Kenya's ETA portal now checks for cover
Kenya's Electronic Travel Authorization portal began stopping applications on 6 October 2026 when the system does not detect qualifying inbound travel health insurance. It then offers a policy at a premium of 44 US dollars per traveller. Tests on the portal that week recorded a charge of about 52 US dollars per person after the one dollar access fee and the payment gateway fee.
The requirement applies to non-Kenyans who enter Kenya for stays under 12 months. Gazette Notice No. 11492, published in the Kenya Gazette of 30 July 2026, sets it out.
What the cover costs
The 44 dollars is the insurance premium. The Electronic Travel Authorization carries its own fee, listed at 39 US dollars, paid in a separate transaction. SimpleVisa put the combined government cost at about 91 US dollars per traveller on 8 October 2026. Both charges apply per traveller.
Who has to buy it
The statutory class is non-Kenyans who intend to enter and remain in Kenya for less than 12 months, under section 26(6) of the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023. The Kenya ETA eligibility page exempts citizens of Kenya and the East African Partner States: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Kenya widened its ETA exemptions for African nationals from 2025 onward. By late August 2026 most African nationals could enter without an ETA for stays of up to two months. East African Community citizens receive six months, and Somalia and Libya still require an ETA.
The coverage term is disputed
Travel Codex reports the cover on offer as valid for approximately three months. Both portal tests support that reading. VisasNews recorded a three-month coverage period on the eCitizen quote, and SimpleVisa lists the cover period shown as three months.
Two immigration practices report a longer term. Fragomen states that the insurance is valid for one year, including repeat trips. The Kenya Association of Travel Agents recorded the design presented on 20 August 2026 as a 12-month policy with differentiated children's rates.
Read the validity dates on the quote before paying.
Minimum benefits in the notice
Gazette Notice No. 11492 is dated 29 July 2026 and signed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale. It was issued under section 26(6) of the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023, read with Regulation 70(2)(b) of the Social Health Insurance Regulations, 2024.
The notice sets a cumulative benefit limit of not less than 50,000 US dollars, with limits of 20,000 dollars for medical expenses, 25,000 dollars for emergency medical transportation, 300 dollars for prescribed medicines, 1,000 dollars for mental illness and 5,000 dollars for repatriation of mortal remains. Cover must come from insurers licensed under the Insurance Act, Cap. 487.
The court challenge
The High Court in Marsabit suspended enforcement on 24 August 2026. Justice Francis Rayola Olel granted the interim orders pending a full hearing on a petition from two Marsabit residents. The court dismissed the petition on 7 October 2026 and held the notice lawfully issued.
VisasNews recorded that the portal began enforcing the requirement while that suspension was still on foot.
A separate Nairobi case continues. Vantage Point Ventures seeks disclosure of the process that selected the insurers and the legal basis for the roles given to Kenya Reinsurance Corporation and Minet Kenya Insurance Brokers.
Two routes to buy the cover
Cover can be bought inside the ETA application. It can also be bought on its own at insurance.ecitizen.go.ke under the service named Inbound Travel Health Insurance, before an ETA is started.
Under the second route the policy is tied to the passport number. When the ETA application is submitted, the portal detects the policy and returns the message "You already have a valid travel insurance". VisasNews verified both legs on 7 October 2026.
Neither test found a route to upload a policy issued abroad. Officials told travel industry representatives on 20 August 2026 that overseas travel insurance would not satisfy the requirement. The Ministry of Health had said on 7 August 2026 that a home-country policy meeting every minimum would be accepted. The portal behaviour read on 7 October 2026 matched the officials' briefing.
Tanzania's requirement
Tanzania's cover sits on its own instrument. The Insurance (Inbound Travel Insurance) Regulations, 2026 carry Government Notice No. 256, dated 4 September 2026, made under section 134A of the Insurance Act. Implementation began on 1 October 2026.
The Tanzanian premium is 44 US dollars per adult, and the policy runs for up to 92 days from arrival, with multiple entries inside that window. Children aged 3 to 17 pay half the adult premium, children aged 0 to 2 pay nothing, and a group of 10 or more takes 10 per cent off qualifying adult premiums. A first entry through mainland Tanzania is insured through the National Insurance Corporation, and a first entry through Zanzibar uses Zanzibar's own system.
Kenya's notice was gazetted on 30 July 2026, and the Health Ministry administrative framework behind it dates from November 2025. Tanzania's regulation commenced on 1 October 2026.
Budgeting for a group departure
An itinerary that crosses Kenya and Tanzania carries both charges, per traveller. Quote them as separate line items and name each one. A client holding an ETA issued before 6 October 2026 can buy the Kenyan cover on eCitizen without a new application.
Keep the insurance reference number and a screenshot of the valid status. The portal tests found no downloadable certificate after payment.
Run one live application ahead of a group manifest, and check the rule again close to departure.