A Class G work permit Kenya is the permit for a foreign national who comes to run a business rather than to be employed. It is the investor’s and entrepreneur’s route. One requirement decides most applications: you must show capital to be invested of at least USD 100,000. This guide explains who qualifies, the company documents you need, the fees, and how the application is made.
This guide is for foreign investors, entrepreneurs and independent consultants setting up or running a business in Kenya. If you are being employed by a Kenyan company, you need a Class D permit instead; our Class G versus Class D comparison explains which one fits. If you plan to live in Kenya on independent income without trading, that is Class K.
Class G sits in the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations, 2012, under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, No. 12 of 2011. The Directorate of Immigration describes it as a permit for a person who intends to engage, alone or in partnership, in a specific trade, business, consultancy or profession that is not a prescribed profession.
The distinction from Class D matters. Class D is employment by someone else, while Class G is running your own venture. Because the applicant is the investor, the state asks a different question: not whether a Kenyan could do the job, but whether this is genuine, funded investment. That is why the capital test, rather than an understudy plan, sits at the centre of a Class G application. A prescribed profession, meaning one of the regulated professions that fall under Class C, is carved out of Class G.
The applicant must be genuinely engaging in a trade, business, consultancy or non-prescribed profession in Kenya, through a properly registered entity, and must be able to prove the capital behind it. This is not a permit for a passive shareholder. It is for a person who is actively running or directing the business in Kenya.
This is the requirement that decides most applications. You must provide documentary proof of capital to be invested of at least USD 100,000. Asserting a plan is not enough. The file needs evidence, such as bank statements, transfer records, asset or equipment valuations, or audited figures, showing that the money is real and committed to the Kenyan business. A vague or unevidenced capital claim is the most common reason a Class G application stalls, so assemble more proof than you think you need and make sure it ties to the company that is applying.
The application is filed through the company and includes, among other things:
The processing fee is KES 20,000 and is non-refundable, payable on filing. The issuance fee is KES 250,000 per year, payable on approval. Citizens of East African Community partner states are issued free of charge.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Processing fee (on filing, non-refundable) | KES 20,000 |
| Issuance fee (on approval, per year) | KES 250,000 |
| Minimum capital to be invested | USD 100,000 (documentary proof) |
| EAC partner-state citizens | Free |
Note the two currencies at work. The capital test is set in US dollars, while the fees are in shillings. Budget for both.
Applications are made online through the immigration portal, in the company’s name. The company and capital documents are uploaded, and the file goes to the Permit Determination Committee for a recommendation. In practice a Class G application succeeds or fails on the strength of the capital evidence and the corporate file, which is the part we prepare and present for clients. Our guide to applying through eFNS covers the mechanics of the system. Readers who want the raw procedure and the current forms can find them on the Directorate of Immigration’s official portal at fns.immigration.go.ke.
Class G permits are commonly issued for up to two years and are renewable. Renewal is where the audited-accounts requirement bites, because you must show that the business has actually traded and that the investment is real. Keep proper books and audited accounts from year one, and apply to renew before expiry to avoid a gap in status.
A spouse and children can apply for dependant’s passes tied to the Class G holder, and these are renewed alongside the permit.
A Class G permit assumes a functioning Kenyan company behind it, so the company work comes first. You register under the Companies Act, 2015 through the Business Registration Service, obtain KRA PINs and a tax compliance certificate, and file the company’s beneficial-ownership information, which is the CR12 and ownership picture the immigration file relies on. Depending on the sector, you may also need a specific licence, such as a county trading licence or a regulator’s approval where the activity is regulated. A Class G application is really the last step of a company set-up, and it goes smoothly only when the corporate, tax and beneficial-ownership layers are already clean.
A South African founder wants to open a logistics business in Mombasa. She first incorporates a Kenyan company, obtains its PIN and CR12, and opens a corporate bank account. She funds the company and documents USD 120,000 in committed capital through transfer records and an equipment valuation. She then files a Class G application through the company, attaching the incorporation certificate, the memorandum and articles, the capital evidence, and Form 27. She pays the KES 20,000 processing fee. A Special Pass covers her presence while the Committee considers the file. On approval she pays the KES 250,000 issuance fee and completes the endorsement, then keeps audited accounts from year one so the two-year renewal is straightforward.
What counts as the USD 100,000 capital? Committed investment into the business, evidenced, such as cash transferred, equipment, or assets. Keep the proof, because an unevidenced figure is the usual sticking point.
Do I need a company, or can I apply as an individual? Class G runs through a registered business. Even a solo consultant usually applies through a registered entity with a PIN and CR12.
Can I be employed by another firm on a Class G permit? No. Class G is for your own trade or business, while employment by another is Class D.
How long does it last? Commonly up to two years and renewable, and renewal requires audited accounts for the previous two years. Confirm the term on determination.
Can my family join me? Yes. Dependant’s passes are available for a spouse and children.
Is the capital a fee I pay to the government? No. The USD 100,000 is investment into your own business that you must evidence, not a payment to immigration. The government fees are the separate shilling amounts shown above.
The usual failure is capital that cannot be proven, meaning a business plan without evidence of funds actually committed. An incomplete corporate file comes next, whether a missing CR12, no company PIN, or an out-of-date tax compliance certificate. Some applicants file as Class G when they are really employees, which is Class D. On renewal, the absence of audited accounts for the previous two years causes delay. And founders who leave the immigration step to the end, after signing leases and hiring staff, can find themselves without status when they most need it. A Special Pass covers that gap, but it is a bridge, not a substitute for the permit.
Our immigration, corporate and business-registration teams set up the company, the tax registrations and the beneficial-ownership record, then prepare and present the Class G application, including the capital evidence that decides it. We also handle Special Passes, dependant’s passes, renewals and appeals. To discuss a Class G application, contact John Maina, Partner, at OLM Law Advocates LLP.
This article is a general guide only and is not legal advice. Please seek advice on your specific circumstances.
OLM Law Advocates LLP advises employers, investors and individuals on Kenyan work and residence permits from start to finish.
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