How To Apply For An E-Passport In Kenya

Whether you want to move from the old Kenyan passport, replace a lost or mutilated one or you are applying for the first time, the Kenyan E-passport is the way to go. The E-passport allows its holder to travel across East Africa and some other selected countries visa free. Some of these countries include Burundi, Barbados and the Cayman Islands among others. Here is a step by step guide on how to apply for the E-passport.

Create an E-Citizen Account

The government of Kenya created a self-service online portal where anyone can get some of the government services. You must have a Kenyan I.D card and number in order to access this portal. You can create an E-citizen account using your smart phone or in a cyber café near you.

Fill In the Required Details

Once you are in the portal, you will be required to go through 7 out of 9 pages of filling required data. This includes your official names, place of birth, KRA pin number, marital status and profession among others. Make sure you fill truthful information because the slightest error can cause your application to be revoked. Make sure to correctly choose whether it is a first time passport application, renewal or replacement.

Upload Documents

Once you are done with filling the information you will be asked to upload some documents. These include scanned copies of

  • Your ID card,
  • Birth Certificate
  • Parents ID Cards (or death certificates if deceased)
  • Children Birth Certificates if any
  • Spouse’s ID Card
  • Recommender’s ID Card

Make sure the scanned copies are as clear as possible. You can covert them into the PDF format to make them as small in size as possible.

Make Payments

Once the uploaded documents have been accepted by the portal, you will move to the next part which is payment. Most people use MPESA as it is fast and efficient. The portal, however, offers other options including Visa Card Payments and Airtel Money. The amount of money you pay will depend on your type of passport application. Make sure you confirm the amount required before making the application.

Below is a table for the passport charges:

PASSPORT TYPE Fee (Kshs)
32 Pages Ordinary “A” Series Kshs. 4,550
48 pages Ordinary “B” Series Kshs. 6,050
64 Pages Ordinary “C” Series Kshs. 7,550
East African Passport Kshs. 990
Diplomatic passport (48 page) Kshs 7,550
Mutilated Passport Kshs 10,050
Lost Passport Kshs 12,050

Print Invoice and Forms and Make 2 Copies

When the payment goes through, you will be automatically be redirected to the page where you can download your invoice and E-Passport Forms. Once printed, make 2 copies of each so that you can have 3 sets of forms and invoice in total.

3 Copies of Documents and Passport Photos

To attach to the three sets of copies made in the step above, you should have 3 copies of the following documents:

  • Your ID
  • Your Birth Certificate
  • Children’s birth certificates if any
  • Parents ID (or death certificates)
  • Recommender’s Id
  • Last 3 pages of previous passport (if renewing)
  • Sworn Affidavit, Explanation Letter and Police Abstract (If lost)

Immigration Offices

Once you have all the documents ready, head over to the nearest immigration office. There are currently offices in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kisii, Embu and Mombasa. Once you take the forms you are required to wait at least 10 working days for collection. Most offices will usually send you a text message to alert you.