Services

For foreign nationals who want to work, trade, do business, farm, mine, practise a profession or do missionary work in Kenya, or simply live here.

• ClassA Prospecting and mining For prospecting for minerals or mining in Kenya, alone or in partnership.
• ClassB Agriculture and animal husbandry For running an agriculture or animal husbandry business in Kenya, alone or in partnership.
• ClassC Prescribed professions For members of a prescribed profession who will practise it in Kenya, alone or in partnership.
• ClassD Employment For a specific job with a specific employer in Kenya, where your skills are not available locally.
• ClassF Specific manufacturing For a specific manufacturing business in Kenya, alone or in partnership.
• ClassG Specific trade, business or consultancy For a specific trade, business, consultancy or profession (other than a prescribed profession) in Kenya, alone or in partnership.
• ClassI Approved religious activities For missionaries of a registered religious institution whose work involves preaching or conducting religious worship.
• ClassK Ordinary residents For people aged 35 or over who will live in Kenya on an assured income from outside employment or business.
• ClassM Refugees For refugees recognised in Kenya, and their spouses, who want to take up employment or a specific occupation, trade, business or profession.
• ClassN Digital nomads For people who work remotely from Kenya for a company registered outside the country.
• ClassP Staff of international organisations For staff of the UN, diplomatic missions, IGOs and international NGOs accredited to, or based in, neighbouring hardship countries.
• ClassQ Professionals with religious or charitable organisations For professionals working for religious or charitable organisations who are not involved in preaching or religious worship.
• ClassR East African Community nationals For citizens of East African Community member states who want to live, work, do business or practise a profession in Kenya.
• Exemption For people, or classes of people, exempted by the Cabinet Secretary from needing a work permit by notice in the Gazette.

Permission to stay in Kenya for a set purpose: temporary business, joining your family, or studying, researching or interning.

• Special pass For a limited stay to temporarily conduct a business, trade or profession, or while applying for a permit or pass.
• Dependant pass For dependants, such as a spouse or child, of Kenyan citizens, permit holders, exempted persons and permanent residents.
• Student, research or internship pass For students, researchers and interns accepted by an approved institution in Kenya.

Lifelong residence status for former citizens, long-term work permit holders and the families of Kenyan citizens.

• CategoryA Former citizens of Kenya For Kenyan citizens by birth who renounced or lost their citizenship, and their spouses and children.
• CategoryB Holders of work permits For people who have held work permits for at least 7 years, with 3 years’ continuous residence, and their spouses and children.
• CategoryC Children of Kenyan citizens For children of Kenyan citizens who were born abroad and hold the citizenship of their country of residence.
• CategoryD Spouses of Kenyan citizens For spouses of Kenyan citizens who have been married for at least three years.

Register as a citizen of Kenya, declare or endorse dual citizenship, regain Kenyan citizenship or renounce it.

• Declaration of dual citizenship For Kenyan citizens who also hold another citizenship, who must declare it within three months.
• Endorsement of a foreign passport For dual citizens who want their non-Kenyan passport endorsed to show that they are a citizen of Kenya.
• Regaining Kenyan citizenship For Kenyan citizens by birth who lost their citizenship by acquiring another.
• Citizenship by marriage For people who have been married to a Kenyan citizen for at least seven years.
• Widows and widowers For widows and widowers of Kenyan citizens who would have qualified for citizenship by marriage.
• Lawful residents For adults who have lived in Kenya lawfully for at least seven continuous years.
• Children and adopted children For children of citizens by registration born before the parent became a citizen, and children adopted by Kenyan citizens.
• Persons with disability For a child or person with disability who is a dependant of a citizen by registration.
• Stateless persons For people with no enforceable claim to any citizenship who have lived in Kenya continuously since 12 December 1963.
• Migrants For people who voluntarily migrated to Kenya before 12 December 1963 and have lived here continuously since.
• Descendants of stateless persons and migrants For adults born and living in Kenya whose parents qualified as stateless persons or migrants.
• Renunciation of Kenyan citizenship For Kenyan citizens by birth who want to give up their Kenyan citizenship.

Foreign nationals who live in Kenya for more than 90 days must register and hold a foreign national certificate (alien card).

• Foreign national certificate (alien card) The registration certificate for foreign nationals living in Kenya: first issue, renewal, correction or replacement.
• Re-entry pass For holders of dependant passes who need to leave Kenya and come back.
• Extension of visitor’s pass For visitors who want to extend their stay in Kenya.
• Regularisation of immigration status For people who need to regularise their stay in Kenya, for example while awaiting a permit or pass.