The airline asks for your eTA
Show that South Africans are exempt (Legal Notice 93 of 2025). If they still insist, the eTA application costs South Africans nothing, so applying is a quick fallback.
Do South Africans need a visa for Kenya?
Visa-freefor South African passports
South Africans can visit Kenya without a visa and without an eTA for up to 90 days.
What changed: Kenya’s Legal Notice 93, issued on 30 May 2025, exempted South Africans from the eTA, and reports in February 2026 confirmed visa-free entry. Kenya’s eTA website still lists only East African countries as exempt, which confuses some airline staff.
What you need
Tick these off as you go. Your ticks are saved on this device.
How to do it
- Get your yellow fever jab at least 10 days before you fly.
- Check the IATA Travel Centre (the system airlines use) a few days before you fly.
- If an airline still insists on an eTA, apply on etakenya.go.ke: the fee is waived for South Africans.
Official site:
Airlines decide whether you can board using a database called Timatic. Before you fly, check your route on the IATA Travel Centre.
What it costs in rand
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Visa and eTA | Free |
| Yellow fever jab (needed to come home, see below) | About R350 plus the clinic consultation |
Rand amounts use the exchange rate on 9 October 2026 (R16.53 to the US dollar, R18.50 to the euro, R21.87 to the pound) and are rounded. Work out your whole trip in the budget calculator.
Common problems and fixes
Stopped at home without a yellow fever card
South Africa can refuse entry or quarantine travellers from risk countries without a valid certificate. Carry the yellow card with your passport.
Coming home: yellow fever
South Africa asks travellers arriving from yellow fever risk countries for a yellow fever certificate, and that can include South Africans coming home. Get the jab at a travel clinic at least 10 days before you fly (about R350 plus the consultation) and keep the yellow card with your passport.
Plan your trip
Best timeJuly to October for the great migration
MoneyKenyan shilling (KES); M-Pesa mobile money is everywhere
Return flight from Johannesburg (rough guide)R6,000–R9,000
Daily budget per person (rough guide)R1,100–R2,500
Three trip ideas
Maasai Mara
The great migration from July to October; book early, prices jump.
Nairobi
The Giraffe Centre, the national park on the city edge and the food scene.
Diani Beach
White sand south of Mombasa, good for a beach week after safari.
Good to know
- Malaria is a risk outside Nairobi.
- Safari prices are highest July to October.
Book
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Sources and checks
Checked17 Oct 2026
Checked on 17 Oct 2026. The official page was silent on some details or couldn’t be opened from our checker, so those details are confirmed by at least two independent sources.
- secondaryKenya broadens eTA exemptions for African and other nationals (Legal Notice 93 of 2025) · Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr · published 24 Jul 2025
- secondaryKenya reinstates visa-free access for South Africans · IOL · published 6 Feb 2026
- officialKenya eTA: who is exempt · Government of Kenya · no date shown
- secondaryKenya waives eTA fees for South Africans · Travelnews · published 15 Feb 2024
- officialYellow fever vaccination requirements for South Africa · South African Tourism · no date shown
- secondaryYellow fever: cost, timing and validity · Travelstart · published 1 Jul 2026
How we check: our method and every source we use.
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