Kenya eTA: travel health insurance now required to apply

📌 What this means for you: Kenya's ETA application now checks travel health insurance. Since 6 October 2026 the official portal (etakenya.go.ke) will not let an application complete when it does not recognise valid inbound travel health insurance, and points applicants to cover costing USper traveller. The requirement comes from Gazette Notice No. 11492, published on 30 July 2026 — Kenya's High Court suspended it in late August, then upheld it on 7 October. If you are flying to Kenya, sort out compliant cover before you apply, and keep proof of it with your passport and your onward ticket. Border rules change often, so double-check your exact situation before you fly.

🛂 What the portal does now. During tests on 6 October 2026, an application could not be completed when the system failed to find existing insurance. Before the payment step, a page titled "Mandatory Inbound Travel Health Insurance Requirement" appears under the Kenyan Ministry of Health heading. It offers two options: "Search Status" to check whether existing cover is already recognised, or "Get Now" to buy cover from the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) module. The premium is USper traveller; the tested checkout added a USaccess fee and a payment-gateway fee, for a total of about US. The same requirement has been added to the eCitizen portal for travellers who do not need an ETA.

⚖️ The court fight, briefly. The requirement was suspended by a Kenyan court in late August 2026 while a constitutional petition was heard. On 7 October 2026 the High Court in Marsabit dismissed the petition and upheld Gazette Notice No. 11492, ruling that it was validly issued under the Social Health Insurance Act and Regulations. The court rejected arguments that immigration officials had been given insurance-regulation powers, holding that they merely verify a condition of entry. It also dismissed privacy concerns and the claim that no implementation framework existed, and ordered each side to bear its own costs.

🧾 The cover Kenya expects. The Gazette sets a minimum combined cover of US — USfor medical expenses, USfor emergency medical transport and USfor repatriation of remains — plus hospital treatment and prescription medicines. Fragomen reports the government-issued policy costs about USand is valid for one year, including repeat trips during its validity. Travel insurance that does not meet the minimums, or is not recognised by the system, will not satisfy the check.

❓ Can you use insurance bought at home? This is the biggest unresolved question. On 7 August 2026 the Ministry of Health said travellers who already held cover from their home country would not need a second policy, provided it met the Gazette minimums — they would upload the certificate for verification. Two weeks later, officials briefing the travel industry described cover issued inside the Kenyan scheme by an IRA-regulated insurer, and the 6 October portal test found no way to upload a foreign policy. The "Search Status" button suggests some registered policies can still be matched, but Kenya has not published which. The rules also allow buying cover at a Kenyan port of entry. If your ETA is already approved, no public instruction says it must be replaced or resubmitted — and the ETA itself never guarantees admission, which remains a decision for the officer at the port of entry.

✈️ The onward-ticket check has not changed. Kenya remains a high-risk destination for proof of onward travel: airline staff and immigration routinely ask for a return or onward ticket within your permitted stay, and boarding can be refused without one. The insurance step is a separate document check inside the ETA — it neither replaces nor relaxes the onward-ticket requirement. Carry both: an approved ETA with recognised insurance, and proof of onward travel. See our Kenya guide for what airlines and immigration check there.

🌍 A regional trend. Kenya's requirement lands days after neighbouring Tanzania introduced its own mandatory inbound travel insurance for visitors, and immigration advisers describe the two moves as a possible emerging trend in East Africa. Travellers routing through the region should expect health-cover checks to become a normal part of the pre-travel paperwork.

✅ Get protected on your next trip.

💡 Tip: Keep three things together at check-in and at immigration: your passport, your ETA confirmation with recognised travel insurance, and your onward itinerary.

📰 Sources: Fragomen immigration alert, "Kenya: Travel Health Insurance Requirement Implemented" (9 October 2026); VisasNews / Action-Visas portal test, "Kenya: ETA portal now requires travel insurance" (6 October 2026); The Eastleigh Voice, "High Court upholds mandatory travel insurance for foreigners entering Kenya" (7 October 2026). Kenya had not published how existing foreign policies will be recognised as of publication; verify current requirements on the official etakenya.go.ke portal before you travel.