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The Embassy of the Republican of Kenya in Washington, DC has issued instructions for Kenyans living in the United States who wish to replace their passports with the new generation ePassports, wish to obtain a passport and have never held a Kenyan passport before, or wish to replace a lost or mutilated passport.
The Kenyan government has announced that old (non-digital) Kenyan passports will be phased out on August 31st, 2019. Kenyan citizens who will not have obtained ePassports before that date will therefore not be able to use them to travel internationally using their Kenyan passports starting September 1st. ePassports contain an embedded electronic chip storing the passport holder’s biometric data and other information in line with current international standards to make it more difficult to produce a fake passport, says the government.
The Embassy directs Kenyans to first apply for the passport through the eCitizen portal (www.ecitizen.go.ke) by by filling up a form and submitting it. The passport applicants will then download the form, sign and date it, then submit it in person at the Embassy along with the required documents for biometrics capture.
Requirements for new applications (Never held a Kenyan passport before)
- A duly filled application form
- Original Kenyan Birth certificate and a copy. (if born abroad please see - Birth Certificate for Kenyan children born abroad)
- Certificate of Registration if Kenyan by Registration
- Original Kenyan ID and a copy for Adults
- 3 (Three) passport size photos
- Copy of the recommender’s Kenyan ID (Recommender is any Kenyan of sound mind who can certify that you are a Kenyan citizen)
- Duly filled Consent form for Minors
- Copies of Parents Kenyan ID’s
- 2(two) payment invoices for the prescribed fee
Requirements for replacement of passport (Current holders of passports being phased out)
- A duly filled application form
- Copy of Birth Certificate
- Copy Certificate of Registration if Kenyan by Registration
- Original Kenyan ID and a copy for Adults
- 3 (Three) passport size photos
- Copy of the recommender’s Kenyan ID (Recommender is any Kenyan of sound mind who can certify that you are a Kenyan citizen)
- Duly filled Consent form for Minors
- Old passport and a copy
- 2(two) payment invoices for the prescribed fee
Requirements for Mutilated passports
- A duly filled application form
- Copy of Birth Certificate
- Copy Certificate of Registration if Kenyan by Registration
- Original Kenyan ID and a copy for Adults
- 3 (Three) passport size photos
- Copy of the recommender’s Kenyan ID (Recommender is any Kenyan of sound mind who can certify that you are a Kenyan citizen)
- Duly filled Consent form for Minors
- Old passport and a copy
- Personal statement explaining circumstances for the damage
- Sworn affidavit to support (ix) above
- 2(two) payment invoices for the prescribed fee
Requirements for Lost passports
- A duly filled application form
- Copy of Birth Certificate
- Copy Certificate of Registration if Kenyan by Registration
- Original Kenyan ID and a copy for Adults
- 3 (Three) passport size photos
- Copy of the recommender’s Kenyan ID (Recommender is any Kenyan of sound mind who can certify that you are a Kenyan citizen)
- Duly filled Consent form for Minors
- Copy of Old passport
- Personal statement explaining circumstances for loss
- Sworn affidavit to support (ix) above …Click to download
- Police report on loss of passport (Not just the case number)
- 2(two) payment invoices for the prescribed fee
NB
- It is the onus of the applicant to fulfill all the application requirements as above
- Applications must be presented against original Kenyan National IDs
- All minors must accompanied by their parents or legal guardians
- Change of name apart from through Marriage must be accompanied by a Deed poll and the changes must be affected in the Kenyan National ID card
- The Birth Certificate numbers appear on the Left hand side of the Birth Certificate (above the date of birth) and not at the top right hand side (Serial No.)
eCitizen Queries Contact:
T: +254 780 206 206 E: support@ecitizen.go.ke
The Kenyan Embassy is located at 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008. For more information about acquiring a Kenyan passport, visit their website at http://www.kenyaembassydc.org.
Comments
Agree! First of all Kenya needs to realize that there are several forms of IDs. A National ID card is any form of identification, usually with name, picture and address (at minimum) that is issued by the government and is required to be carried by citizens of a particular nation. Thus, ID cards and Passports and some countries drivers license are all forms of ID. A valid passport is a more superior and acceptable form of ID than a ID card! So why should we be forced to retrograde and obtain a local national ID if we already have a passport? Didn't we already submit our IDs and Birth Certs that were mandatory before this diabolical government issue us the passports? The government is broke and just want to make money out of us.
I cant get to the application form for passport the web give me a wrong application which I filled and pay for but after I did all that I find the web was a wrong web and the application was wrong too. now I have to look for them to ask them for refund can you please help me to get to the right web page I am in Kenya embassy we and clicked on epassport application but it keep on giving me the USA passport application.
can I walk in to the office to make application.
"2(two) payment invoices for the prescribed fee"...what are these and where do you obtain them from?
Why don't they just ask for a money order or personal check, or credit card payment. This is America not Jamhuri.
Recomender for what if you are not getting a new passport. It is a silly requirement.
Quote, "A Copy of the recommender’s Kenyan ID (Recommender is any Kenyan of sound mind who can certify that you are a Kenyan citizen)"! These requirement is a joke! First of all, it's not within my scope of practice to evaluate my potential recommender sanity! I could care less if they a willing person has a sound mind at this point; if they can write and adduce ID required, then, so be it! Secondly, why do I need a layman to certify that I am a Kenyan? Si by virtue of me being a valid Kenyan passport holder guarantee the fact that I met the citizenship requirements, hence, the reason I was issued a passport? A birth Cert also has more stronger grounds. I am done.
@GG you are absolutely right! All those questions should be in our files at immigration; now they are reinventing the wheel as though we have to re-validated as a Kenyan! ....mtoto wa simba ni simba PERIOD
Why do need an ID to renew a passport yet you have an old one and passport size photo
When are they making the service available in Los Angeles Consulate(for Western States).The US is a whole continent and having one center is very inconvenient.People work triple double shifts.Also they can roll out dates where they travel to each state(other than CA and DC) to allow easy access to the bio-metrics requirements.It can be done.This is technology.
I've been to the ecitizen website but can't create an account because it only accepts Kenyan phone numbers (+254). I live here in the US and don't have a Kenyan phone number. Therefore I can't download the application forms. So how do I get this epassport. I've called and emailed the embassy and the ecitizen listed contacts but no response.
Same issue here. Ludicrous!! What’s wrong with these people asking us to provide a +254.. number ?? Fire them all!
@ Peter, when I had to get mine back in December 2017 I got a cheap temporary phone for the same reason. Do you have relatives in Kenya who can help you?
MunduMugo. Asante dada/kaka. Umenisaidia kushinda wafanya kazi wa ubalozi DC. Hawashiki simu, wala hawajibu barua pepe. Mishahara yao yote upewe wewe. Madaraka njema.
I feel you Peter. Same issue. I just called home to see if I can get a cheap # yo use. Do ridiculous.
Kindly mtu akiget past biometric let me know, i applied for it had to use a kenyan number ofcourse! downloaded the forms got all the other things they are asking for and went down there coz they couldn't pick calls nor answer emails atleast for me to get more info or an appointment!big disappointment as they told me the so called biometric machines havent arrived yet was super annoyed having driven for 5hrs with my newborn baby am still here waiting how i wish they can appoint agents in each state for such services affecting quite a large number of people!if anyone applies and gets it please let me know thank you. dont wanna waste my resources again #utumishikwawoteindeed
Same predicament no one answers and I have no idea what to do next...
I've been to the ecitizen website but can't create an account because it only accepts Kenyan phone numbers (+254). I live here in the US and don't have a Kenyan phone number. Therefore I can't download the application forms. So how do I get this epassport. I've called and emailed the embassy and the ecitizen listed contacts but no response.
“The passport applicants will then download the form, sign and date it, then submit it in person at the DC Embassy along with the required documents for biometrics capture”........submit in person in DC??🙄.....now that’s crazy ....particularly for thousands us Kenyans living in California!
Alternatively try this link- you have to fill out the information on line, print out the forms, send these forms to the embassy or consulate with fees enclosed and all the required documents (include a self addressed stamped envelope). Also, some older birth certificates (early 80s and prior) don't have the necessary number required. Then hope because the embassy staff are about as useful as a wooden frying pan. You will have to visit the embassy for the biometric part. Speed,a sense of urgency & competence are not required qualifications to work at the embassy.
The Kenyan govt is a joke, I would not trave 40 mins from Maryland to DC to go get that trash. ID ya nini, reccomender ni mshamba mgani, why three pictures aren’t these things electronically scanned,
Wale wakenya wako Texas watakuja DC? Na wale wako LA??
Anyways me I Thank God I no longer need a Kenyan passport for anything, hainisaidii na hainipeleki mahali
Website only accepts Kenyan Numbers, Birth certificate zilipotea ........
Braaaaaaaaaddddddddiiiiiiiiiiii Fuuuuuuurrruuuuu!!!
SAITAN! PUGA! Keep the passports Visa ni 50$ at JKIA surely some of you eat that for lunch just use your US passport go home and ingia kama mzungu yhe line is even shorter ....
Kik Yuda
@peter use yr siblings mobile number in kenya.Come on guys "think".?Ecitizen is flvery good n easy
Tried using my mum's number and it did not work either... Still waiting for them to send the code.,
What does old passport mean, I renewed mine early last year, is that considered e passport? They need to define this before I use the "old" passport and be denied entry
You have the new one so no further action should be needed. They begun issuing those in 2017. As for a kenya phone, I bought a cheap one and used it to get through the process.
Thank you for the clarification and doing the job for the ministry of defining "old passport" :-)
@formerlyguest2, you will need the light blue that has a chip not the dark blue.
@formerlyguest2, if it does not look like one of the above it will be phased out. I renewed mined this year. Why are they still issuing the old ones if they are going to be phase out.
Be ready to camp there. I was there the whole day and I left at 6.00 pm. The process is very slow. The red gadget keep on jumping. After doing few people they stop to recharge that red gadget for 15 minutes. The whole process is in slow motion.
Why do they need 3 passport photo? They are taking your pictures when you go to DC.
Old passport is NOT light blue, has no chip, and does NOT have East African Community on front cover. If you have a dark blue passport that's considered old and will be useless as of 1st September 2019.
Hamjambo. Swali langu ni- naweza kuprint form, kisha nijaze kwa kalamu, alafu niende na money order?
Haki we need some help!!! Story ya passport kwanza ni nooma! Mine expired April last yr, travelled to kenya using Canada passport but took my expired ke pp with the hope of renewing while@ 254 BUT, kufika huko i was told i need a kenyan ID,kra pin, sijui a kachief to write a kaletter na sasa huduma # & ...... I left 254 15yrs ago and they expect me to still posses a kenyan ID??? Sorry to say but to renew something or update means data is existing just use it to get a new one. I ditched the idea of renewing my 254 pp until they streamline the process. As my friend mentioned above, just lipa $50 @ port of entry and move on; hiyo ingine tukutanie mbele. Whoever comes up with these policies probably had too much to drink!
Unalipaje $50 kwa port of entry please give me details. Ii mambo ya kutoka Texas kubook flight na hotel and all other expenses mimi siezani. Just to renew a passport that hasn't even expired. Also just so they can take biometrics? Like they cannot have agents who can do the job and send directly to them? I don't understand!
The process is needlessly complicated. I did this in 2017. Here are my recollections of the process.
They needed a birth certificate (original preferred), a national ID and your old passport. They also needed your mom or your pops ID, a notarized recommendation from a non relative with their ID. The form is downloadable and make sure you get the ID copy(Kenya only) notarized. You need 3 copies so make 4 (trust me). Next, register on ecitizen. You may need a pin which you can get on KRA online. Then go to immigration.ecitizen.go.ke & fill out your application. It defaults to Afganistan so be careful before submitting. You can pay the passport fees via debit card or credit card which are much higher for diasporans. Print 3 to 4 of the completed application. It will serve as proof you are paid up. Now comes the difficult part. going to the least competent embassy on the planet. The passport will take way longer than promised. If you have the ability to go to Kenya as I did, go and do it there. The Nyayo house people are marginally more competent. However the passport printer is prone to crapping out.
Sounds like the major export from Kenya is now bu11$h!t. We left Kenya to avoid all that nonsense and now we have to deal with it. No wonder Trump calls us $h!th0le countries. We apply for US passports at the post office and I have to travel to DC for a Kenyan one?????
What is this certificate of registration? Why 3 photos while a digital one will be taken? Why a Kenyan phone #? This is a lot of upuzi...they should let us go to our local police stations here and have biometrics taken then mail them with applications..tbis would save this upuzi of travelling to DC...prescribed fees are ksh 4.500..ama the new $150?
Kenyan government be realistic to your citizens!! bring this Passports to each state.
Where do you think people get money to pay for tickets?accommodation? aacheni Upuuzi!
My thoughts exactly!!!! The same way the Kenyan government hires the youth in Kenya, to serve in counties in the local villages to help with registration of i.e Voters or ID issuance. Same way they should hire young adult students Kenyan citizens in each state to help with the registration/issuance of e-passports, IDs and the Huduma number. This will reduce the expenses for wananchi having to travel to DC. Especially for the millions of applicants and only a handful workers and broken system at the Kenyan Embassy rushing to meet ridiculous deadlines.
It's summer break, and am sure some student's would love to have a summer job. We Kenyans send a big chunk of money back home. Thus boosting the economy. Am sure the government has resources to help its citizens if they really wanted to.
This passport renewal process is the most asinine of them all. Stupidity at its core for the people who drafted and put into place these passport requirements. National ID to replace passport??Recommender of sound mind? Travel to DC while there is a consulate in NY and LA. Just shows it was another tender awarded to someone with zero competence. Everything is just ridiculous. Miguna Miguna told us to drain the swamp but pia sisi Wakenya bado hatuja jam. Not to add this Huduma number scam which is a master card yaani wakenya are in lien from all the debt from this tano tena govt. Someone just look up google reviews of the Kenyan embassies world wide. Pure shame
What do I need when renewing my ID
The query number offered and the email are of no use. I have tried calling several times no one answers and the email no one replies back to you.
1) Has the Huduma Namba cut off period been extended?
2)Is it mandatory that dual citizens obtain the Kenya epassport despite being a USA citizen and never use the Kenya passport??
what is the total amount to be paid if you want to get the new passports when in USA?
Incompetence display in full glare. This what we all get when people cheat in exams, get jobs through back door and are either corrupt or corruptible. Plus we still have colonial templates. Saaad😂😂😂
What are the two invoice of payment that they need I have only one
Hi,I came in the US 2yrs ago and I had an ecitizen account but I don't remember my password what can I do please because I wanna apply for the electronic one?thanks.
Has anyone actually got an epassport from Washington and how long did it take??
We should petition the Kenyan govt to streamline this process and eliminate redundancy. I have not heard anyone getting a new epassport or how long it takes. The Kenyan embassy is an embarrassment to our country. Would not go to DC for any services from that place. Biometrics can be collected locally at any police station of fingerprint place and sent to DC. I renewed my passport recently and it took about 6 months, since they had to be sent to Kenya. I received the old version, and now I have to redo the process all over. I’m convinced they send them by sea to cut costs, as it makes no sense why it takes that long.
If we have to log in to ecitizen to complete forms, why in God’s name are we printing and sending them? Then getting passport photos, just to have another photo taken at the embassy?
If anyone knows someone at Nation or Standard, I will be glad to write an article to expose the shame that this embassy brings us.
@ my self. I just renewed my passport just like you. The something happened. Long wait and payments just to come to learn their is deadlines to those passports. I can't get the e- passport website to work. My worried is that I had paid for a flight in Dec. And now this is happening. Why can't this process be slow. Deadline too close with system that does not work. No answers from Dc or Ny embassy whom I called twice. Very bad!!!
Hey everyone. I am trying to make the ecitizen account, but I can't get past the verify mobile number part. I currently live in the United States, and don't have a kenyan number at all. I was wondering if this is a glitch in their system. I really could use some help of how to get around this. Thank you.
Find someone in Kenya who is never going to get a passport and use their number. Unfortunately there is no way around needing a Kenyan number. Even though I live in US my mother keeps a number for me and my brother so that's what we used.
Can some one help
I’m in US....my kenyan passport expired and i don’t have huduma number .....how can i renew my passport?
You don't need a huduma number to apply for the passport.
Has anyone applied for epassport at Kenyan Embassy in Washington DC? How long did it take to receive passport? I heard they tell you 4-6 weeks but its taking 4-6 months
Applied for replacement of my lost Kenyan passport in May 1 2019. Was told to wait 3 months. Made multiple phone calls with no answer. Have travelled to the tiny office in Dc 3 times in a year always getting the same answer. "We have not received your passport back from Kenya". You wonder why they refer to our country as a 3rd world country" .I paid for the services. I do not understand who's not doing his/her job
Good News!epassport travel deadline extended to March 1st 2020.
https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Deadline-to-travel-on-e-passport-extended…
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001335382/reprieve-as-uhuru-ex…
Am here to assist you in case you need to apply for a new e-passport - email rashkip@gmail.com. plus am in Kenya. I feel you guys.
Passport renewal no ID. In the USA
Hi,am in usa and i want to apply for an epassport.Can somebody advice me on the right form to fill in coz am confussed seeing form DS 11 in another site and form 19 in a different site.SO WHICH IS THE RIGHT FORM TO FILL AND DOWNLOAD?
it's ridiculous that one has travel far enough to just get the passport....so people from faraway states have to travel all the way to DC to get a passport?line up and wait for someone to say oh machini zimekufa rudi kesho tafathali???why not just get all the infor they already have since we have old passports to begin with?
There many people from other nations who bribed government official to obtain Kenyan citizenship illegally. This process will root them out.My opinion.
Save yourself the hassle of dealing with this embassy and book a ticket to travel back home. You'll have a lot more control over the entire application process from there, you could get it in as little as two weeks.
I need to renew my passport on line which has expired what do I do?I'm unable TO travel to Washington office although I IIVE
HERE .? I BECAME DICEPLE THROUGH ACCIDENT. wHAT IS YOUR ADVICE? i"M SO HAPPY FOR ALYOU ARE DOING FOR US.WE WILL CONTINUE PRAYING FOR U.DURING THIS TIME OF CORONAVIRUS THAT IS AFFECTING US ALL. MY TEL.NO,205-8082607
I have a question. If you are replacing your old passport why do you need to submit a Recomender's copy of Kenyan ID? You already have a Kenyan passport.