If you have spent an evening Googling “Kenya eTA cost,” you already know the problem. One site says $30. Another says $34.09. A third quotes $101. A fourth throws out $300. You are not losing your mind. These sites are quoting different products, and some of them are outdated or padded with agent fees.
Here is the short version before we get into details. This guide breaks down Kenya eTA single vs multiple entry pricing, validity, and which one your safari itinerary actually needs. The Kenya eTA replaced the old e-visa system in 2024. A single entry eTA has an official government fee of USD 30. A multiple entry eTA costs significantly more, and the exact figure depends on which version you choose.
We plan Kenya trips for a living, so we get asked about this constantly, usually by first-time travelers trying to figure out if they need the cheap option or the pricier one. The honest answer is that most of our guests only need a single entry eTA, even when their trip crosses into Tanzania. Let’s walk through why, and where the real multiple entry costs actually land.
What Is the Kenya eTA and How It Replaced the e-Visa
In January 2024, Kenya scrapped its old e-visa system and moved everyone to an Electronic Travel Authorization, or eTA, applied for through the official portal at etakenya.go.ke. It is not a visa in the old sense. It is a pre-travel screening and approval that lets you board your flight and clear immigration at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, or at any other Kenyan port of entry.
Every traveler needs one before departure, including infants. There is no visa-on-arrival anymore. If you show up without an approved eTA, airlines can refuse to board you, and that is not a risk worth taking two days before a safari you have saved up for.
The eTA is tied to your passport, so you apply online, upload a passport photo and passport bio page, pay the fee, and wait for approval. Most approvals come back within 24 to 72 hours, though the official processing window is listed as up to 3 to 5 business days. Apply at least a week before you fly, and you will have no drama.
Single Entry eTA: Cost, Validity, and Length of Stay
A single entry eTA costs USD 30. It is valid for travel into Kenya for three months from the date you get approved, not three months from your travel date. Once you enter Kenya, you can generally stay up to 90 days as a tourist.
The name “single entry” makes people nervous. It sounds like you get one shot at the border, full stop. That is not quite true, and it is the single most misunderstood part of this whole system. We will explain the exception in a later section, because it changes almost everything for safari travelers.
Kenya eTA Single vs Multiple Entry: 1-Year and 5-Year Options
This is where a lot of the online confusion starts, and where it matters most to get the numbers right. A multiple entry eTA is not the same price as single entry. It is a different product, priced higher, and it comes in two versions.
A 1-year multiple entry eTA lets you enter and exit Kenya as many times as you like over 12 months, with each visit capped at up to 90 days. Pricing for this tier is not fixed at a single published number the way single entry is. Depending on the source and your nationality, quoted fees fall in an indicative range of roughly USD 101 to USD 300. Treat that as a range to confirm on the official portal for your specific case, not a fixed number to plan around blindly.
A 5-year multiple entry eTA does the same over five years, but eligibility is narrower and it is priced as its own distinct product. It is generally available to citizens of a limited set of countries, and historically that has included the United States, at a fee of around USD 185. That figure applies specifically to the 5-year tier for eligible nationals. It is not a discount version of single entry, and it is not USD 30.
Who actually needs a multiple entry eTA? Business travelers who fly in and out of Nairobi repeatedly. Volunteers or researchers doing multiple stints in Kenya over a year. Travelers combining Kenya with frequent hops to non-EAC countries, where the re-entry exception below does not apply.
For a first-time safari traveler doing one trip, even one with a Tanzania or Uganda leg built in, the multiple entry option is usually unnecessary spending, and the wrong tier can cost you far more than you expect. Which brings us to the part that actually saves you money.
The EAC Re-Entry Exception: Your Single Entry Isn’t as “Single” as It Sounds
Kenya belongs to the East African Community (EAC), along with Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and, since March 2024, Somalia. Under current rules, if you leave Kenya to visit another EAC partner state and then come back, your original single entry eTA still works for re-entry. You do not need to buy a second one.
This is the detail that trips people up on every visa-agent FAQ page we have read. Most of those pages talk about “entries” in the abstract, without ever mentioning a real border crossing. So here is a real one.
Say you fly into JKIA and spend four nights in the Maasai Mara. Then you drive south for a two-night side trip to Arusha or Tarangire in Tanzania, crossing at Namanga, before heading straight back to Nairobi for your flight home. Your single entry eTA covers all of it, as long as you stay inside the EAC bloc and your eTA is still within its 3-month validity window.
Namanga sits about 165 km south of Nairobi, roughly a 2.5 to 3 hour drive, and it is the busiest overland crossing between Kenya and Tanzania. It is a real, working border post, not a theoretical example.
Where it stops working is the moment you leave the EAC entirely. Fly from Nairobi to Zanzibar, for instance, and technically Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so the EAC exception still applies since Tanzania is a member state. But if your trip adds a country outside the bloc, such as Ethiopia for a stopover or South Africa, before you circle back to Kenya, that leg breaks the chain. You will need a fresh single entry eTA to get back in.
How to Decide Which eTA You Actually Need
| Trip type | Example route | Crosses out of EAC? | eTA you need | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya-only safari | Nairobi, Maasai Mara, Amboseli, back to Nairobi | No | Single entry | USD 30 |
| Kenya safari + Tanzania side trip | Nairobi, Mara, crossing at Namanga into Tanzania, back to Nairobi | No (stays in EAC) | Single entry | USD 30 |
| Kenya safari + Zanzibar beach combo | Nairobi, Mara, fly to Zanzibar, back to Nairobi | No (Zanzibar is Tanzania) | Single entry | USD 30 |
| Kenya safari + non-EAC stopover | Nairobi, Mara, Addis Ababa layover, back to Nairobi | Yes | Two single entries | USD 60 |
| Frequent Kenya business or family travel | Multiple trips over 12 months | N/A | Multiple entry (1-year) | Indicative USD 101 to 300 |
| Long-term repeat travel (eligible nationalities, e.g. US) | Multiple trips over 5 years | N/A | Multiple entry (5-year) | Approx. USD 185 |
For most of our guests planning a Mara-Amboseli safari, or a Kenya safari plus Zanzibar beach combo, a single entry eTA is genuinely all you need. Save the extra money and the research time, and put both toward picking a better lodge instead.
Application Process, Documents, and Processing Time
The application happens entirely online at etakenya.go.ke. You will need:
- A passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates
- A digital passport-style photo
- A scan of your passport bio page
- Your itinerary, including accommodation details
- A debit or credit card for the fee
Processing tiers vary by nationality and season. Most applications clear in 24 to 72 hours. During peak safari season (July through October, and again around Christmas), we tell guests to apply at least two weeks ahead, since immigration volumes climb and turnaround can stretch closer to the official 3 to 5 business day window.
Once approved, print a copy or save it to your phone. You will present it alongside your passport during the immigration process on arrival at JKIA.
Official Fees vs Third-Party Markups
Some of the confusing pricing online is a straightforward markup problem. Third-party visa agencies are not always lying, but they often charge a service fee on top of the government cost, sometimes without labeling it clearly. That is part of how a single entry eTA that should cost USD 30 shows up quoted as $34.09 or higher on an agency site.
But not all of the higher numbers you see are markups. A genuine multiple entry eTA, whether the 1-year or 5-year version, is a separately priced product with a real government fee well above USD 30. Seeing $101, $185, or $300 for multiple entry does not automatically mean someone is padding the price. It may just mean you are looking at the correct product for that tier.
Our advice, plainly: apply directly at etakenya.go.ke, confirm the exact fee for your nationality and entry type before you pay, and treat any site that claims multiple entry costs the same as single entry with real skepticism.
Common Mistakes and Quick FAQs
Is the Kenya eTA the same as the e-visa? No. The e-visa was retired in 2024. The eTA replaced it, with a simpler application process.
Do I need an eTA just to transit through JKIA? If you stay airside and never clear immigration, generally no. If you leave the airport for any reason, yes.
Can I use a single entry eTA to visit Tanzania and come back? Yes, as long as you stay within the EAC and your eTA is still valid, as covered above.
What’s the biggest mistake travelers make? Assuming multiple entry costs the same as single entry, then either overpaying by mistake or getting the wrong tier for their trip.
The Valley Safaris Difference
We build every itinerary around the actual border crossings, park entries, and flight connections our guests will hit, not generic visa advice copied from a template. When you book with us, we tell you upfront whether your specific route needs a single entry or multiple entry eTA, and what that tier actually costs, because we have driven that Namanga crossing ourselves.
We also handle the practical layer most guides skip. That means knowing which park fees apply where (Maasai Mara National Reserve runs around USD 80 per adult per day, Amboseli around USD 60), which airstrips your light aircraft will use, and how much slack to build into your schedule around immigration queues at JKIA. It is the difference between a trip built from a checklist and one built from experience.
Plan Your Trip With Us
Not sure whether your route needs a single or multiple entry eTA, or how to fit a Zanzibar add-on around your Mara safari? Get in touch through our contact page and we will map out the whole trip with you, visas included.
