Diani Beach · Plan Your Trip
Kenya Entry Requirements & eTA
Exactly what you need to enter Kenya for a Diani trip — the eTA, your passport, and health rules — with no surprises at the airport.
Kenya requires almost every foreign visitor to hold an approved electronic travel authorization (eTA) before arrival, applied for online at the official etakenya.go.ke site for about US$30 and normally approved within 72 hours. You also need a passport valid for at least six months with a blank page, and, depending on your route, a yellow fever certificate. Kenya no longer issues traditional tourist visas or visa-on-arrival for most travellers, so you should apply for the eTA at least a week before you fly to Diani and travel with the printed or saved approval.
Kenya switched from visas to a fully electronic pre-arrival system, which is simpler than the old process but catches out travellers who assume they can sort it on landing. Getting the eTA, passport and health paperwork right in advance is the single most important part of trip admin, because an airline can refuse to board you without a valid eTA. This guide walks through each requirement and the exact steps to apply.
What the eTA is
The eTA is Kenya’s electronic pre-arrival approval that replaced the old visa. It is an authorization linked digitally to your passport that you must obtain before you travel, confirming you are cleared to enter for tourism. It is not stamped into your passport in advance; instead your approval is verified against your passport when you check in and at immigration. Kenya introduced the eTA to streamline entry and moved almost all nationalities onto this single system, so the practical question is no longer “do I need a visa?” but “have I got my eTA approved?”
The eTA covers standard tourism and short visits, which is what a Diani beach holiday needs. It does not grant the right to work or live in Kenya; long-stay travellers, remote workers and expats use separate permits covered in the Diani digital nomad guide.
Entry checklist
Have these five things ready before you fly to Kenya for Diani. Missing any one can cause boarding or entry problems, so confirm each well ahead of departure.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Approved eTA | Applied for online at etakenya.go.ke, approved before travel |
| Valid passport | At least 6 months validity beyond entry, plus a blank page |
| Return/onward ticket | Proof of onward or return travel may be requested |
| Accommodation proof | Hotel booking or host address, entered on the eTA form |
| Yellow fever certificate | Required if arriving from or transiting a risk country |
How to apply, step by step
Apply for the eTA yourself on the official Kenyan government site, etakenya.go.ke, which is the only site you need and the cheapest route. Third-party “visa service” websites charge extra fees for the same result and are easy to mistake for the official one, so type the official address directly. The process takes about 15 minutes.
- Go to etakenya.go.ke and start a new eTA application.
- Enter your passport details and upload a passport-style photo or selfie.
- Fill in your travel dates, flight details and Diani accommodation.
- Answer the standard health and background questions.
- Pay the fee by credit or debit card (about US$30 plus charges).
- Wait for the email approval, usually within 72 hours, then save and print it.
Cost, timing and validity
The standard eTA costs about US$30 plus small processing charges, with an expedited option available at higher cost for faster turnaround. Processing normally completes within 72 hours (three business days), though it is often quicker. The authorization is generally a single-entry approval that allows a tourist stay of up to 90 days, tied to the trip you applied for.
Apply at least a week before departure to leave room for the processing window and any follow-up questions. Do not wait until the last day, and never assume you can complete it at the airport, because approval must exist before you board. If your dates change after approval, check whether your eTA still matches your entry date.
Passport and blank-page rules
Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your date of entry into Kenya and contain at least one blank page for the entry stamp. This six-month rule is standard across much of Africa and is checked at both check-in and immigration, so a passport close to expiry is the most common avoidable entry problem. Renew early if yours expires within about eight months of your trip, because the eTA is linked to a specific passport number and cannot compensate for a short-dated document.
Yellow fever and health
A yellow fever certificate is required mainly when you arrive from, or have recently transited through, a country with yellow fever transmission risk, which includes parts of Africa and South America. Travellers flying directly from Europe, North America, the Middle East or East Asia generally do not need one, but rules depend on your exact routing, so if you connect through a risk country the requirement can apply.
Beyond yellow fever, Kenya’s coast including Diani is a malaria area, so anti-malarial precautions matter more for your health than for entry. The Diani health, vaccinations and malaria guide covers recommended jabs, malaria tablets and coast-specific advice in detail. Carry any yellow fever certificate in your hand luggage with your passport, as it can be checked on arrival.
Who is exempt
Exemptions from the eTA are limited and change over time, so treat the eTA as required unless you have confirmed otherwise. Citizens of some East African and partner states, transit passengers who do not clear immigration, and certain special categories may be exempt or have simplified processes, while children still need their own authorization even where they may be fee-exempt. Because these lists are updated by Kenyan immigration, the safest approach is to check your own nationality on the official portal rather than rely on older guidance.
Apply online, one eTA per person. Nearly all international visitors from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and beyond need an approved eTA before travel. There is no visa-on-arrival to fall back on, so build the application into your pre-trip checklist alongside booking flights and accommodation.
Every family member needs their own eTA. Each traveller, including infants and children, needs an eTA linked to their own passport, though children may not pay the full fee. Apply separately for each person, keep every approval together, and check the current child fee rule on the official site before you pay.
At the airport
Arrival in Kenya is straightforward once your eTA is approved. Most Diani visitors land at Moi International Airport in Mombasa or fly on to Ukunda (Diani) airstrip, and at immigration your approved eTA is matched to your passport, your details are confirmed, and you are admitted for your tourist stay. Have your eTA approval, passport, return ticket and accommodation address ready to show if asked.
From the airport, most guests take a pre-arranged transfer to their resort; the options, times and prices are set out in the Diani airport transfers guide, and the full route choices from Nairobi and Mombasa are in the how to get to Diani guide. Keep a digital and paper copy of your eTA for the whole trip in case it is checked again on departure.
The bigger picture
Kenya’s move to a fully electronic entry system reflects a wider shift across African destinations toward pre-arrival digital clearance, and for the Diani-bound traveller it means the paperwork is now front-loaded rather than done at a chaotic arrivals desk. The trade-off is that the responsibility sits with you before you fly: the eTA, the six-month passport and the health documents must all be in order at check-in, not on landing. Handle them a week or two ahead and the border becomes a formality.
The practical takeaway is to treat entry admin as a short, early task rather than a last-minute scramble. Apply for the eTA on the official site, confirm your passport validity, check whether your route triggers a yellow fever requirement, and carry copies of everything. Do that, and nothing stands between you and the first sight of Diani’s turquoise lagoon except the transfer from the airport. Because government fees and rules change, always verify the current requirements on Kenya’s official immigration portal close to your travel date.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa for Kenya?
How much does the Kenya eTA cost?
How long does the eTA take to process?
How long is the Kenya eTA valid?
Does my passport need to be valid for six months?
Do I need a yellow fever certificate for Kenya?
Can I get the eTA on arrival at the airport?
Do children need an eTA?
Entry rules, fees and health requirements are set by the Kenyan government and change; the figures here are 2026 estimates. Always confirm current requirements on Kenya’s official eTA and immigration portals before booking and travelling.