Lead image for Kenya to enforce foreigners’ travel health insurance through electronic system.
Foreign travellers entering Kenya will now have their travel health insurance verified either through the Kenya Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system before they fly, or by immigration officers at the airport or border if they buy a policy upon arrival, the Ministry of Health has said, in a clarification of a requirement introduced last month.
Under the new arrangement, the eTA system will serve as the main compliance checkpoint. Travellers who already have travel health insurance from their home country are required to upload proof of this cover to the eTA system for verification before travel, provided it meets the prescribed insurable value.
However, travellers who have not secured a compliant policy before departure will not be prevented from entering the country. According to Regulation 70(3), travellers can obtain the required cover at the point of entry into Kenya from an insurer licensed under the Insurance Act and approved to provide travel health insurance.
“To facilitate compliance, applicants for a Kenya Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) will be required to upload proof of a valid travel health insurance policy as part of the eTA application process for verification prior to travel,' said Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary for Health.
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'The Department of Immigration Services will implement this requirement through the eTA system and at all designated entry points by verifying compliance with the travel health insurance requirement. Where a traveller obtains the required travel health insurance at the point of entry, the department will verify the policy before granting entry to the Republic of Kenya.'
The eTA is a digital permit that replaced Kenya's visa system in January 2024 when the government introduced a visa-free entry policy for foreign visitors. Nearly all foreign travellers must have an approved eTA before travelling to Kenya. While an eTA grants permission to travel, it does not guarantee entry; immigration officers make this decision upon arrival.
Following a notice published on July 30, 2026, setting out the required benefit limits for the cover, the Ministry issued a clarification explaining the legal basis and implementation of the travel health insurance requirement for non-Kenyan travellers.