Kenyan Business Visa – General information
If you’re planning to enter Kenya and conduct business, it’s essential that you obtain a valid visa before crossing the country’s borders.
Since 2005, the application process got much easier, as the Government of Kenya launched eVisas. They can be obtained entirely online via several simple steps: an applicant fills out the form, covers the fee, and gets their approved visa for Kenya delivered to their email address.
Still, applying for a business visa to Kenya can be a daunting process, as there are a number of required documents to attach as well as other pitfalls you should be ready for.
Here, we prepared several tips for you to keep in mind when applying.
Gather all the necessary documents
For a Kenya business visa, you must prepare quite a big amount of documents. Besides mandatory documentation for all types of Kenyan visa like a passport, applicant’s face photograph and a return ticket, it is also necessary to attach additional supporting documents for business purposes.
A business visa requires:
- a copy of the applicant’s company registration certificate
- the inviter or representative staff ID
- the inviter or representative’s Kenyan ID
- the inviter or representative’s passport bio-data page
- the inviter or representative’s passport immigration status page
See if your passport is valid
When applying for a Kenya business visa, you must check your international passport.
Your passport must stay valid for a minimum of 6 months (180 days) from the planned day of arrival to Kenya. If it expires within this period, you won’t be able to apply or travel abroad.
Should you see that your travel document’s validity period ends, you must renew it or apply for a new one. If your passport data changes after you have applied for a Kenyan visa, the visa becomes invalid.
Apply beforehand
The online visa application process can be completed in a simple and quick way, but don’t postpone it. Even though you really can submit the visa application form within a few minutes, processing takes more time.
It’s hard to speak of some specific time, as it greatly depends on how many applications require processing right now, when the application was submitted, if there are mistakes or incomplete boxes, etc.
Even though most applications get processed within a few days, there is always a possibility of delays if some issues occur. The final decision is made by Kenyan Immigration Services.
For this reason, apply at least a few days ahead so we have enough time to approve the visa application before your trip. However, don’t apply too much in advance.
Make sure the provided information is error-free
During the application process for a business visa, you need to fill out the visa application form. It requires you to provide your personal, contact, and travel details.
This may include your name and surname, date of birth, nationality, email address, phone number, the purpose of travel, the planned date of arrival, etc.
All boxes must be completed, and the information provided must be accurate, true, and relevant. Any typo, one wrong digit or letter can cause you a lot of problems – from delays to refusal.
If, for example, you have changed your name or surname, you cannot use the old one to apply for a visa to Kenya. The correctness of your information is crucial. Check it as many times as needed to ensure no mistakes are left.
If your visa isn’t approved, you won’t be able to enter Kenya and, therefore, miss an important business event that can greatly influence your career.
Select the entry point
In the application, you must specify the entry point you are going to use in order to cross the Kenyan border.
Only some entry ports support electronic visas in Kenya – if you go to others with an electronic visa, you will be entry-denied. Therefore, you must choose a point from this list only:
Airports:
- ELDORET International Airport
- GARISSA Airport
- JOMO KENYATTA airport – Nairobi
- KISUMU Airport
- LAMU Airport
- LOKICHOGIO Airport
- MALINDI Airport
- MOI Airport – Mombasa
- WAJIR International Airport
- WILSON Airport – Nairobi
Border crossings:
- Busia
- Isebania
- Liboi
- Loitokitok
- Lungalunga
- Malaba
- Mandera
- Moyale
- Nadapal
- Namanga
- Taveta
Seaports:
- Busia
- Kilindini Seaport
- Kisumu
- Kuinga
- Lamu
- Malindi
- Mbita
- Muhuru Bay
- Old Port
- Shimoni
- Vanga
The application process for a Kenyan business visa may seem tedious, but with the proper preparation and following the tips provided, you will increase your chances of having a successful application.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need help when applying for a visa. We are here to help! The best of luck as you start your journey towards negotiating your business in Kenya.
