Kenyans to pay more for passports, IDs as new fees for government services kick in
Members of the public queue at the Department of Immigration Services Passport control office at Nyayo House in Nairobi. Inset: Kenyan ID cards, a passport, and birth certificates.
What you need to know:
- The cost of applying for a standard 34-page passport has jumped from Sh4,500 to Sh7,500.
- According to the new rates, a 50-page ordinary passport will now cost Sh9,500, up from Sh6,000.
The government has implemented revised fees for some of its services, including passports, IDs, birth and death certificates, and work permit applications.
Consequently, the fees for some of these services have doubled or gone up by up to ten times or more.
The government has said the new fees will be implemented following the conclusion of a public engagement exercise conducted between November 14, 2023 and December 5, 2023
"You may recall that the effective date for the implementation of these charges was January 1, 2024.
However, the said charges were to be subject to public participation before coming into effect," a memo from the Director of the Ministry of Home Affairs states.
"The purpose of this circular is therefore to inform you that the revised fees, charges and levies will come into effect from March 1, 2024 and all our services will be charged accordingly," the memo dated February 29, 2024 further reads.
The memo was copied to all section heads, regional coordinators, national registrars, district coordinators and sub-district registrars.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on August 31, 2023, when he made an impromptu visit to the Immigration Department at Nyayo House following public outcry over delays in passport application and delivery process.
On November 14, 2023, Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Kithure Kindiki published the new rates in a gazette notification No. 241, where all services provided by the Immigration Department were reviewed upwards.
As a result, the issuance of a new birth certificate will now cost Sh200 instead of Sh50, similar to the issuance of a death certificate.
Late registration of a birth certificate will now cost Sh500 up from Sh50, similar to late registration of a death certificate. Amendment fees for both certificates have increased by Sh870 to Sh1,000.
Foreign registration of births and deaths at Kenyan missions abroad will cost US$150, up from US$50.
Replacing an ID card now costs Sh1000. It used to cost Sh100. Changing details remain the same at Sh1000.
The cost of applying for a standard 34-page passport has jumped from Sh4,500 to Sh7,500.
According to the new rates, a 50-page ordinary passport will now cost Sh9,500, up from Sh6,000, while the application fee for a 66-page ordinary passport has shot up from Sh7,500 to Sh12,500.
At the same time, the cost of a 50-page diplomatic passport has doubled to Sh15,000, while the cost of a 34-page service passport remains unchanged at Sh6,000.
Replacing a lost passport will now cost Sh20,000, up from Sh12,000, while replacing a mutilated passport will cost Sh10,000, up from Sh20,000.
An express passport now costs Sh30,000, a single entry visa $100 while a multiple entry visa costs $500.
Legal residents with spouses and children will now part with Sh800,000 to be processed and issued with permanent residence permits while foreign spouses to Kenyans will pay Sh50,000 to become permanent residents.
Citizenship processing fees now stand at Sh20,000, with the declaration of dual citizenship now costing Sh10,000 and obtaining citizenship costing Sh50,000 from Sh5,000.
Becoming a Kenyan citizen will now cost Sh50,000 for East Africans and Sh100,000 for non-East Africans.
Identity report fees have also shot up from Sh300 to Sh700, while civil servants' cards now cost Sh900.
At the same time, civil servants will have to part with Sh1,000 for their identity cards, an increase from Sh350.
