In this article, I am going to show you how to apply for an e-passport in Kenya. If you are not in the know, E-passports in Kenya have been digitized, and for this reason, you can apply, renew, or even replace a new one online.
Gone are the days you would camp at Nyayo house for a passport. People would literally sleep at Nyayo house to get this vital document. In addition, if you have ever applied for one before the online application process was made available; I know you have a story to tell.
Today, you only have to do it online. What is more? All the worry you would have about pushing against fellow passport seekers is finally gone.
In this article, I will take you through step-by-step guide of getting your passport at the comfort of your home. What I will do is share with you the procedures, how to pay on application and any other information you may require.
What you need before you apply
Most of the people that ask me how to apply for an e-passport in Kenya, also often ask about the requirements. It is important that you have these ready so that you do not have to struggle as you go along. According to the eCitizen portal, this what you will require. Note that after the application online, you will need to appear in person for biometrics.
- Applicants MUST appear in person for Biometric Enrolment.
- An eCitizen pre-filled passport application form and three invoices.
- Original birth certificate and one photocopy.
- Original National ID Card and one photocopy.
- Three current passport size photos.
- One photocopy of the recommender’s ID card.
- Old passport for replacement plus photocopies of its last three pages.
- Photocopies of parents’ National ID cards (if available) or Death Certificates (if deceased).
- For a lost Passport, a sworn affidavit, a police abstract, and an explanation letter are required.
- For a mutilated Passport, an explanation letter is required to explain the circumstances of the mutilation.
How to Apply for an E-passport in Kenya, A Complete Guide.
I will want you to follow these steps to get your passport. I have made the procedure as simple as possible for you to follow. In fact, you can do that as you read this article. If you happen to have any questions, please feel free to ask in comment box bellow.
Now grab you favorite drink and let us learn how to apply for an e-passport in Kenya.
Procedure 1- Go to eCitizen Portal
From your favorite device, be it a phone or PC, I will want you to type in your browser the address https://www.ecitizen.go.ke/(If the link does not work, copy and paste it in your browser).
If you are successful, you will get to a page that looks this way
Procedure 2- Create an Account or log In
If you have never created an account on this site, you will need to create one. If you already have an account, you will need to log in. However, I assume you have not been here, so you will need to create and account.
Now hit the create an account button at the top left. This will take you to a page that looks this way.
As you can see, there are four options to choose from. Choose the first option that says,”eCitizen Kenyan Citizen”. Click on the create account button.
That should bring you here.
Here, you will need to fill all your details. Note that the page as in the image above is incomplete, you will need to fill in all your information. This is how.
First, enter you Identification Number and your first name and hit ‘validate’ ‘button’. Your name/s should show up if all goes well. If does not, then re-check your details. Most of the time it will be due to the ‘First Name’ issue. Most of the time your ‘First Name’ will likely be your ‘Sir name’
If everything looks good, then input your email, confirm the email, put in your phone number, choose an appropriate password, confirm the password, and then finally hit the ‘Continue Button.’
Procedure 3 – Make you application online
If you have been successful in the procedure above, then you should land on this page. Note that you page will not necessarily look like mine. For you case it will have questionnaires to fill.
Now begin selecting information that suits you. There are ten steps in total. Every time you select your information, all you need to do is hit next. You will have to read the process to be sure you have all you need. It is important that you go through your information to make sure that it is correct to your best of knowledge. During this application process, you will have to have details of your kin at hand. These may include but not limited to copies of ID, phone numbers, physical addresses, P.O Box numbers, and death certificates for deceased kin.
These kin include, parents (whether alive or deceased), siblings, spouse (if married), children (if any) and someone known to you that is not your relation.
Procedure 4- Choose Mode of payment
Once you have gone through procedure 3 above (and which I must say will take some time and test your patience), you will now need to choose a mode of payment.
The available modes of payment include:
- Mobile Wallets Such as Mpesa, Airtel Money and Tcash.
- Debit Cards.
- Credit Cards.
- Local banks
- Online payments option
However, how much does it cost? You must selected in procedure 3 above the number of leaves of pages of the passport you want. It you were not keen, here below is what it will cost you.
| 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 |
| Diplomatic passport (48 page) | Kshs 7,550 |
| Mutilated Passport | Kshs 10,050 |
| Lost Passport |
Once you have made you payment, proceed to procedure 5
Procedure 5- Print and download your application.
Before you print and download the application form, you will need to thoroughly confirm that the information you entered is correct to the best of your knowledge, otherwise. False information could lead you to begin the process afresh.
Once you are satisfied that all is well, download and print the application form. Remember to print 3 copies of the document to avail them later during the face to face submission.
Procedure 6- Submit you application.
You can submit the application to center near you. If you are, doing this from aboard, you will need to submit to Kenyan Embassies or consulates that are near you.
In Kenya, you can choose from any of the following locations;
1. The nearest Huduma Center ( Available at all country headquarters)
2. Nairobi: Ground Floor (North Wing), Nyayo House – Tel +254- 20-2222022
3. Mombasa: PC’s Office Building – Tel:+254-41-2222676
4. Kisumu: New Provincial Headquarters – Tel:+254-057-2024935/2025438/0700596071
5. Eldoret: Public Works Building – Tel: +254-53-6337
6. Garissa: Telefax: 0462102140
Now all you have is about Fifteen days and your passport should be ready for collection.
What you may need to know about the E-Passport.
They have special features
So what is it that makes these passports different? These passports are digitized these means they are hard to forge and contain special features.
Let us have a look.
Small electric chip – This is the most noticeable part of the passport. It stores the information of the owner, making forgeries hard.
Digital photograph of the e-Passport holder – Yeah, you heard me right, there is a digital holder embedded on the document.
One of the requirements of the application process is having passport pictures that are not less than ‘2 inches by 1½’ or more than ‘2½ by 2 inches’ .The images should be taken without a cap and no gazing is allowed.
Biometric identifier – Here are special characters that contain the identity of the passport holder.
Other Security features – These ensure that the documents are forgery-proof and that only the passport holder can be the only one using the document.
The can be tracked.
What exactly do I mean here? You can easily track the process of acquiring the passport immediately you send an application.
This easily tells you how far your passport is in terms of it being ready. This usually takes a few days. For the 48-page passport-type, 10 days are enough to get your passport ready; remember, you will only pay sh. 1040 for the application process.
You can apply for a temporal passport.
Sometimes you just need to be out of the country for a few days, especially for business person who often get out and in often. If you are one of them, you can apply for a temporal passport, it will only cost you Ksh.350.00 for the travel permit, and you can do this online with few a steps.
Here is how to do it.
Step 1 – Visit eCitizen
Visit the eCitizen portal on your PC or phone. The link is https://www.ecitizen.go.ke/ (
Step 2 – Login you your account/ Login
Login with you credentials if you have an account. If you do not have an account, you will need to create one as explained in procedure 2 above.
Step 3- Navigate to the Department of Immigration page
Navigate to the immigration services offered by the Department of Immigration to begin.
Here, click on the ‘temporary permits’ and choose the application form you are in need of; an adult or an underage form. The page will give you guidelines that you are supposed to read carefully the payments inclusive. Choose your preferred mode of payment, and pay Ksh. 350.00 and finally click ‘apply now’. There will be a temporary passport application form at the bottom of that page.
Step 4 – Fill in the application form
In the application form, fill in the required information that includes your name, ID number, date of birth, gender, height, occupation and nationality.
Step 5 – Download & print the passport application form
You will need to go through your application to make sure that everything that is correct. Once you have confirmed that everything is correct, you can now download and print the document. Once you have downloaded the document, affix the digital passport where it should be.
However, you are not done yet, you will be required to present your temporal document to the immigration office on the day of travel. For minors, birth certificates may be needed and its just proper that you carry them.
Wrapping It Up
Getting an e-passport in Kenya is a simple process that takes away the hours that most Kenyans would spend trying to get the vital document. I hope that I have answered your question “how to apply for an e-passport in Kenya”
If you liked this article, be sure to like it or link to it. If you got your passport via this article, I will be glad to hear your story.
Happy travel.