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Kenya · digital nomad visa · 2026

Kenya's digital nomad visa

12months
Class N PermitOpen · checked 2026-08-18 · fns.immigration.go.ke

Kenya runs the Class N Permit (Digital Nomads) — KEP/N, an initial 12 months for remote workers earning $24,000 a year.

Next step

One email when the app can count this stay for you.

How we know

Every figure here is as fns.immigration.go.ke publishes it, checked 18 August 2026. Where a number is our own arithmetic rather than a printed figure, the row says so.

Status
Open
Visa
Class N Permit (Digital Nomads) — KEP/N
Initial stay
12 months
Renewal
"issued for a period of one (1) or two (2) years renewable" — so 12 or 24 months initially, renewable.
Income required
$24,000 a year — IMPORTANT CAVEAT: the official eFNS Class N information pack does NOT state a minimum income — it requires only "Bank Statement/Payslips for last three (3) months proving monthly income". The figure recorded here comes from the amending regulations as reported by Kenyan law firms: the threshold was originally an "Assured income of USD 55,000" when Class N was created (Legal Notice 155, Kenya Gazette No. 179, gazetted 1 October 2024), and was REDUCED to a minimum annual income of USD 24,000 by Legal Notice 198 of 16 December 2024. Two independent Kenyan firms (WKA Advocates and Adili) state USD 24,000 annually; a CMS alert published before the December amendment still cites USD 55,000. Anyone applying should confirm with the Department of Immigration Services, because the gazette text itself could not be retrieved — kenyalaw.org legal-notice PDFs return HTTP 403 and the consolidated regulations served by Kenya Law contain no Class N provision. Note separately that USD 24,000 is ALSO the published Class K (ordinary residents) threshold, confirmed on the official permit checklist — do not confuse the two.
Fee
$1,000 — Official eFNS Class N page: processing fee "US$ 200/=" (non-refundable) plus issuance fee "US$ 1,000/=" per year. The 1,000 recorded here is the annual issuance fee; the 200 processing fee is additional.
Who qualifies
For individuals who "work remotely within Kenya for a company registered outside the country" and are not prohibited immigrants. Eligible: those under an employment contract with a foreign company, shareholders conducting business for foreign entities, and self-employed people serving international clients. Documents required include a detailed and signed cover letter from the applicant, employer correspondence, three months of bank statements or payslips, proof of accommodation in Kenya, and a letter of no objection from the applicant's home-country embassy. "Incomplete applications will not be accepted."
Where to apply
Apply online only, via the eFNS portal (https://fns.immigration.go.ke) using a Government of Kenya Single Sign-On / eCitizen account. All requirements are uploaded with the application; an invoice is generated in the dashboard.
Checked
18 August 2026

Sources are listed further down the page.

What to know before you apply

Class N was created by the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (Legal Notice 155, gazetted 1 October 2024), amended by Legal Notice 198 of 16 December 2024, and operationalised by the Department of Immigration Services in April 2025. The eFNS portal now publishes a full Class N information pack — duration, fees and document list here are taken verbatim from it. Three gaps a reader should know about: (1) the income threshold is not published on any official page and the two legal notices could not be retrieved from Kenya Law, so the USD 24,000 figure rests on secondary legal commentary; (2) the immigration.go.ke 'Work Permits and Passes' overview page still lists only Classes A–M and omits Class N, while the eFNS info pack does carry it; (3) the downloadable permit checklist PDF also predates Class N (it covers A–M only). No official statement on Kenyan tax treatment of Class N holders was found on kra.go.ke, so taxNote is null.

What it means for your tax days

A visa is permission to stay; tax residency follows the days. Kenya treats you as tax resident once you are present 183 days 183 days or more in aggregate in the year of income — but only where the individual has no permanent home in Kenya — though the system is territorial, so foreign income may fall outside it. Days are not the only test: Section 2, Income Tax Act (Cap. 470): a resident individual is one who "has a permanent home in Kenya and was present in Kenya for any period in any particular year of income under consideration"; OR who "has no permanent home in Kenya but (A) was present in Kenya for a period or periods amounting in the aggregate to 183 days or more in that year of income; or (B) was present in Kenya in that year of income and in each of the two preceding years of income for periods averaging more than 122 days in each year of income". "Permanent home" is itself defined as "a place where an individual resides or which is available to that individual for residential purposes in Kenya, or where in the opinion of the Commissioner the individual's personal or economic interests are closest". Note the first limb: with a permanent home, ANY presence at all in the year makes you resident. The full tests and the official source are on our Kenya tax-day page.

Sources

Questions people ask about Kenya

Does Kenya have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Kenya runs the Class N Permit (Digital Nomads) — KEP/N, which grants an initial stay of 12 months ("issued for a period of one (1) or two (2) years renewable" — so 12 or 24 months initially, renewable.). Checked 18 August 2026 against fns.immigration.go.ke.

How much do you need to earn for the Kenya digital nomad visa?

$24,000 a year — IMPORTANT CAVEAT: the official eFNS Class N information pack does NOT state a minimum income — it requires only "Bank Statement/Payslips for last three (3) months proving monthly income". The figure recorded here comes from the amending regulations as reported by Kenyan law firms: the threshold was originally an "Assured income of USD 55,000" when Class N was created (Legal Notice 155, Kenya Gazette No. 179, gazetted 1 October 2024), and was REDUCED to a minimum annual income of USD 24,000 by Legal Notice 198 of 16 December 2024. Two independent Kenyan firms (WKA Advocates and Adili) state USD 24,000 annually; a CMS alert published before the December amendment still cites USD 55,000. Anyone applying should confirm with the Department of Immigration Services, because the gazette text itself could not be retrieved — kenyalaw.org legal-notice PDFs return HTTP 403 and the consolidated regulations served by Kenya Law contain no Class N provision. Note separately that USD 24,000 is ALSO the published Class K (ordinary residents) threshold, confirmed on the official permit checklist — do not confuse the two.. That is the figure as published; check the official page for the current amount before you apply.

How long can you stay on the Kenya digital nomad visa?

12 months on the initial permission; "issued for a period of one (1) or two (2) years renewable" — so 12 or 24 months initially, renewable.. Stretch counts the days either way and tells you the date you must be out.

Does a digital nomad visa in Kenya make you tax resident?

Not by itself — but staying does. Kenya treats you as tax resident once you are there 183 days 183 days or more in aggregate in the year of income — but only where the individual has no permanent home in Kenya, though the system is territorial. See our Kenya tax-day page for the tests and the official source.

How does Stretch help with the Kenya digital nomad visa?

Log the day you land and Stretch counts the days against the permission you are on, shows the date you must be out, and reminds you at 14, 7, 3 and 1 days. It also tallies the days that count towards tax residency, so the 183-day question answers itself. The counting and the alerts are free, forever.

Other digital nomad visas

Kenya, the rest of it

Stretch is a tracker, not legal advice, and this is not tax advice. Visa and tax rules change and are applied by the authority, not by an app — every figure here shows its source and the date we checked it. Checked 2026-08-18; confirm on the official page before you apply or file.