Passportly

East Africa · ordinary Indian passport, tourism

KenyaTravel authorisation required

How long you can stay

Kenya does not fix your length of stay in advance. Kenya does not publish a permitted stay for eTA holders, and says so directly: an eTA “is not the final authority to enter the Republic of Kenya. Admissibility will be determined at the point of entry.” The length of your stay is set by the visitor's pass an immigration officer issues when you land. The Directorate of Immigration Services states only that a visitor's pass may be extended “to a maximum of 6 months”. Plan on the assumption that nothing is guaranteed in advance, and carry the itinerary and accommodation booking you applied with. ⚠️ The 90 days you may see quoted is the allowance given to nationalities that are exempt from the eTA altogether — India is not one of them, and that figure does not apply to an eTA holder.

What this means for planning →

Checked 17 August 2026 · 8 official sources

Visa at a glance

Visa fee
US$30
Entries
Single entry
Extendable
Yes
Passport validity
6 months

On the day you enter

What you need to enter

  • Return or onward ticket

    Not stated

  • Proof of accommodation

    Required

  • Proof of funds

    Not stated

  • Travel insurance

    Not stated

  • Blank passport pages

    1 required

  • Vaccinations

    Not stated

  • Arrival form

    Not stated

“Not stated” means no official source we checked addresses it either way — not that it is unnecessary. Carry it if in doubt.

When to go

Pick a month to see what the weather actually does.

Each month shows the best of Kenya's 3 regions — the region is named with it. Peak season is July, August, September, October — expect higher prices and crowds.

January

Excellent in Nairobi and the central highlands · the best month to go

Average
18°C
Rainfall
64mm
Rain days
4
  • Nairobi and the central highlands: Excellent · 18°C · 64mm over 4 days
  • The Indian Ocean coast: Excellent · 28°C · 33mm over 4 days
  • The Rift Valley: Excellent · 18°C · 29mm over 6 days

Where you go changes the answer

How Kenya's regions differ, and when it matters

Kenya sits on the equator and its altitude, not its latitude, decides what the weather does. Nairobi is 1,795m up and never gets hot — highs run 20.6–25.6°C all year — while Mombasa on the coast never drops below 20°C at night. The Rift Valley has the sharpest daily swing: Nakuru reaches 27.3°C by day in January and falls to 8.7°C at night. Rain comes in two seasons rather than one, the long rains around April and the short rains around November, and the coast runs on its own schedule with a May peak. Packing for one zone will catch you out in another: July is dry and 10°C at night in the highlands where the safari is, and warm and wet on the coast.

What it costs

₹₹₹ · per person per day

  • BudgetHostels, street food, public transport
    ₹4,500
  • Mid-range3-star hotels, restaurants, some activities
    ₹14,000
  • Luxury4–5 star hotels, private transport, experiences
    ₹45,000

Excludes international flights. Our estimate, not an official figure — reviewed 17 August 2026. A typical trip runs 7–12 days.

The full rules

Everything official, quoted rather than summarised.

The detail

Conditions in full, fees, entries, and extending your stay
  • An ordinary Indian passport needs an eTA. The Directorate of Immigration Services publishes a country-by-country eligibility table and India's row reads “ETA required”.
  • ⚠️ India does appear on Kenya's exemption list — as “holders of Diplomatic, Official or Service Passports from the Republic of India for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days”. That line does not apply to an ordinary passport, and it is the reason Kenya is sometimes described as visa-free for Indians. It is not.
  • The product that applies is the Standard eTA at USD 30, which the portal describes as one that “allows entry into Kenya once”. If you plan to leave Kenya and come back — a side trip to Tanzania or Uganda, for instance — that single entry is used up.
  • ⚠️ USD 30 is a floor rather than a fixed price. The official FAQ says fees “vary depending on the type of travel application selected with normal (processing may take up to 72 hours) starting at $30 and expedited (immediate processing) at an addition $100” — so the urgent route costs USD 130 in total.
  • ⚠️ Kenya's five-year multiple-entry eTA is not open to you. The portal restricts it to “American nationals”. The one-year multiple-entry product costs USD 300.
  • Applications are “generally processed within three (3) business days/72 hours but may take longer depending on the verification processes”, and the department recommends applying “at least 2 weeks prior to travel”.
  • Apply only at etakenya.go.ke. The department states that applications “must be completed only through this official website or the ‘Kenya Travel Authorisation’ official mobile application”, and every traveller including infants and children needs their own.
  • You must upload a travel itinerary showing arrival and departure, and an accommodation booking confirmation, as part of the application itself — not merely carry them at the border.
  • Print the approved eTA or keep it on your phone. It “needs to be shown at all departure and arrival points”, so an airline can ask for it before you board.
Extending your stay
Possible. The Directorate of Immigration Services states that “visitors passes are issued at the point of Entry/exit (POE) to foreigners visiting Kenya” and that “a foreign national may extend a visitors pass to a maximum of 6 months upon application in the prescribed manner”. Six months is the ceiling on the total stay, not the length of one extension. No extension fee is published on either the eTA portal or the immigration department's own site.
Number of entries
Single entry. Once you leave, the authorisation is spent.
Visa fee
US$30.
Where to apply, if you need a visa
https://www.etakenya.go.ke/

Common questions

Do Indians need a visa for Kenya?
Indian ordinary passport holders must obtain an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) before travelling to visit Kenya for tourism. Last checked 17 August 2026.
How long can Indians stay in Kenya?
Kenya does not commit to a length of stay before you arrive. An immigration officer decides it at the checkpoint and it is recorded on the electronic visit pass you are issued on entry. Kenya does not publish a permitted stay for eTA holders, and says so directly: an eTA “is not the final authority to enter the Republic of Kenya. Admissibility will be determined at the point of entry.” The length of your stay is set by the visitor's pass an immigration officer issues when you land. The Directorate of Immigration Services states only that a visitor's pass may be extended “to a maximum of 6 months”. Plan on the assumption that nothing is guaranteed in advance, and carry the itinerary and accommodation booking you applied with. ⚠️ The 90 days you may see quoted is the allowance given to nationalities that are exempt from the eTA altogether — India is not one of them, and that figure does not apply to an eTA holder.
How long must my passport be valid to enter Kenya?
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months on the date you enter Kenya. Renew before you travel if it expires sooner.
When is the best time to visit Kenya?
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. These ratings are based on climate normals measured at Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru. Kenya has more than one climate — a month counts as good if any region is, so check the month-by-month breakdown to see which one before booking.
How much does a trip to Kenya cost per day?
Roughly ₹4,500 per day on a budget, ₹14,000 mid-range, or ₹45,000 for luxury travel — per person, excluding international flights. Estimated 17 August 2026.

Sources

Every visa fact on this page comes from one of these. Verified by Rahul Chhabrani on 17 August 2026.

  1. Directorate of Immigration Services — eTA eligibility: the per-country table listing India as “ETA required”, and the product and fee table (Standard eTA USD 30, single entry)

    Government · read 17 August 2026

  2. Directorate of Immigration Services — eTA General Information: an eTA is not the final authority to enter, admissibility decided at the point of entry, and the exemption lists under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Rules 2025

    Government · read 17 August 2026

  3. Directorate of Immigration Services — How to Apply: required documents (6 months' passport validity, one blank page, itinerary, accommodation booking) and India's diplomatic-passport-only exemption line

    Government · read 17 August 2026

  4. Directorate of Immigration Services — eTA FAQs: fees starting at USD 30 with expedited processing at an additional USD 100, 72-hour processing, and the official-channels-only warning

    Government · read 17 August 2026

  5. Directorate of Immigration Services — Extension of Visitor's Pass: passes are issued at the point of entry and may be extended to a maximum of 6 months

    Government · read 17 August 2026

  6. WMO World Weather Information Service — Nairobi, supplied by the Kenya Meteorological Department

    Intergovernmental · read 17 August 2026

  7. WMO World Weather Information Service — Mombasa, supplied by the Kenya Meteorological Department

    Intergovernmental · read 17 August 2026

  8. WMO World Weather Information Service — Nakuru, supplied by the Kenya Meteorological Department

    Intergovernmental · read 17 August 2026

Before you book

This page covers ordinary Indian passports, for tourism only. Rules for business, study, transit and diplomatic or official passports differ and are not covered here.

Visa rules change without notice. Everything here was checked against official sources on 17 August 2026. The final decision on entry always rests with immigration officers at the border. Confirm with the embassy before booking anything non-refundable.

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