Kenya eTA for Maasai Mara safaris
Kenya eTA: who needs one, how to apply, what it costs, how long it takes and who is exempt
Most visitors to the Maasai Mara need a Kenya eTA, the Electronic Travel Authorisation, before they travel. You apply online at etakenya.go.ke or in the official Kenya Travel Authorisation app. A standard single-entry eTA costs USD 30, plus a card payment charge, and is generally processed within three business days; expedited processing is immediate and costs USD 100 more. Citizens of six East African Community states and of most other African countries need no eTA. There is no separate Maasai Mara visa: the Reserve charges its own park entry fees.
Apply on the official site only, and once your flights and safari bookings are confirmed, because the application asks for them. This page is part of our Maasai Mara trip-planning guide.
The Kenya eTA at a glance
USD 30 standard eTA
Single entry, paid by card at etakenya.go.ke; the card charge comes on top.
Within 3 business days
Standard applications are generally processed within 72 hours; some take longer.
Expedited: USD 100 more
Processed immediately if you are short of time.
Apply 2 weeks ahead
But not too early: you must enter Kenya within 90 days of the eTA being issued.
Most Africans exempt
Six East African Community states and most African countries need no eTA.
No eTA on arrival
Airlines check it before you board, and none are issued at the airport or border.
Do I need a Kenya eTA for a Maasai Mara safari?
Yes, unless you belong to one of the exempt groups below. The Kenya eTA covers entry to the country as a whole, so the same rule applies whether you fly on to a Mara airstrip or drive from Nairobi. Children and babies need their own.
Ordinary passport holders from India, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and most European countries are not on the exemption lists, so they need an eTA. Cyprus and San Marino are the European exceptions.
The application asks for a passport valid for at least six months after your planned date of arrival, with at least one blank page. British government advice is to have at least two blank pages. Other nationalities should check their own government’s travel advice.
How do I apply for a Kenya eTA, step by step?
Step 1
Check the exemption list below: if your nationality is exempt, you need no Kenya eTA.
Step 2
Have your documents ready: passport, a selfie or passport-type photo, your flight details and your camp or lodge booking confirmations.
Step 3
Type etakenya.go.ke into your browser yourself, or open the official Kenya Travel Authorisation app, then choose Apply Now and Tourists & Visitors. Families can choose Apply as a Group.
Step 4
Fill in each traveller's details and check every field before you pay: once an application is submitted, a mistake can mean a new application and a new fee.
Step 5
Pay by credit or debit card. One email confirms that your application was received and another that payment went through.
Step 6
Wait for the decision email, which says approved or refused. You can follow progress with Check Status and the reference number from your email.
Step 7
Print the Kenya eTA PDF attached to the approval email, or save it on your phone or in the app, and show it at check-in and on arrival.
Which documents does the eTA application need?
- A passport valid for at least six months after your planned arrival date, with at least one blank page.
- A selfie or a passport-type photo; the site publishes no size or format rules.
- Your email address and phone number.
- Your arrival and departure flight details: for a safari, your international flights.
- Accommodation booking confirmations: your camp or lodge vouchers, or your safari booking.
- A credit or debit card; cheques and cash are not accepted.
- For business, medical or family visits only: an invitation, referral or host letter, as the form asks.
Which Kenya eTA should I choose, and what does it cost?
Most safari visitors need the standard eTA. The prices below are per traveller, in US dollars, and do not include the card payment charge, whose size the site does not publish. Children pay the same as adults: the price list has no child rate. Fees are not refunded, even if an eTA is refused or your plans change.
| eTA type | What it allows | Normal processing | Expedited (immediate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Entry into Kenya once | USD 30 | USD 130 |
| One-year multiple entry | Several entries over one year | USD 300 | USD 400 |
| Five-year multiple entry | Several entries over five years, for US citizens only | USD 185 | USD 285 |
| Transit | For travellers on a transit flight through Kenya (no eTA is needed if you stay in the airport) | USD 20 | USD 120 |
| East African Tourist eTA | Listed as “coming soon”; it cannot be bought yet | Not on sale | Not on sale |
Expedited processing costs USD 100 more than normal processing for every type on sale. If you will enter Kenya more than once within a year, for example before and after a safari in Tanzania, compare the one-year multiple-entry eTA with two standard ones.
When should I apply, and how long is the eTA valid?
Kenya’s Directorate of Immigration Services recommends applying at least two weeks before you travel. Standard applications are generally processed within three business days, but some take longer while details are checked. If you leave it late, the expedited option is processed immediately for USD 100 more.
Do not apply months ahead: a Kenya eTA is valid for travel within 90 days of the date it is issued, and it lapses if you have not entered by then. The eTA does not set how long you may stay. The immigration officer decides that when you arrive and records it on a visitor’s pass, which by law cannot run beyond six months from your date of entry, extensions included, and does not allow paid or unpaid work without an immigration officer’s written permission.
To stay longer than the officer allowed, apply online at fns.immigration.go.ke before your pass expires. Kenya’s Directorate of Immigration Services warns that overstaying without approval can lead to penalties, fines or deportation.
Who is exempt from the Kenya eTA?
The exempt groups are set out in Kenyan law (Legal Notice No. 93 of 30 May 2025) and repeated on the eTA website. Somalia and Libya are on none of the lists. Check your nationality on etakenya.go.ke before travel.
| Group | Who | Stay without an eTA |
|---|---|---|
| Kenyan residents | Holders of Kenya permanent residence, valid work permits or passes, or a valid Kenya re-entry pass | No limit set in the notice |
| East African Community | Citizens of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda | Up to 180 days |
| 90-day group | Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Comoros, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Cyprus, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, San Marino, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Up to 90 days |
| 60-day group | Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles*, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia | Up to 60 days |
| Transit and cruise passengers | Air passengers who change planes without leaving the airport, and ship passengers who stay on board | For the transit only |
*Seychelles
Legal Notice No. 93 lists Seychelles under both 90 and 60 days; etakenya.go.ke gives 60 days. Confirm before travel.
Do children and babies need their own Kenya eTA?
Yes. All visitors, including infants and children, must have an approved eTA before the start of their journey, unless their nationality is exempt. A parent, legal guardian or accompanying adult fills in the child’s application with parental consent and is responsible for what it says.
Families can choose Apply as a Group, so that everyone’s application is made together, but each traveller still gets their own eTA. The price list has no child rate, so a child’s eTA costs the same as an adult’s. Check your own government’s advice and your airline about any documents for children travelling with one parent.
I'm only changing planes in Nairobi: do I need a Kenya eTA?
Not if you stay in the airport. Passengers who arrive and leave on the same aircraft, or change to another flight without leaving the airport, are exempt under the immigration regulations. If you will leave the airport between two international flights, for example for a hotel night in Nairobi, you need an eTA; the site sells a transit eTA for travellers on a transit flight through Kenya. A Maasai Mara safari is a visit, not a transit, so it needs the standard or a multiple-entry eTA.
Cruise passengers are exempt only if they arrive and leave on the same ship and stay on board. Anyone going ashore at Mombasa, for example on a short safari, needs an eTA.
How do I avoid fake Kenya eTA websites?
Apply only at etakenya.go.ke or in the official Kenya Travel Authorisation app. Kenya's embassies warn that look-alike websites imitate the official one, and that applications made through third-party websites will be automatically denied and may lead to fraud. Type the address yourself rather than clicking an advert, check that it ends in .go.ke, and check that the standard eTA fee is shown as USD 30. The official contact addresses also end in .go.ke, such as etakenya@ecitizen.go.ke.
What if my Kenya eTA is delayed, refused or has a mistake?
If your standard application is still pending, use Check Status on the eTA site with the reference number from your email. The eTA site does not say whether a pending application can be switched to expedited processing, so ask etakenya@ecitizen.go.ke before paying for a second application: fees are not refunded. You can correct every field until you submit. After that, an application with mistakes may need to be made again, and each new application is charged.
If your eTA is refused, you cannot travel to Kenya for the moment. The eTA FAQ asks refused applicants to email support@etakenya.go.ke for details; the site describes no formal appeal. Fees are not refunded, even when an eTA is refused or a journey changes, and an eTA cannot be transferred to another person.
Who can I contact about my Kenya eTA?
Questions about an eTA application go to the Kenyan government’s eTA help desk at etakenya@ecitizen.go.ke, the address shown on every page of the eTA site, which also lists a phone and WhatsApp helpline. Refused applicants are asked to write to support@etakenya.go.ke. Both addresses end in .go.ke; a site or email that asks you to pay elsewhere is not the official service.
We cannot apply for a Kenya eTA on your behalf or check its status, but we can help you plan the rest of your safari around your travel dates.
Can I visit the Serengeti and come back on the same Kenya eTA?
Official guidance differs. Some Kenyan embassies say a standard eTA stays valid for re-entry after a temporary trip to Tanzania or another East African Community partner state, while etakenya.go.ke describes the standard eTA as allowing entry into Kenya once. A trip to a country outside the bloc, such as Zambia, needs a new eTA either way. For a Mara and Serengeti safari, choose the one-year multiple-entry eTA or ask etakenya@ecitizen.go.ke before you book.
No Maasai Mara airstrip is a gazetted international point of entry, so you clear immigration at an international airport such as Jomo Kenyatta International. By road from Tanzania, Namanga and Isebania are open 24 hours under the immigration regulations. You need your eTA before you set off, because none are issued at the border.
What happens when you land in Kenya?
Airlines check your eTA before you board and must refuse passengers without one. At immigration in Kenya you show your passport and eTA, and your fingerprints and a facial photograph are taken. The officer may also ask for a return or onward ticket, your hotel or camp bookings, your travel itinerary and evidence of enough money for your stay, so keep your safari vouchers and flight details on your phone or on paper. When you leave Kenya, you show your boarding pass and passport and your biometrics are taken again.
An eTA is not a guarantee of entry: the officer at the point of entry decides. Do not take photographs at airports or of official buildings, which is illegal in Kenya, and carry your passport or a copy during your trip. Scheduled flights to the Mara leave from Wilson Airport, not Jomo Kenyatta International: see our guide to flights to the Maasai Mara.
What should you declare, and what should you leave at home?
Cash of USD 10,000 or more
Declare it, or its equivalent, to customs when you arrive and when you leave.
Duty-free over the allowance
Declare duty-free purchases over 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of wine, 1 litre of perfume and toiletries in total, or 250 g of cigarettes, cigars or tobacco.
No plastic carrier bags
Kenya has banned plastic carrier and flat bags since 2017: pack fabric or reusable bags.
Drones need approval
Bringing a drone into Kenya needs prior approval from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
Restricted items
Ivory, arms and ammunition, unworked precious stones and historical artefacts.
Goods bought abroad
Declare items over USD 500 bought abroad, other than your own personal belongings.
Kenya’s customs guidance words the cash limit two ways, “above” and “and above” USD 10,000, so declare from USD 10,000. Fake money, narcotic drugs and pornographic material are prohibited. If you are unsure about an item, ask a customs officer before you leave the arrivals hall.
Do I need a yellow fever certificate or malaria tablets?
A yellow fever certificate is needed only if you arrive from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission: Kenya then requires it from travellers over 1 year of age. Yellow fever vaccination is also recommended for travellers aged 9 months and older visiting the Maasai Mara.
The malaria risk in Kenya is high below 2,500 m, game parks such as the Maasai Mara included; only central Nairobi and the highlands above 2,500 m have a very low risk. British and American travel health advice both recommend antimalarial tablets for travellers to these areas, so ask a doctor or travel clinic which suit you, well before you go.
What else should I sort out before a Maasai Mara safari?
- Maasai Mara park fees – what the Reserve charges per visit, on top of your Kenya eTA
- How to pay Maasai Mara park fees – where to buy tickets and how to pay
- Flights to the Maasai Mara – airlines, airstrips, fares and baggage
- Nairobi to the Maasai Mara by road – route, drive times and gates
- Maasai Mara FAQs – quick answers to common planning questions
Planning a Maasai Mara safari?
Tell us your travel dates and nationality, and we will help you check the entry requirements for your itinerary.
