Kenyans can now get a visa on arrival in the UAE, but there’s a catch: you need to already be living abroad. The UAE Embassy in Nairobi announced earlier today that the new policy takes effect immediately.
Ordinary Kenyan passport holders and their accompanying family members can pick up a visa at any UAE port of entry, as long as they hold a valid residence permit from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, or any EU member state.
Kenya is one of six countries added to the UAE’s visa-on-arrival program in this latest expansion, joining Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and South Africa.
Two visa options are available. A 14-day visa costs AED 100 (roughly KES 3,700) and can be extended once while you’re in the country. A 60-day visa costs AED 250 (roughly KES 9,200) and cannot be extended at all, so you’d need to leave before it expires regardless of your plans.
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Speaking of leaving, if you overstay either visa, you’ll be fined AED 50 per day (KES 1,760). That adds up quickly, so the exit date is worth taking seriously.
Before this, Kenyans had to apply for a UAE visa in advance, which involved gathering a fair amount of paperwork including flight bookings, hotel confirmations, employer letters, and more depending on the purpose of travel. The new arrangement cuts all of that out for those who qualify.
The eligibility requirement around foreign residence permits is a meaningful filter. It effectively limits access to Kenyans in the diaspora rather than those traveling directly from Kenya, which is worth understanding before making any travel plans based on this news.
