Immigration, visa and permits
Kenya has strict immigration laws and rules. Any visitor is advised to make sure his or her visa documents are in order. Officially you always have to carry your passport.
Tourists and visitors usually arrive in the country on a tourist visa. For citizens of most countries this can be obtained from the airport (but that will take some time) or from the Kenyan Embassy in the home country. This tourist visa is valid for 3 months and can be extended at an Immigration office for 3 more months. After that another kind of permit to stay must have been requested and approved.
Please note that officially persons in Kenya on a tourist visa are not allowed to work, including volunteer work. If you want to do voluntary work, have your organization check with the Department of Immigration for visa requirements. It is best that this happens some time before you come to Kenya or latest when you arrive.
If you want to work (for a company or NGO or anything) it is the same: your employer will have to start the process of getting you a work permit immediately when you arrive or preferably sooner. The process takes a while. Officially you are not allowed to work until the permit has been approved and paid for.
For consultants that stay for a short while to work with a Kenyan company or organization different rules apply. Check with the Department of Immigration.
Much more information can be found at any Immigration office or on their website. In Western Kenya there is an office in Kisumu (Kenya Re-Insurance building, 1st floor). Headquarters are at Nyayo house in Nairobi, tel 020-222022. Email address is info@immigration.go.ke
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