Kenya handles every work and residence permit through one online system, eFNS 2.0. If you are hiring an expatriate, setting up a business, or retiring here, this is the system your application passes through. This guide explains what eFNS 2.0 is, what an application involves, what it costs, who decides, and where applications tend to go wrong.
This guide is for employers sponsoring a foreign hire, foreign investors and business owners, professionals moving to Kenya, and retirees. It explains the system that sits behind every class. For the detail of a particular class, read our guides on the Class D employment permit, the Class G business permit, and the Class K ordinary resident permit, and our Class G versus Class D comparison.
eFNS stands for the electronic Foreign Nationals Services system. It is the Directorate of Immigration Services‘ online platform for permits, passes and related services. The “2.0” is the rebuilt version that now sits behind the Government of Kenya single login, so a person signs in once through eCitizen and reaches immigration services from there.
The system changed the process, not the law. The power to issue a permit still comes from the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011, and the classes, requirements and fees still sit in the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations, 2012, as amended, most recently by Legal Notice No. 198 of 2024, which added new classes and revised several fees. What eFNS 2.0 changed is that filing, payment, tracking and much of the correspondence now happen in one place, in place of the paper-and-queue process that came before.
An application is built around Form 25, the permit issuance and renewal form, together with Form 27, a report on employment, for the work classes. Alongside the forms sit the supporting documents the class requires, such as passport bio-data, photographs, a cover letter, tax compliance certificates, certified academic and professional certificates, and the class-specific proof, whether an investment amount for Class G or an assured income for Class K. Every document must be legible, current, and accompanied by a certified English translation where it is in another language.
Once the application is lodged, a processing fee becomes payable, and the file passes to the Permit Determination Committee for a recommendation. This is the substantive stage, and it is where a thin or poorly evidenced application fails. If the permit is granted, the issuance fee is paid and the permit is endorsed in the passport at the immigration offices at Nyayo House.
The mechanics are online, but the outcome turns on the strength of the file rather than the form-filling. Employment and business applications carry evidential tests, such as the understudy and localisation case for Class D and the capital proof for Class G, and getting these right is what decides the application. This is the part we prepare and present for clients, from selecting the correct class to assembling and presenting the supporting case.
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.
Fees come in two parts. The processing fee is non-refundable and payable at the outset. The issuance fee is larger and is payable only if the permit is granted. Both are set by the Regulations.
| Class | Purpose | Processing fee | Issuance fee (per year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class D | Employment | KES 20,000 (non-refundable) | KES 500,000 |
| Class G | Trade, business or consultancy | KES 20,000 (non-refundable) | KES 250,000 |
| Class K | Ordinary resident | KES 20,000 (non-refundable) | KES 250,000 |
Citizens of East African Community partner states are issued free of charge. Confirm the exact amount for your class before paying, because fee schedules are amended from time to time.
Because a permit takes time to determine, many applicants need a lawful way to be in Kenya, or to start work, before it issues. The Special Pass provides that cover, as a short-term pass for the period while the permit is processed. Work should not begin on a visitor’s pass or an eTA. Plan the Special Pass early where someone must be on the ground quickly, and treat it as a temporary bridge rather than a substitute for the permit.
A permit holder’s spouse and children can apply for dependant’s passes tied to the permit, renewed alongside it. A permit should be renewed before it expires, because a lapse can force a fresh application rather than a renewal, and it can leave the holder without status in the meantime. Where an application is refused, the reasons can usually be addressed and the application made again, and in some cases appealed. A refusal is more often a matter of an incomplete file or an unmet requirement than a closed door.
An application never stands alone. An employer sponsoring a Class D hire also takes on Employment Act, 2007 duties, PAYE deductions to the Kenya Revenue Authority, and statutory contributions to the Social Health Insurance Fund and the National Social Security Fund once the employee is on the payroll. A Class G investor is at the same time registering a company under the Companies Act, 2015 and obtaining a KRA PIN and tax compliance certificate. And every application involves a large amount of personal data, which brings the Data Protection Act, 2019 into play for whoever handles the file. The permit is one workstream in a bundle that is best planned together rather than in sequence.
A Nairobi technology company hires a data engineer from India. It makes a Class D application in the company’s name, with the employment contract, the engineer’s certified degree, a tax compliance certificate, and a named Kenyan understudy supported by a CV and evidence that the role was advertised locally and could not be filled. It pays the KES 20,000 processing fee. While the file is with the Permit Determination Committee, the engineer enters on a Special Pass so onboarding is not delayed. On approval, the company pays the KES 500,000 issuance fee and completes the endorsement at Nyayo House. The elapsed time depends on the Committee’s queue, so the company starts early.
Can I start work while my permit is pending? Not on the permit, but a Special Pass can cover the gap while a determination is awaited. Do not begin work on a visitor’s pass.
Who applies, the employer or the individual? For employment (Class D) the employer sponsors and files. For business (Class G) and ordinary residence (Class K) the applicant applies, though a company is involved for Class G.
What if I picked the wrong class? You generally have to withdraw and apply again under the correct class, losing the processing fee. Getting the class right at the outset matters.
Is the whole process online? The application and payment are online. The final endorsement of the permit in the passport is done in person at the immigration offices.
How long does it take? It depends on the Committee’s queue and on whether the file is complete. Completeness is the biggest factor within your control.
Do I need a lawyer? The system can be used directly, but employment and business applications carry evidential tests, such as the understudy case and the capital proof, where getting the file right the first time saves the fee and the wait.
The applications that fail tend to fail for the same reasons. An incomplete file is the first, whether a missing tax compliance certificate, an uncertified copy, or a document left untranslated. A weak localisation case is the second, and it sinks Class D applications in particular, because if you cannot show that the role was genuinely advertised and a Kenyan could not fill it, the application struggles. The wrong class is the third. Allowing a permit to lapse before renewal is the fourth, since it can force a fresh application. Slow responses to the Committee’s requests stall the file. And treating the Special Pass as optional causes avoidable disruption when someone needs to be in Kenya before the permit issues.
Our immigration team prepares and presents work and residence permit applications from start to finish, including class selection, the document file, the localisation case for employment permits, and the company and tax steps that sit alongside a business permit. We also handle Special Passes, renewals and appeals against refusals. To discuss a permit 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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