the official "Kenya Travel Authorisation" app, one application per traveler. The fee there is USD 30 for a Standard eTA. Other sites that offer to apply for you are not the Directorate of Immigration Services.
The Directorate says processing typically takes three working days and can take longer. Its FAQ says generally within 72 hours, and the expedited service is processed immediately. It recommends applying at least 2 weeks before travel. Expedited costs USD 130 for a Standard eTA.
No. Since 5 October 2026 most non-Kenyan visitors need Kenya's own inbound travel health insurance, and a home-country policy does not replace it. It costs up to USD 44 per person. Its total limit is USD 50,000 per person.
Yes. The Directorate says all visitors, infants and children included, need an approved eTA unless their nationality is exempt. Each traveler needs their own, and each child needs their own insurance policy. A parent, guardian or accompanying adult answers for the child's application.
