Kenya

Class N digital nomad permit. Work remotely for a foreign employer or your own foreign clients and live in Kenya for one to two years, renewable.

Free · The law behind every answer · Checked Sep 25, 2026

Class N digital nomad permit

A Class N permit valid 1–2 years, renewable, to live in Kenya while working remotely for foreign clients or employers.

Who qualifies

The applicant must work under a foreign employment contract, as a shareholder of a foreign company, or self-employed for clients outside Kenya, with assured annual foreign income of at least $24,000 (revised down from $55,000 in 2025).
Kenya Directorate of Immigration Services, Permit Class N (Digital Nomads)
Work or income-generating activity within Kenya is prohibited on this permit; a clean police-clearance certificate is required.
Kenya Directorate of Immigration Services, Permit Class N (Digital Nomads)

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

2 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: At least $2,000 a month, steady and documented.
Time: 4–8 weeks through the eFNS online system.
Cost: About $200 processing plus $1,000 per year of validity in permit fees.
The hard part: Documenting the foreign-source income at the required level with contracts and bank statements the Directorate accepts.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2035.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
1 year, renewable for 1 year at a time.
2028
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2029
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2030
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2031
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2032
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2033
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2034
Permanent residence
Seven years on work permits, the last three continuously resident in Kenya (s. 37). Spouses of citizens qualify after three years of marriage.
2034
Apply for citizenship
With a language test.
2035
Citizenship

Language: Able to speak and understand Kiswahili or a local dialect.
Time away: Seven years of continuous lawful residence, ordinarily resident for the seven years right before applying and for the whole of the last 12 months, on a valid permit. The applicant must also show a substantive contribution to Kenya.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Class N is a work-permit class, and the Act counts time on work permits toward permanence (seven years) and citizenship; the permit length (commonly one to two years, five at most) and how officials treat it in practice are not confirmed.
The Act asks for 'adequate knowledge of Kenya and of the duties and rights of citizens', but no formal civics test was found.
Spouses of citizens wait seven years of marriage for citizenship, not less, so no shorter clock is shown.
No official decision-time figure found.
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.

The law behind these dates

Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations 2012 (L.N. 64/2012) as at 30 May 2025: Class N permit · checked 2026-09-25
Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011 (rev. 2012), ss. 11, 13, 20 and 37, via ILO NATLEX · checked 2026-09-25

Living there.

Time you must spend there: The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax: Kenya taxes residents (183+ days, or 122+ days averaged over two years) on worldwide income, though this permit is meant for foreign-sourced earnings only.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Apply through Kenya's eFNS Class N permit portal.Open fns.immigration.go.ke ↗
Round up the papers.
- Proof of steady income: at least $2,000 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

Or let us run it.

$900for your first year as a founding member. Then $399 a year, automatically.Standard first year: $1,200. Everyone renews at $399.One membership, the whole family. Accounts and activation included.

22 steps, from the first paper to the passport. You do 4 of them: send what we ask for, sign, and show up. We run the rest, and keep every permit renewed on time. Accounts and activation are included, whether you move now or keep the plan ready. Accounts depend on provider availability. Government, record and approved third-party charges are extra.

Run it for my family →

ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

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