Kenya is one of the easier African routes to fly from the UK, and the single thing to get right is the paperwork: there is no visa any more, but every traveller needs an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) before departure, including infants. Kenyan passport holders are exempt; British-passport children in the same family are not. British Airways and Kenya Airways both fly nonstop from London Heathrow to Nairobi — around 14 flights a week between them, at roughly nine hours. This guide covers the eTA, the yellow fever rule that depends on your route rather than your destination, baggage, and when to book.
Last verified: 15 September 2026. Entry rules and schedules change — confirm current details before booking or travelling.
The Kenya eTA, explained
Kenya replaced visas with the eTA, which is applied for online before travel. GOV.UK's Kenya entry requirements state: "You must apply online for electronic travel authorisation in advance of travel", and that the authorities "recommend applying at least 2 weeks before your departure".
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who needs one | Every visitor, including infants and children |
| Who is exempt | Holders of valid Kenyan passports, Kenyan permanent residence, valid work permits and passes, and East African Community citizens |
| Where to apply | Kenya's official portal, etakenya.go.ke, run by the Directorate of Immigration Services |
| Processing | Applications are processed within 3 working days |
| When to apply | GOV.UK advises at least 2 weeks before departure |
| Children | A parent, guardian or accompanying adult completes the application for under-18s |
A warning worth taking seriously. Searching for "Kenya eTA" turns up a crowd of commercial lookalike sites with official-sounding names and government-style layouts, which charge a markup on top of the real fee — and sometimes collect passport data you would rather not hand over. The genuine service is the government portal above, linked from Kenya's Directorate of Immigration Services. Check the address before you type in anyone's passport details.
Your passport must also be valid for at least six months after you arrive, with at least two blank pages.
Do you need a yellow fever certificate?
This is where most guidance is too vague to be useful, because the answer depends on your route, not your destination.
| Your journey | Certificate required to enter Kenya? |
|---|---|
| Direct from the UK to Nairobi | No — the UK is not a listed transmission-risk country |
| Connecting through a yellow fever risk country | Possibly — the requirement applies to travellers arriving from listed countries |
| Arriving from another African country on a multi-country trip | Check the rule for that specific country before you book |
GOV.UK requires a certificate only "if you're arriving from a country listed as a transmission risk".
Two things follow from that, and the second one is the one people miss. First, if you are routing through Addis Ababa or another African hub rather than flying direct, check whether your itinerary triggers the requirement. Second, required and recommended are different questions. TravelHealthPro recommends yellow fever vaccination for travellers aged 9 months and older going to much of Kenya — including the Masai Mara, Tsavo East and West, and Lake Nakuru — while noting it is generally not recommended for Nairobi, Mombasa, the North Eastern province or the coastal counties. If your trip involves going upcountry rather than staying in the city, speak to a travel clinic even though the border will not ask for the certificate.
GOV.UK also notes that travellers, particularly those coming from Uganda, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, may face enhanced health screening because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak. That status can change quickly, so check GOV.UK close to travel.
Direct flights to Nairobi
| Airline | Route | Stops | Rough flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways | London Heathrow to Nairobi (JKIA) | Nonstop | About 9 hours |
| Kenya Airways | London Heathrow to Nairobi (JKIA) | Nonstop | About 9 hours |
| Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines | Via Dubai, Doha, Istanbul or Addis Ababa | 1 | Longer, depends on the connection |
Between them, British Airways and Kenya Airways operate around 14 nonstop flights a week, so there is usually more than one option on any given day. For most travellers the deciding factors are departure time, the baggage allowance attached to the specific fare, and what happens after Nairobi.
That last point favours Kenya Airways for many diaspora travellers: if your family is in Mombasa, Kisumu or Eldoret, it can usually through-ticket the domestic leg on one booking. That matters more than it sounds — a single ticket means your bags are checked through and you are protected if the first flight runs late, whereas a separately booked domestic flight leaves you to absorb the cost of a missed connection.
See current options on our Kenya flights page.
Baggage and gifts
Baggage allowance is usually the deciding factor for travellers going home rather than on holiday, because most people are carrying things for family.
Allowances vary by airline, route and fare class, and the cheapest fare on a comparison site often includes the least luggage, with bags sold as an add-on that erases the saving. We check the exact allowance attached to the fare being quoted rather than working from a general rule — and if you are travelling heavy, it is often cheaper to buy a higher fare class that includes another bag than to pay for excess at the airport.
Two Kenyan rules to know before you pack. Plastic carrier bags are banned, and the ban is enforced — do not wrap gifts in them or bring duty-free plastic bags. And GOV.UK warns that it is illegal to import or export drones without prior approval from Kenya's aviation authority, which surprises people bringing one as a present.
Getting beyond Nairobi
Most families are not stopping at Jomo Kenyatta International. The two sensible options onward are a domestic flight or the road, and the choice usually comes down to how much luggage you have and who is travelling.
Domestic flights to Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Malindi run frequently and turn a long drive into an hour in the air. Booked on the same ticket as your international flight, they also protect you if the inbound runs late — which is the argument for through-ticketing rather than buying the domestic leg separately to save a few pounds.
Road travel works well for shorter hops and gives you flexibility with luggage, but a long upcountry drive after a nine-hour overnight flight is harder than it sounds, particularly with children or elderly relatives. If you are landing early in the morning and heading several hours out, consider a night in Nairobi first.
Tell us your final destination rather than just "Nairobi" when you ask for a quote — the best international fare is not always the one that connects best onward.
When to book
| Period | What to expect |
|---|---|
| December and early January | Busiest and most expensive; book by September or early October |
| July and August | UK summer holidays and high safari season; book well ahead |
| Late January to March | Quieter, with more competitive fares |
| Rest of the year | The most forgiving; 8 to 12 weeks ahead is usually enough |
If you are travelling for Christmas, treat it like the Zimbabwe and Nigeria routes: fix your dates early, because availability tightens before fares peak. Our Zimbabwe Christmas guide explains the seasonal booking pattern in more depth, and it applies here too.
Travelling at short notice
Diaspora travel is not always planned. Funerals, family illness and emergencies mean booking in a hurry, and on those trips the cheapest fare is rarely the right one. Ask us about fares with workable change and cancellation terms, and tell us if your plans might shift — some fare classes give you far more room to move than others, for a difference in price that is smaller than most people expect.
Spreading the cost
Flights for a family, plus eTAs and any vaccinations, arrive as one lump sum. Our Pay Later options set out how to pay a deposit and spread the balance.
Book with protection
Flights and flight-inclusive holidays booked with Travel Orbit are financially protected via our licensed ATOL supplier partners. We are also IATA accredited — a professional credential that allows us to issue airline tickets directly, separate from financial protection. More on our about page, and we explain what the protection covers in what "ATOL protected" really means.
We also work with families travelling to Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa, which helps when relatives are spread across more than one country.
Tell us your dates, your departure airport, where in Kenya you are heading and how much luggage you are carrying, and we will come back with real options.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Kenya travel advice: entry requirements (checked 15 September 2026)
- Kenya Directorate of Immigration Services — eTA (checked 15 September 2026)
- TravelHealthPro — Kenya (checked 15 September 2026)
- FlightConnections — London Heathrow to Nairobi (checked 15 September 2026)