Get a Convention Travel Document (refugee passport)
Department of Refugee Services · sources read 2 Oct 2026
To travel outside Kenya as a refugee you need a Convention Travel Document (CTD). Apply in person at a DRS office with Form 19, a letter to the Commissioner, your refugee ID and the other papers. It's free and takes up to 90 days.
- Fee
- We couldn't confirm a fee from the official page. Check it there before you pay.
- How long
- Up to 90 days after approval (14 days in exceptional cases)
- Where
- In person at a Department of Refugee Services office: Kakuma or Dadaab camps, or the Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret or Mombasa offices
What you need
- Filled application Form 19
- An application letter to the Commissioner for Refugee Affairs, explaining why you need to travel
- A copy of the ID of a Kenyan who recommends you
- 3 passport-size photos on a white background
- Your refugee ID and proof of registration
- To renew: your old CTD booklet
Steps
- Prepare your documents and write a letter to the Commissioner for Refugee Affairs explaining your reason for travel.
- Apply in person at a DRS office: Kakuma, Dadaab, Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret or Mombasa.
- Once approved, the CTD is issued within 90 days. Collect it yourself at the office.
Watch out
- Don't travel on a passport from your home country. It can lead to your refugee status being cancelled and expulsion from Kenya.
- A CTD can't be used to travel to your country of origin. Doing so can get it cancelled.
- All DRS services, including the CTD, are free.
Who can apply
- Recognised refugees with a valid reason to travel outside Kenya.
- Reasons include resettlement, education, medical care, work, business, family reunification, and religious or sports events.
- For a child, the parent or guardian applies on the child's behalf.
Official sources (4)
- Refugee Service Guide refugee.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- The Refugees (General) Regulations, 2024 (L.N. 39 of 2024) refugee.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- DRS FAQs (leaflet) refugee.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026
- Notice to refugees using passports from country of origin refugee.go.ke · read 2 Oct 2026