Kenya · Work
Kenya Class I · Religious work
First stay: 5 yrs
Class I Permit (Approved religious activities, KEP/I)
Checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Class I · Religious work is a work route for Kenya. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- Government fees
- KES 20k/yr ≈ $150
- Processing
- 21 working days
- First stay
- 5 yrs
Cost, time and long term
To apply: government fee KES 20k/yr ≈ $150; decision: 21 working days. No lawyer or agent fee is included.
Government feesKES 20k/yr ≈ $150
- KES 20,000 a year (≈ $150)Issuance fee per year.
RenewalRenewable
Can be renewed for further periods on payment of the renewal fee. No single issue or renewal can run longer than five years.
Kenya LawDirectorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya
Permanent residenceAfter 7 years of residence
Holders of Kenyan work permits for at least seven years who have lived in Kenya continuously for the three years before applying can apply for permanent residence, together with their spouse and children.
Kenya LawDirectorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya
CitizenshipAfter 7 years of residence
Registration as a citizen needs seven years of continuous lawful residence under a valid permit, including the 12 months just before applying. You also need to speak Kiswahili or a local language, know Kenya's citizen duties and rights, and be able to contribute to national development.
Processing21 working days
Service standard: 21 working days for a new work or residence permit and 10 working days for a renewal.
Where to applyWhere to apply
Apply online through the eFNS portal. The Act says a permit application is made before entering Kenya, and the form also asks for your current immigration status if you are already in the country.
Kenya LawDirectorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya
Presence rulesStay rule
A permit issued while you are outside Kenya stops being valid if you do not enter within 90 days of issue; the Director can extend that by up to 90 days on written application. The permit also stops being valid if you stop the activity it was issued for or take up a different one.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Needs a job offer from an employer in Kenya
- Not open to passports from Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and 4 more
What you'll need
What you must show1
- No processing fee is charged; the processing fee is gratis.
Documents4
- Registration of the local and sending religious societies is required.
- A letter from the sending society is required.
- A support letter from a local umbrella religious body is required.
- Proof of training and ordination is required.
When you become tax resident
How Kenya decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
Up to 5 years at first, renewable
- Tax residence
- At least 183 days in a year of incomeIndividual with no permanent home in Kenya is resident if present 183 days or more in the year of income.
- More than 122 days in a year of income and each of the two preceding years (average)Alternative test for an individual with no permanent home in Kenya: present in the year and averaging more than 122 days per year over the three years.
- Foreign-source income
Territorial
Kenya charges income tax on all income, of residents and non-residents, that accrued in or was derived from Kenya, at progressive rates from 10% to 35%; income arising wholly outside Kenya is outside that charge, except employment or service pay to a resident, which is deemed Kenyan-source wherever the work is done.
All tax rules for Kenya Tax records checked
Full official text
Permit for a missionary who belongs to a registered religious institution and is directly involved in preaching or conducting worship; processing is free and issuance costs KES 20,000 (≈ $150) per year. 1 2 3 4 5
What you must show and pay
- A fee of KES 20,000 a year (≈ $150) · Issuance fee per year. 1
Requirements
- No processing fee is charged; the processing fee is gratis. 1
- Registration of the local and sending religious societies is required. 1
- A letter from the sending society is required. 1
- A support letter from a local umbrella religious body is required. 1
- Proof of training and ordination is required. 1
Stay
- Validity is set by the Director of Immigration Services, up to five years per issue or renewal.
- First stay: up to 60 months, decided case by case.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Nationality
Non-EAC nationals only; citizens of EAC member states use the Class R permit. Not open to: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda.
Work
Missionary activities.
Family
Dependant passes are issued to dependants of permit holders; the holder's work permit must still be valid for at least six more months when the dependant applies.
Fine print
Citizens of East African Community member states use the Class R permit instead. The excluded passports are the Community's partner states other than Kenya, including Somalia; the Directorate's pages name no countries.
Official sources
- Permit Class I (approved religious activities) · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-10
- Immigration Permit Information Pack (permit classes) · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-10
- Work Permits and Passes · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-10
- The Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations, 2012 (Legal Notice 64 of 2012), consolidated · Kenya Law (National Council for Law Reporting) · checked 2026-10-11
- EAC Partner States · East African Community · checked 2026-10-11
- Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011 · Kenya Law (National Council for Law Reporting) · checked 2026-10-11
- Permanent Residence · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-10
- Directorate of Immigration Services Delivery Charter 2025 · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-12
Class I · Religious work and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class I · Religious work | – | 5 yr, renewable | – |
| Class D · Employment | – | 5 yr, renewable | – |
| Class P · International staff | – | 5 yr, renewable | – |
| Class Q · Faith/charity staff | – | 5 yr, renewable | – |
| Class R · EAC nationals | – | 5 yr, renewable | – |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Class I · Religious work?
A fee of KES 20,000 a year (≈ $150). Issuance fee per year.
How long can I stay on the Class I · Religious work?
Validity is set by the Director of Immigration Services, up to five years per issue or renewal.
How long does the Class I · Religious work take to process?
Service standard: 21 working days for a new work or residence permit and 10 working days for a renewal.
Can I work on the Class I · Religious work?
Missionary activities.
Can I bring my family on the Class I · Religious work?
Dependant passes are issued to dependants of permit holders; the holder's work permit must still be valid for at least six more months when the dependant applies.
Who can apply for the Class I · Religious work?
Non-EAC nationals only; citizens of EAC member states use the Class R permit. Not open to: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda.
Does the Class I · Religious work lead to permanent residence in Kenya?
Time on the Class I · Religious work counts toward permanent residence in Kenya, which the rules allow after 7 years of residence. Time on the Class I · Religious work counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 7 years of residence.
How are Class I · Religious work holders taxed in Kenya?
No special regime in our records is tied to the Class I · Religious work. The standard rules apply: Employment income is taxed in five bands from 10 percent to 35 percent; PAYE applies to residents and non-residents, and the personal relief of KES 28,800 (≈ $220) a year is granted to resident individuals only.
More in Kenya
Work visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 8 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Permit Class I (approved religious activities) · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-10
- Immigration Permit Information Pack (permit classes) · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-10
- Work Permits and Passes · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-10
- The Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations, 2012 (Legal Notice 64 of 2012), consolidated · Kenya Law (National Council for Law Reporting) · checked 2026-10-11
- EAC Partner States · East African Community · checked 2026-10-11
- Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011 · Kenya Law (National Council for Law Reporting) · checked 2026-10-11
- Permanent Residence · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-10
- Directorate of Immigration Services Delivery Charter 2025 · Directorate of Immigration Services, Government of Kenya · checked 2026-10-12
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.