Do South African Passport Holders Need A Visa For Kenya
Most countries around the world require that South African passport holders have a passport valid for at least 6 months before their arrival. In most cases, you will also need to provide proof of health insurance and an onward ticket before they will issue you a visa. It is best to check with the South African High Commission or Embassy before you travel to Kenya to avoid unnecessary delays at the airport.
Visa regulations can be quite tricky to follow when moving abroad. If you did not need a visa to enter Kenya and only realize you require one when you are at the immigration desk of Jomo Kenyatta Airport, it is possible to apply for a Kenyan visa on arrival. Whether you will be granted entry or not depends on your personal circumstances as well as the type of passport you hold. Let’s find out if South Africans need a visa to travel to Kenya ?
Do South African Passport Holders Need A Visa For Kenya
South Africa and Kenya are two countries located in the East Africa region. They are separated by the Indian Ocean with more than 10,000 km between them. Considering the size of Africa, it is not a big distance if you take into account the other neighboring countries.
Can I Go to Kenya without Visa?
Kenya has signed a reciprocal visa waiver treaty with a number of countries in the world. This means citizens of the countries which signed this are exempt from obtaining a visa for Kenya for certain periods of short stay
Nevertheless, foreign passport holders who are not citizens of these countries will need to get a visa to travel to Kenya no matter the period of stay. Depending on nationality, the traveler may be able to obtain a Kenya eVisa through a simple online application, which removes the need to apply for a travel document in person from a Kenyan embassy or consulate.
Which Countries Can Enter Kenya without Visa?
At present, citizens of over 40 countries are able to travel to Kenya visa-free. Most of these nationalities are permitted a visa-exempt stay in Kenya of up to 90 days, although South African and Malaysian passport holders are only allowed a total stay of 30 days without a visa.
Although they do not need a visa for Kenya, the majority of these foreign citizens are still required to have a passport valid for at least 6 months on arrival to gain entry to the country.
However, citizens of Uganda and Rwanda can enter Kenya simply by presenting a valid national ID card.
It should also be noted that Kenyan passport holders living abroad do not need a visa when visiting Kenya.
Additionally, holders of diplomatic or service category passports from the following countries do not need a visa for Kenya:
However, ordinary passport holders from these countries are not visa-exempt for Kenya. They will need to have an approved Kenya visa to travel to the country.
Luckily, all of these nationalities are eligible to apply for a Kenya visa online.
Which Countries Do Not Need a Visa for Kenya?
Ordinary passport holders who are citizens of the following countries are currently visa-free for Kenya for 90 days:
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Botswana
- Brunei
- Burundi
- Cyprus
- Dominica
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Jamaica
- Kiribati
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mauritius
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Papua New Guinea
- Rwanda
- Samoa
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- San Marino
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
If nationals of these countries want to extend their stay for more than 90 days, they must apply for the eVisa for Kenya.
Additionally, Kenya has signed a visa waiver agreement for ordinary passport holders of Mozambique and the United Arab Emirates. However, this has not yet come into force, and citizens of these countries still require a visa to visit Kenya at present.
What if I Am Not Visa-free to Enter Kenya?
Travelers who are not-visa free for Kenya will be required to have an approved Kenyan visa to enter the country, no matter the purpose of their trip or the motive for traveling. At present, it is necessary to apply for a Kenya visa online before traveling to the country, as it is no longer possible to obtain a visa on arrival for Kenya.
The Kenyan government introduced the Kenya eVisa system for passport holders from over 160 countries worldwide in 2015, in order to facilitate the process of obtaining a visa for Kenya for tourism, business, transit, or medical purposes.
However, as of January 2021, all foreign citizens who are not visa-free for Kenya are required to submit a Kenya visa application online. This requirement has been introduced to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 at border immigration lines and remove the need for applicants to visit an embassy or consulate in person to apply for a visa.
An approved Kenya eVisa allows the holder to enjoy a stay of up to 90 consecutive days in Kenya. It is a single entry visa valid for 3 months from the date of issue.
Kenya Visa Application Requirements for Non-visa-exempt Citizens
It is necessary to have the following to meet the online Kenya visa requirements:
- Passport with minimum validity of 6 months from the intended date of arrival, containing at least one blank page
- A confirmed flight ticket for return or onward travel
- Proof of sufficient funds (such as bank statements) to cover the entire stay in Kenya
- Evidence of hotel bookings or other proof of accommodation in Kenya
Once these requirements have been met, the applicant is able to complete the Kenya eVisa form online. It only takes a few minutes to fill in the application using basic personal, passport, and travel details.
It is also necessary to supply a current email address at which to receive the approved eVisa, and to pay the online Kenya visa fee using a valid credit or debit card authorized for online payments.
Applicants are advised to submit their Kenya eVisa form at least 7 business days in advance of their intended date of entry to allow for sufficient processing time. Once they have received their approved visa sent by email, they should print a copy to present to border officials on arrival.