Updated 15 November 2026
This JKIA arrival guide follows the official sequence Kenya Airports Authority publishes for passengers landing at a Kenyan airport: passport control, Port Health, baggage reclaim, Customs, and, if it applies to you, a plant-health check. It also covers connecting flights and how you leave the terminal. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is Nairobi’s main international airport. The steps are those KAA, the Directorate of Immigration Services and the eTA portal set out, not a walk-through of every corridor.
Checked on 12 November 2026 against KAA’s arriving and connecting page, the Directorate of Immigration Services arrival-procedures page, and the Kenya eTA general information page. Customs and currency rules cited here are those KAA attributes to the Kenya Revenue Authority, with the detail in KRA’s passenger terminal clearance FAQ. Confirm on those official pages before you fly. This JKIA arrival guide is a reading of those pages, not a substitute for airline instructions.
On this page
In this guide
Before you land: eTA and documents
KAA’s first instruction in this JKIA arrival guide sequence is passport control: passengers ending their journey in Kenya, or making a domestic connection, must pass through it, and should have an approved Electronic Travel Authorisation if they need one, via etakenya.go.ke. The official eTA page says an eTA is permission to travel, authorised by the Government of Kenya, and that possession of an eTA is not the final authority to enter; admissibility is determined at the point of entry. Applications are usually processed in three days, with an urgent service, and it is recommended you apply at least two weeks before travel. Our Kenya eTA guide covers who is exempt and how to apply.
The Directorate of Immigration Services says every traveller — a foreign national, a Kenyan citizen or a resident — must appear in person before an immigration officer with a passport or other acceptable travel document valid for at least six months, and must present themselves for biometrics (a facial photograph and fingerprints). Have your onward or return plan available if you are asked. Most foreign visitors also need inbound travel health insurance, set out in our travel health insurance guide.
Passport control and biometrics
At passport control you present the passport, the eTA if you need one, and you go through the biometric capture Immigration describes. An immigration officer decides whether you are admitted. If there is a problem with you or your documents, Immigration’s arrival-procedures page describes referral and, on departure, the possibility of being denied exit and offloaded; on arrival, admission is not automatic just because the eTA was approved. That is why this JKIA arrival guide repeats the official warning that an eTA is not the final authority to enter.
Port Health, bags and Customs
KAA’s next step is Port Health. Have your yellow fever vaccination certificate ready if you are arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever. KAA says passengers without one may be refused entry. The certificate rules, CDC recommendations and Ministry of Health exemptions are set out on the Ministry of Health, GOV.UK and CDC pages cited in the source note above.
In the baggage hall, KAA says trolleys are free, and airline baggage desks can help with missing or damaged bags. Customs officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority may inspect baggage. KAA says you must declare goods above your allowance and currency over USD 10,000 or its equivalent. The official allowance, Form F88 and the USD 10,000 currency rule are set out in the KRA passenger terminal clearance FAQ linked in the source note above. Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) desks are in the arrival terminals; KAA says plants and plant material need written authority from the country of origin.
Connecting and transit
If you are only connecting, this JKIA arrival guide turns on whether you leave the airport precincts. The eTA general-information page exempts “all passengers in transit through Kenya arriving and leaving by the same aircraft or transferring to another aircraft and who do not leave the precincts of Airports in Kenya.” KAA says airlines have transfer desks in the departure halls, and that if you need to pass through immigration during a transit you may need an eTA.
A domestic connection is a case where KAA says you must pass through passport control. If you will clear immigration, stay overnight outside the terminal, or collect bags and re-check them, treat yourself as seeking entry and apply for an eTA unless another exemption applies.
Domestic terminals and leaving JKIA
KAA says domestic flights by Kenya Airways and Jambojet use Terminal 1D at JKIA, and that Terminal 2 serves other domestic airlines, Skyward, I-Fly, and Somalia and UN flights. Confirm your terminal with your airline, because this JKIA arrival guide is repeating KAA’s published split, not a live departure board.
When you leave the airport, KAA says to use authorised taxis and transfer companies, and to ignore offers of transport from people in the terminal. Lounge access and day-pass prices are in our guide to JKIA lounges.
Follow this JKIA arrival guide in the official order: an eTA if you need one, a passport valid for at least six months, biometrics, Port Health, bags, a Customs declaration if you are over the allowance or the USD 10,000 currency threshold, and an authorised exit from the terminal. Recheck KAA and Immigration if your trip involves a tight connection or a domestic onward flight. Print or save this JKIA arrival guide’s official links before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an eTA, according to this JKIA arrival guide, if I am only transiting?
The official eTA page exempts transit passengers who arrive and leave by air and do not leave the airport precincts. KAA says that if you need to pass through immigration during a transit, you may need an eTA. A domestic connection goes through passport control.
How long must my passport be valid in this JKIA arrival guide?
The Directorate of Immigration Services says the passport or other acceptable travel document must be valid for at least six months, and you must appear in person and give biometrics.
Where does yellow fever sit in the JKIA arrival guide?
At Port Health, after passport control. KAA says to have the certificate ready if you are arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever, or you may be refused entry.
What cash must I declare, in this JKIA arrival guide?
KAA says you must declare currency over USD 10,000 or its equivalent, as well as goods above your Customs allowance. See our cash-rules and customs-allowance guides for the KRA detail.
Related: Kenya eTA requirements and how to apply
Related: Kenya travel health insurance for visitors
Related: JKIA lounges: access and day-pass prices
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