Kenya - Documents
Documents for Yachts Visiting Kenya
Entry from outside of East Africa
The following paperwork is a requirement upon leaving your departure port if outside of East Africa:
• Boat registration document
• A crew list stamped by immigration – 3 copies for Kenya
• A departure port clearance certificate – 2 copies (this is not always a requirement)
• Port health clearance – 2 copies
• Medical insurance document (suggested min. cover USD$50,ooo – this can be purchased locally for USD$125)
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate if you are under 60 years old
• Kenya ETA – that must be applied for in advance (see Clearance for details)
Entry from Tanzania
The same paperwork is required if entering from Tanzania, plus:
• A customs form “Transhire”, issued in Tanzania.
• Kenya visa that must be applied for in advance (see Immigration)
Transhire (Transit Log):
When travelling inter-port domestically within Kenya it is necessary to get a Transhire document, submitting your crew list and issued by Customs.
It must be presented to Customs when calling at the following ports: Shimoni, Mombasa, Kilifi, Malindi and Lamu. A new Transhire will be issued when you depart each port.
The Transhire is not a requirement when traveling within the same county jurisdiction (i.e between Watamu and Kilifi) as they are both in Kilifi county.
Sailing from Lamu south without a Transhire is an invitation for problems.
One should inform Customs of the intended itinerary, time of departure and ETA in the next port.
If arriving in Kenya from Tanzania, the Transhire from Tanzania must be handed in on arrival.
Last updated: July 2024
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Trusted Travel Codes
As of Monday, January 11, all travellers entering or departing Kenya must present a digitally-verified negative COVID-19 test.
Departing travellers: Starting on January 11, 2020, outgoing travellers must obtain a negative COVID-19 certificate in accordance with the trusted Traveller (TT) Initiative (www.africacdc.org/trusted-travel) and the PanaBios system (www.panabios.org).
Travellers who intend to depart Kenya must first visit an authorised laboratory (according to the government of Kenya, all PCR COVID-19 testing laboratories are now part of the TT system), obtain a PCR COVID-19 test with a negative result, and be issued a TT code that be verified by airlines and immigration authorities. The traveller will receive a text message (SMS) from PanaBios as well as an email from the testing laboratory and/or from admin@panabios.org with a link to guide the traveller on how to generate a Travel Code at trustedtravel.panabios.org. If the test results meets Kenya’s exit requirements, a Travel Code is issued to the traveller online.
All COVID-19 testing laboratories, starting on Saturday, January 9, 2021, must use the TT process when issuing COVID-19 testing certificates.
Arriving travelers: The government of Kenya also announced that, starting on January 11, 2021 this new TT electronic verification system will also apply to the negative COVID-19 certificates that are already required for travelers who are entering Kenya; however, details are not available at this time. The Embassy is seeking clarification of this new requirement for incoming travelers and will report any additional information to the U.S. citizen community.
No More Kenya Visa on Arrival to Kenya
Effective January 1, 2021, Kenya has banned all visas on arrival.
You must apply for your visa wall in advance of your intended travel to Kenya. Fortunately you can apply for your visa to Kenya online and the Kenya e-visa costs only US $51 in total to get in about 48 hours.
Click here to apply and create your eCitizen account: http://evisa.go.ke/evisa.html