Ghana Visa Services in Kenya

Planning travel from Kenya to Ghana — for business, tourism, a conference in Accra or family reasons? This guide explains how Kenyan citizens and foreign residents of Kenya obtain a Ghana visa, how the e-Visa portal fits in, and what the Ghana High Commission in Nairobi handles directly.

Do You Need a Visa for Ghana?

Kenya is a member of the East African Community, not ECOWAS, so the ECOWAS free-movement rules that let West Africans enter Ghana visa-free do not apply to Kenyan passport holders. Traditionally that has meant Kenyans need a visa or visa on arrival for Ghana. Entry policy for African passport holders has been evolving, however — Ghana has been progressively relaxing requirements for African nationals — so check your current position with the High Commission in Nairobi or on the official e-Visa portal before booking travel rather than relying on older guidance.

Foreign nationals living in Kenya — UN staff, expatriates, students — apply under the rules for their own nationality. ECOWAS citizens resident in Nairobi (Nigerians, Senegalese, Ivorians and others) need no visa for Ghana at all; most other nationalities use the e-Visa portal or apply through the mission.

The Ghana e-Visa

Ghana’s online visa system at evisa.ghana.gov.gh is the most convenient route for eligible nationalities: you apply, upload documents and pay online, and receive an electronic visa without visiting Mamlaka Road. Typical requirements mirror a paper application — a passport valid for at least six months, a recent photograph, travel itinerary, proof of accommodation or a host invitation, and evidence of sufficient funds. If your nationality is not yet covered by the portal, or your case is complex (long stays, work, accompanying dependants), apply through the High Commission instead.

Applying Through the Nairobi High Commission

The consular section at the Minet ICDC Complex processes visa applications for Ghana across the standard categories:

• Tourist visa — single or multiple entry, for stays of up to 60 days
• Business visa — usually supported by an invitation letter from a Ghanaian company or event organiser; common for Nairobi-based firms trading with Accra and for delegates to conferences and AfCFTA-related events, the free trade area being headquartered in Accra
• Transit visa — for stopovers of up to 48 hours
• Work and residence permit support — the permits themselves are issued by the Ghana Immigration Service in Ghana, but the mission can advise on entry visas for people taking up employment

Contact the mission on +254 20 271 5500 or nairobi@mfa.gov.gh for the current application form, fee and turnaround time — visa fees and processing times vary by category and nationality, so confirm the current figures with the mission before you apply. Build in at least two weeks of buffer for a paper application, more in peak seasons.

Yellow Fever: Non-Negotiable

Whatever visa route you use, Ghana requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate — the yellow ICVP card — from all arriving travellers, and you will be asked for it at Kotoka International Airport. Kenya is itself classified as a yellow fever risk country, which makes the certificate doubly important on this route. Vaccinations are widely available in Nairobi at licensed travel clinics and public facilities; get the jab at least ten days before departure, as the certificate only becomes valid then. Keep it with your passport, not in checked luggage.

Flights and Practicalities

Direct flights connect Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with Accra in roughly six hours, and one-stop options route through Addis Ababa, Lomé and Kigali. Immigration at Kotoka will want to see your visa or e-Visa approval, yellow fever certificate, return or onward ticket and, occasionally, proof of accommodation — carry printed copies of electronic documents. If you intend to stay beyond your visa validity, extensions are handled inside Ghana by the Ghana Immigration Service, not by embassies abroad.

The Right of Abode and Longer Stays

People of African descent considering a long-term move to Ghana — a real theme since the Year of Return — can look at the Right of Abode under the Immigration Act 2000 (Act 573), which grants qualifying applicants the right to live and work in Ghana indefinitely. Applications run through the Ghana Immigration Service; the Nairobi mission can explain the documentary requirements. For Ghanaians in Kenya whose questions are really about their own status — passports, dual citizenship, children’s nationality — see our passport and citizenship guides for Kenya.

Document Checklist Before You Apply

Whichever route you take — e-Visa or the counter in Nairobi — assemble the file before you start, because incomplete applications are the main cause of delay:

• Passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel date, with at least one blank page
• One or two recent passport photographs (white background)
• Confirmed or provisional flight itinerary (Nairobi–Accra return for most visitors)
• Hotel booking in Ghana or an invitation letter from your host, with their address and contact details
• For business travel: a letter from your Kenyan employer and the Ghanaian counterpart or event organiser
• Evidence of funds — recent bank statements are the usual standard
• Yellow fever certificate (checked at the airport rather than at application, but obtain it early)

Scan everything before submission and keep digital copies; if a question arises while your passport is with the mission, being able to email a document the same day keeps your application moving.

Official Sources

• Ghana High Commission, Nairobi
• Ghana e-Visa Portal
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana
• Ghana Immigration Service
• National Identification Authority (Ghana Card)

Last updated: 2026-08-04. Visa policy and fees change; always confirm current requirements with the High Commission or the official e-Visa portal before booking travel.