Visa openness refers to the ease with which visitors are authorized to enter their country of destination.
Kenya has been ranked among the worst-performing countries in Visa openness in Africa this year. This is despite President William Ruto’s promise to make Kenya a visa-free country for visiting tourists.
According to the Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI) 2024, Kenya was ranked position 46 out of 54 with a score of 0.113 alongside Algeria and Cameroon, with the Index further stipulating visa requirements for visitors from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
A visa is required when travelling from the remaining 47 African countries to Kenya. The country, despite falling behind East African neighbours Uganda and Tanzania, did beat Egypt, South Sudan, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Sudan.
Comparatively, Uganda was ranked 26th with a score of 0.396 while Tanzania was ranked 20th with a score of 0.706.
A ranking of Africa Visa Openness 2024. /AVOI
Visa openness refers to the ease with which visitors are authorized to enter their country of destination.
A more visa-open country has a liberal or relaxed visa policy for visitors, meaning that visitors either do not need a visa to enter its territory or can obtain a visa upon arrival.
A more visa-restrictive country requires visitors to obtain a visa before they travel. Visitors might obtain the visa from an embassy, a consulate, or another source.
President William Ruto on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, announced that Kenya was gravitating towards a visa-free regime, a historic directive in the country’s 60-year history.
“It is with great pleasure, as President of this extraordinary country, to make a historic announcement of the decision of the Government of Kenya. Beginning in January 2024, Kenya will be a visa-free country. It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya.
“To echo the call of the Turkana people to the world: “Tobong’u Lorre!” Kenya has a simple message to humanity: Welcome Home! This is why, the Government has abolished the requirement of visas for all our visitors,” Ruto announced while addressing the nation during the 60th Jamhuri Day celebrations.
The Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) was launched in place of the visas, which will instead be used to facilitate entry into the country for foreign travellers.
The ETA fee is currently capped at Ksh4,653.65 ($30) compared to the visa fee which was Ksh7,756.08 ($50).
ETA is intended to harmonise these charges across the board while granting automatic priority to nationals from the countries that were previously eligible for visa-free entry.
Immigration PS Julius Bitok meets Kyung Sang Yoo, who was among the first Visa-free travellers to Kenya. /JULIUS BITOK