German Embassy: No Visa for Kenyans Without ePassport

The German embassy together with other EU missions in Kenya announce ePassport requirement for Kenyan visa applicants.

According to a statement released by the Schengen States representatives in Kenya among them the German Embassy, Kenyan visa applicants will be required to present an ePassport from 1st June to get a visa appointment and consequently get a visa. Schengen visas will no longer be issued on the old analog Kenyan passport.

The basis for this decision is the Visa Code (formerly known as Article 12a of the EU Regulation No 810/2009) that dictates that “The applicant shall present a valid travel document […] (whose) validity shall extend at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States or, in the case of several visits, after the last intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States. However, in a justified case of emergency, this obligation may be waived;”.

The decision by the embassies was made based on official communication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the old analog Kenyan passport will expire on 31st August 2019.

In light of this communication, the old passports will not be valid for longer than three months as required from 1st June 2019.