Your right to an ID card and a passport
Constitution of Kenya and Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011 · sources read 4 Oct 2026
Every Kenyan citizen is entitled to a Kenyan passport and to the ID and registration documents the State issues to citizens. A passport can only be refused, suspended or taken away under an Act of Parliament, for reasons such as giving false information or letting someone else use it.
- Deadline
- 14 days from the written notice to appeal a passport suspension or confiscation to the High Court.
- Where
- Directorate of Immigration Services for passports; the High Court for appeals
Steps
- Apply for a passport in the prescribed way. Every citizen is entitled to one on application, subject to the Act.
- If your application is rejected, the immigration officer must give you the reasons in writing within 14 days.
- If your passport is suspended or confiscated, you must be told in writing, with the reason, within 7 days.
- You can appeal a suspension or confiscation to the High Court within 14 days of getting the written notice.
Watch out
- A passport or ID document can be denied, suspended or confiscated only under an Act of Parliament that meets the Constitution's test for limiting rights.
- An application is rejected if you give false material information to get a passport.
- Your passport can be suspended or confiscated if you let someone else use it.
Who this covers
- Kenyan citizens.
Official sources (2)
- Constitution of Kenya, 2010 new.kenyalaw.org · read 2 Oct 2026
- Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011 (No. 12 of 2011) new.kenyalaw.org · read 4 Oct 2026