🇰🇪 Kenya Digital nomad visa

All requirements in detail

Official name

Class N – Digital Nomad Work Permit (Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Regulations, 2024)

Visa type

Digital nomad visa

Status

Active

Income requirement (original currency)

2,000 USD / month

Income basis

Salary / employment contract

Legal basis

Operative requirement is an assured foreign-source income of USD 24,000/year (= USD 2,000/month) from sources outside Kenya. EUR converted at ~1.08 USD/EUR (mid-2026): USD 2,000 / 1.08 ≈ EUR 1,852 ≈ EUR 1,850/month. CONFLICT IN SOURCES: the original gazetted text (Legal Notice No. 155 / Kenya Gazette No. 179, in force 1 Oct 2024; CMS Law) set USD 55,000/year; this was subsequently reduced to USD 24,000/year (reported under the December 2024 amendment), the figure now cited by the law firms describing the live permit (Njaga, WKA, Afriwise, Otieno Aballah). A further nuance: some 2025-2026 guidance (Afriwise, others) describes USD 24,000 as a benchmark for demonstrating 'stable consistent foreign income' via bank statements/payslips rather than a hard statutory floor. The lower, operative USD 24,000 figure is used here; the Directorate of Immigration Services does not publish the threshold on a static page, so confirm before relying on it.

Proof of funds

Required

Family surcharges

No published per-dependent income surcharge found. Dependants are handled via separate dependant's passes; no official additional income multiplier confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Working for local clients

Not allowed

Path to citizenship

No

Where to apply

Online, In country

Processing time

—

Tax residency trigger

183 days

Insurance requirement, verbatim intent: The published Amendment Regulations eligibility list (valid passport, proof of remote work, assured foreign income, proof of Kenyan accommodation, clean criminal-record certificate) does not explicitly enumerate health insurance. However, Kenyan immigration-practice guidance (e.g. Otieno Aballah Advocates) states applicants must hold comprehensive health insurance valid in Kenya for the full duration of stay, covering medical emergencies, hospitalization and repatriation. Several other firms do not mention insurance at all, so the requirement is treated as implicit rather than explicit. No official minimum coverage amount is published. Private/international health insurance is the practical route; foreigners cannot rely on the public scheme (SHA/SHIF) on entry.

Tax notes: No special tax regime exists for Class N holders; they fall under Kenya's ordinary residence-based income tax. Under the Income Tax Act (Cap 470), an individual is tax resident if present in Kenya for 183+ days in a year of income, OR present an average of 122+ days/year over the current and two preceding years (or with a permanent home in Kenya plus any presence in the year). A RESIDENT is taxable on WORLDWIDE income at progressive PAYE rates (10-35%); a NON-RESIDENT is taxable only on Kenya-source income. (Note: Kenya is residence-based with worldwide taxation of residents, not a territorial system — corrected from a prior 'territorial' label.) The permit forbids Kenya-source remuneration, so short-stay nomads under 183 days typically have no Kenyan tax on foreign remote-work income. Holders who become resident should seek advice; DTA relief may apply. The 183-day rule is the general residence test, not a permit-specific carve-out.

Beyond the visa

Kenya — the rest of the move

The visa is step one. Here is the rest of what it takes to live here — each researched and sourced.