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, with the law behind every answer

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. Its lawful years count toward permanent residence after seven years and the ordinary citizenship period; each grant follows the work-permit term approved by Immigration.
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.

The law behind these dates

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 ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $2,000 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health cover for the move

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