Citizens of South Africa and Ethiopia are among those who will no longer be required to pay the $30 fee required to enter into Kenya. The fee is a prerequisite to be allowed into the East African country via its electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) system.

To end 2023, Kenyan President William Ruto announced a new visa-free policy, however, its processes still feel very much like entering the country with a visa. Except for citizens of six East African Partner States — Rwanda, Congo, South Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda — all other exemptions from the eTA process are limited to diplomatic persons and bodies. It’s the same for individuals who can apply without paying the $30 fee. The distinctions are listed on the Kenyan Directorate of Immigration Services website.

Upon the announcement, there were reactions from many who were puzzled about the system, stating that the policy wasn’t “free” after all. From a diplomatic standpoint, there were concerns about the eTA requirements for countries where Kenyans are only required to present their passports to enter. Alongside South Africa and Ethiopia, citizens of Comoros, Congo-Brazzaville, Eritrea, Mozambique and San Marino will, now, no longer need to pay an application fee, but they will still need to fill the online application form.

According to Kenyan Immigration, these are “countries which had concluded visa abolition agreements or signed bilateral visa waiver agreements with the Republic of Kenya.” This is coming on the back of complaints about the relatively high cost of the application fee. While it’s not on the same level as the express entry extended to the aforementioned partner states, the fee exemption is a realignment of the visa-free policy, specifically to countries Kenya shares a great relationship with.

“My heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Government of Kenya for its prompt response and kind decision to remove Ethiopian citizens from Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) related electronic payment requirement,” Bacha Debele, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Kenya, stated, while reminding citizens that they still need to fill the online eTA application.