One of the greatest setback for Kenyan nationals wanting to travel abroad is where to find information on visa requirements.
That with a Kenyan passport one can only visit 68 countries visa free or with visa on arrival, many just throw in the towel.
But with the right sources to research visa requirements, your global travel journey can be much more enjoyable.
This guide therefore consolidates the most efficient and reliable sources of information that a Kenyan passport holder can use to figure the visa application requirements for different countries around the globe.
What's Covered in This Article
Visa information on the EvaMtalii website
On this website, you will find visa information for the various countries that I have personally applied visas visas and traveled to.
You will find step by step information on how to apply for the respective visa as a Kenyan national, what countries Kenyans can travel to visa free, my best country to apply for Schengen visa on Kenyan passport, visa application requirements, where to find flight itinerary for visa application, visa processing times, visa fees, etc.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Centre
The IATA Travel Centre is an online international air travel resource. Essential information available on the site includes: personalized passport, visa and health advice related to a traveler’s specific destination, travel news, traveler FAQs, respective country information, etc.
IATA primarily draws its information from the TIM/Timatic database; the recognized authority used by nearly all international airlines.
Travel Information Manual Automatic (TIMATIC)
TIMATIC is an online service that provides Personalized Passport, Visa requirements and Health advice based on your personal travel details, travel documents and itinerary.
Such information include: visa requirements, as well as recommendations such as where or not a visa can be obtained on arrival, prevalence of Malaria etc…
Information is provided for each country as both a destination and a transit point, and for each nationality.
Respective Country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Immigration website
Thanks to technology, pretty much every country today have their Ministry of Foreign Affairs and immigration represented online.
To cut the chase, start with the visa section which is usually dedicated to incoming travelers.
Here is an example, the Myanmar Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population website, which I used to process my Myanmar e-visa as a Kenyan passport holder.
Embassy / Consulate of …. Website in Kenya
As at 2018, 99 countries have their foreign embassies and consulates in Kenya.
Majority of which are located in Nairobi while a few others are in Mombasa (e.g. Consulate of Portugal in Mombasa, Italian Honorary Consulate in Mombasa, etc.)
A quick glance at the embassy or consulate’s website will give you most of the visa requirments and application procedure that is necessary for your particular destination. Through the websites, you will also find application forms, the physical location of the embassy, contact information, destination guides, etc.
Top Kenya Travel Blogs
More and more Kenyans are venturing into global leisure travel. And documenting their experiences.
I however don’t know any with information on the visa requirements for those traveling on a Kenyan passport. If you know of any, kindly share in the comments below and I shall update according.y
Meanwhile, here is one to start you off:
EvaMtalii – of course! one of the top Kenya travel bloggers
Lonely Planet’s Thorntree forum
Lonely Planet’s Thorntree forum is another go-to resource for visa related questions and information.
Once logged on to the forum, under ‘refine term’, enter ‘visa’ or ‘visa requirements’. Then select the your country of interests from the ‘within forum’ drop down list. You also get to filter results by number of replies to a given issue on the forum under ‘has at least’ section on the page.
For instance, when I searched for ‘visa’ with ‘at least 10 replies’ under the Canada forum, these results showed up.
Make Google your friend
There are very few questions that Google does not have an answer for. Most of the sources I have mentioned above will show up on the Google search results.
Play around with different key words destination country + until you find the answers to your questions. Feel free to move beyond page 1 as there could be some hidden gems on latter pages.
So for instance, if you are planning to visit Canada, US, or Schengen you can use the following key words to get accurate search results:
- Canada visa application
- Canada visa requirements for Kenyan citizens
- Canadian visa requirements for Kenyan passport holders
- Canada visa requirements for Kenyan citizens in the US
- Canada visa requirements for Kenyan citizens with US visa
- Canada visa application in Kenya
- Canada tourist visa for Kenyan citizens
- US embassy visa application
- US embassy visa for Kenyan citizens
- American travel visa for Kenyan citizens
- American visa form for Kenyan citizens
- How to apply for American visa for Kenyan citizens
- Nonimmigrant visa application
- American visa information for Kenya passport holders
- Getting a travel visa for Kenyan nationals
- How to apply for US visa online for Kenyan citizens
- Schengen visa requirements for Kenyan citizens
- Schengen visa application form for Kenyan citizens
- Schengen visa in Kenya
- France visa for Kenyan nationals
Tourism website of destination country
Just like Kenya has the Magical Kenya website to show case what the country has to offer in terms of attractions, most other countries also have their own tourism websites. Complete with visa application requirements for potential travelers into the country.
Most of the websites will have a dedicated visa page. Where there is none outrightly displayed on the website, simply enter ‘visa’ on the search section. That is what I did to get this Visa and Customs page from the Korean Tourism website.
Consulate/Embassy website of your destination country in other countries
Usually when I am looking for country specific visa, information I begin my search with the consulate website of the destination country in Kenya.
Unfortunately, this only works for those countries with consulates in Kenya and that have an updated online presence.
So, for instance when I was researching for the article on whether Kenyan passport holders may enter Costa Rica without a consular visa, I couldn’t find any information on the Cost Rica embassy in Kenya.
I therefore settled for information from the Embassy of Costa Rica in Canada.
Wikipedia
This is a resource I use with a pinch of salt or when I want a quick overview of Visa requirements for Kenya passport holders.
Wikipedia themselves categorically state that “ is not a reliable source. as it can be edited by anyone at any time. This means that any information it contains at any particular time could be vandalism.”
Technically therefore, once I find information from here, I always like to cross-check it with other more authoritative sites such as IATA or Timatic WEb.
So for instance, a quick search for Visa requirements for Kenyan citizens yielded the above map.
