Kenya Tourist Insurance Requirement: What to Know Before You Fly

Since 6 October 2026, most foreign tourists cannot finish Kenya's ETA application without mandatory inbound travel health insurance: a US$44 premium (about US$52 with fees) covering at least US$50,000.

What changed

Kenya now ties health insurance to its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). On 30 July 2026, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale published Gazette Notice No. 11492, which sets the minimum benefits for visitors who stay in Kenya for less than 12 months. The notice builds on the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023, and its 2024 regulations, so the Ministry of Health says the rule is not new policy.

The practical start came on 6 October 2026. That day the ETA portal (etakenya.go.ke) began showing a Ministry of Health notice titled "Mandatory Inbound Travel Health Insurance Requirement" before payment. If the system finds no valid policy linked to your passport, you cannot complete the application.

The rollout was bumpy. A court challenge delayed it in August, and the High Court has since dismissed the petition, according to local reporting. Travel agents say details are still thin, so expect the guidance to keep changing.

What the policy must cover

A qualifying policy carries at least US$50,000 in combined benefits and must come from an insurer licensed under Kenya's Insurance Act. The gazetted minimums are:

The US$20,000 medical limit is modest next to typical international travel plans. A serious injury on safari, followed by an air ambulance to Nairobi or a flight home, can cost far more.

Who needs it and what it costs

The rule covers non-Kenyans entering for less than 12 months, including tourists, business travellers and conference delegates. Citizens of East African Community countries are exempt. Visitors from ETA-exempt countries, such as South Africa, are reportedly exempt for now; confirm this with the portal or your airline before you rely on it.

The premium shown on the system is US$44 per traveller. An access fee and a gateway fee bring the total to about US$52 in reported tests, and the quote covers roughly three months. Add the standard single-entry ETA at US$30 and a US traveller should budget about US$82 per person. Families pay per head, and each traveller needs their own ETA.

How to buy it

There are two routes, and both run through government systems.

1. Inside the ETA application. When the insurance page appears, choose the option to buy cover. Your passport details carry over automatically.
2. Before you apply. Buy "Inbound Travel Health Insurance" on Kenya's eCitizen insurance site (insurance.ecitizen.go.ke). The ETA portal then recognises the policy automatically.

Tests reported that no downloadable certificate is issued, and the final ETA document does not mention the insurance. Save the insurance reference number and a screenshot showing the policy as valid, and carry both with your ETA. Use only official .go.ke sites; agencies that apply for you may add their own fees.

The ETA is usually processed within three days, but apply at least two weeks before you fly.

Your own travel insurance, and an ETA you already hold

Foreign policies.

In August the Ministry of Health said visitors with qualifying home-country cover could upload it instead of buying a new policy, and that those without cover could buy one at a point of entry. The live system tells a different story: independent tests found no upload option, and travel agents report that cover must come from a Kenyan-regulated insurer. Until the ministry updates its guidance, assume you need the Kenyan policy even if you already hold a premium plan.

Keep your own comprehensive insurance anyway. It covers trip cancellation, lost luggage and higher medical limits that the Kenyan minimum does not. Treat the Kenyan premium as an entry fee.

Approved ETAs.

If you got your ETA before 6 October, you are generally not being asked to reapply, but immigration may still ask for proof of insurance on arrival. The safest move is to buy the policy on eCitizen before you fly and carry the reference number.

Before you fly

1. Apply for your ETA at etakenya.go.ke at least two weeks before departure.
2. Buy the inbound insurance in the ETA flow, or earlier on eCitizen.
3. Save the insurance reference number and a screenshot, on your phone and on paper.
4. Keep your own comprehensive travel insurance for cancellation, baggage and higher medical limits.
5. Combining Kenya with Tanzania? Tanzania began its own US$44 inbound insurance requirement on 1 October, so budget for both.
6. Check yellow fever rules. A vaccination certificate is a separate requirement if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk.
7. Recheck the official portals a few days before you travel, because the guidance is still moving.

Sources

Rules and prices were checked on 14 October 2026 and may change.

1. Kenya sets Ksh.6.4M mandatory health insurance cover for foreign visitors (Citizen Digital)
2. Kenya Makes US Visitors Buy US$44 Insurance (The Rio Times)
3. First Tanzania, Now Kenya: Another $44 Mandatory Travel Insurance (Travel Codex)
4. Mandatory Travel Health Insurance (Governors Camp)
5. Kenya clarifies mandatory travel insurance rules tied to the ETA (VisasNews)
6. Visitors to Kenya Must Upload Health Insurance Before eTA Approval, MoH Says (Kenyans.co.ke)
7. Official portals: Kenya ETA and eCitizen Inbound Travel Health Insurance