Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011 and its Regulations: overview and where to read them
Directorate of Immigration Services / Kenya Law · sources read 4 Oct 2026
The Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011 (in force since 30 August 2011) is the main law on citizenship, permits, permanent residence and registering foreigners; the 2012 Regulations set the permit classes and passes. Read the current official text free on Kenya Law (new.kenyalaw.org).
- Where
- Read the Act and Regulations free on Kenya Law (new.kenyalaw.org); apply for immigration services on eFNS or eCitizen
Steps
- Open the Act on Kenya Law (new.kenyalaw.org/akn/ke/act/2011/12). It replaced the old Kenya Citizenship Act, Immigration Act and Aliens Restriction Act.
- Find the part you need: permanent residence is under section 37 and work permits under section 40.
- For permit classes, read the Seventh Schedule of the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations, 2012. Passes (special, dependant, student) are in regulation 26.
- Watch for changes: the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (Bill No. 53) proposes removing the time limits for stateless persons and migrants to apply for citizenship.
Watch out
- A Bill is only a proposal until Parliament passes it and it is signed into law. In the revised Laws of Kenya the Act is now cited as Cap. 170.
- If you disagree with a permit decision, you can appeal to the Cabinet Secretary for review.
Who this covers
- It applies to Kenyans and to foreigners: any foreigner living in Kenya for more than 90 days must be registered.
Official sources (7)
- Citizenship immigration.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- About Us immigration.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Foreign Nationals Management Services immigration.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- eFNS Application Information Portal fns.immigration.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Immigration Permit Information Pack fns.immigration.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Immigration Passes Information Pack fns.immigration.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026
- Invitation to public participation: Registration of Persons (Amendment) Bill and Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Bill parliament.go.ke · read 4 Oct 2026