Register as an asylum seeker and get a refugee ID
Department of Refugee Services · sources read 1 Oct 2026
Report to the nearest refugee reception centre or government administrative office as soon as you enter Kenya, and within 30 days at the latest. After registration you get a free asylum seeker pass, and once you are recognised as a refugee you get a refugee identity card.
- Fee
- FreeAsylum seeker identification document (free)
- How long
- A decision on refugee status within 90 days of applying (can be extended for good reason)
- Deadline
- Report within 30 days of entering Kenya
- Where
- In person: the nearest refugee reception centre or government administrative office, then the Department of Refugee Services (Refugee Officer)
What you need
- Form 1, given to you by the officer you report to, filled in
- Any identification document you have with you
- Any immigration permit you were given in Kenya (you hand it over)
Steps
- Report to the nearest refugee reception centre or government administrative office as soon as you enter Kenya (within 30 days at the latest).
- Take Form 1 from the officer, fill it in and hand it to a Refugee Officer within 14 days.
- Go in person with your family for the registration interview, where your fingerprints and photo are taken.
- Get your asylum seeker pass. It is valid for up to 90 days and shows the date you must come back.
- If you are granted refugee status, you get a refugee identity card (a refugee identification pass if you are under 18) and hand back your asylum seeker pass.
Watch out
- Carry your asylum seeker pass at all times. It is your proof that you are in Kenya legally.
- If you miss the return date on your pass, it can be withdrawn. Go back on the date shown.
- Asylum seeker documents are free. Don't pay anyone for them.
Who can apply
- Anyone entering Kenya to seek asylum
- Someone already in Kenya legally who can no longer safely return home, as long as they apply before their legal stay ends
Official sources (3)
- Refugees Act, 2021 (Cap. 173) new.kenyalaw.org · read 1 Oct 2026
- Refugees (General) Regulations, 2024 (L.N. 39 of 2024) new.kenyalaw.org · read 1 Oct 2026
- Department of Refugee Services refugee.go.ke · read 1 Oct 2026