Immigration and Mobility
Your people on the ground, lawfully and on time.
Every foreign national who works in Kenya needs the right permit or pass, and employers share responsibility for getting it right. We choose the correct class, build the application, follow it through the Directorate of Immigration Services and keep every renewal on time.
- Best for
- Employers relocating executives, specialists and their families to Kenya.
- Where it sits
- Permits and people: weeks 8 to 20 of a typical engagement
- Outcome
- Your people authorised to work, with families settled and renewals diarised.
- We deal with
- Directorate of Immigration Services, Electronic Foreign National Service (eFNS), Kenya Investment Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority
Everything Gate 05 covers.
The right permit class, a complete application, a credible localisation plan and a renewal calendar for every foreign employee and their family.
Entry before the permit
Electronic Travel Authorisations for visitors who need one, and Special Passes for short assignments while a permit is processed.
Work permits
Class D for employees of a Kenyan employer, Class G for investors, and the other classes for professionals, manufacturing, agriculture and mining.
Localisation plans
Kenyan understudy plans and evidence of local recruitment, which a Class D application requires.
Families
Dependant's passes for spouses and children, with schools and housing arranged through our arrival services.
Registration
Registration as a foreign national after arrival, and the identity card that follows.
Renewals and exits
A permit calendar, timely renewals, variations when roles change and cancellations when staff leave.
Five steps, one accountable partner.
Every step is agreed in writing at the start, with a named partner who answers for it.
Choose the class
We confirm the right permit class for each person before anything is filed.
Prepare documents
We collect, certify and translate the documents the Directorate asks for, and draft the localisation case.
File on eFNS
We file through the Directorate's electronic Foreign National Service and pay the fees.
Follow-up and endorsement
We track the application to approval and arrange endorsement.
Registration and renewals
We register each foreign national and diarise every renewal.
Deliverables you can file, audit and act on.
Institutions we handle for you
- Approved permits and passes
- Understudy and localisation plan
- Dependant's passes
- Permit calendar for every foreign employee
About Immigration and Mobility.
If your question is not here, a partner will answer it on a discovery call.
Ask us directlyWhich permit does a foreign manager need?
A manager employed by a Kenyan company usually needs a Class D permit. An investor who owns and runs the business may qualify for Class G. We confirm the class before anything is filed, because the wrong class costs time and fees.
What does a Class D permit cost?
The Directorate lists a non-refundable processing fee of KES 20,000 and an issuance fee of KES 500,000 per year for Class D. Citizens of East African Community states pay no fee. Fees change by gazette notice, so we confirm them at application.
Can staff start work while the permit is processed?
Not on a visitor's entry. A Special Pass can cover short assignments while the permit is processed. Working without authorisation exposes both the employee and the employer to penalties.
Read before you decide.
Kenya work permits explained: classes, fees and documents
Which permit your people need, what it costs, what the Directorate asks for, and how to keep staff working while an application is processed.
Hiring in Kenya without a company: employer of record explained
How an employer of record works in Kenya, what it means for statutory costs, the risks to manage and when to set up your own entity.
The KenInvest Investment Certificate: who needs it and how to get it
What the certificate is, the USD 100,000 threshold for foreign investors, how KenInvest weighs an application and what the certificate unlocks.