Dear Friends and Partners,
Your journey to the wild should begin with excitement instead of uncertainty at the border. We’d love you to arrive at camp relaxed and ready for the adventure ahead, so here’s one small step to add to your plans.
Kenya now asks foreign visitors staying less than 12 months to hold travel health insurance, ensuring every guest is cared for while they’re here. From 6 October 2026, you’ll simply arrange this cover as part of your Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) application.
What You Need to Know
Who it applies to: Foreign visitors staying in Kenya for less than 12 months, arriving by air, land or water. Citizens of East African Community (EAC) countries are exempt.
The cost: USD 44 per person, plus small system charges, paid through the official government portal.
How to buy it: You can purchase the cover during your eTA application. You can also buy it beforehand on the eCitizen insurance portal, and it will link to your eTA automatically.
Existing travel insurance: At present, the portal doesn’t accept policies bought elsewhere, so new eTA applicants are required to purchase this cover. We recommend keeping your existing travel insurance as well until we clarify the policy’s full scope.
Already have an eTA? Travellers with eTAs issued before the change have so far entered Kenya without difficulty. However, official guidance is still awaited, we therefore suggest purchasing the insurance through the official link below to be safe.
Your Pretravel Checklist
- Apply for your eTA well ahead of departure
- Allow for the USD 44 insurance cost per traveller
- Make sure your cover is valid for your full stay in Kenya
- Keep your existing travel insurance in place
- Carry a copy of your insurance confirmation and eTA
We’re Here for You
We’re here to make your journey to us as smooth as possible, especially if your safari is just around the corner. We’re staying close to every development and will share any new updates with you as soon as they’re confirmed.
If you have any questions about your upcoming stay, our reservations team will gladly help. Reach us at Reservations@sarunibasecamp.com. We can’t wait to welcome you to our camps.
”All Travellers who are already in possession of a valid ETA issued before this new requirement came into effect have not reported any challenges with entry to kenya without the Insurance. KTF is currently following up to receive an official notice regarding the implementation of this Cover, as well as the fate of travellers who already have existing travel insurance. More details will be shared as and when the information becomes available.
Odek FredChairman, Kenya Tourism Federation
