Quick Answers: Class D Work Permit in Kenya
| Who qualifies? | A person offered specific employment by a specific employer whose skills or qualifications are not available in Kenya and whose employment will benefit Kenya. |
| Official fee | KES 20,000 non-refundable processing fee plus KES 500,000 per year issuance fee after approval for Class D, subject to the live eFNS invoice. |
| Core evidence | Form 25, employer cover letter, Form 27, employer registration and tax compliance, passport/status/photo, certified qualifications and CV, local recruitment evidence, and a Kenyan understudy file. |
| Where to apply | Online through eFNS under Permit Issuance/Renewal. |
| Published service target | 21 working days for issuance of work/residence permits. This is the Directorate's service standard, not a guaranteed decision date. |
| EAC nationals | Check Class R before filing Class D. eFNS now has a dedicated gratis Class R route for East African Community nationals. |
Primary sources: Directorate — Class D Employment, eFNS Class D information pack, and Directorate Service Delivery Charter.
On this page
Is Class D the Correct Work Permit Route?
Class D is an employer-specific employment permit. The legal test is not simply that a foreign national has a job offer. The role must be specific, the employer must be specific, the applicant must bring skills or qualifications not available in Kenya, and the engagement must be of benefit to Kenya.
The current Regulations also make the policy behind the application explicit: foreign-national permits are granted in the context of developing trained Kenyan citizens. Form 25 therefore asks employers to address local skills availability and the training or understudy position.
| Situation | Likely route to check | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Specific long-term employment with a Kenyan employer | Class D | A job offer alone is enough; the local-skills and understudy evidence still matters. |
| Citizen of an East African Community member state | Class R | That the older “EAC gratis” wording means Class D is still the best filing category. |
| Temporary business, trade or professional activity for a limited period | Special Pass, where the facts fit | A visitor/eTA status authorizes work. See the Special Pass guide. |
| Foreign investor, self-employed trader or consultant | Check the appropriate business/investment permit class | Class D covers independent business activity. Use the permit route overview. |
Class D Work Permit Cost in Kenya
As checked on 20 August 2026, the Directorate of Immigration Services lists a KES 20,000 non-refundable processing fee and a KES 500,000 per-year issuance fee for Class D. The issuance fee is paid after approval, as invoiced through the government system.
| Fee | Current amount | When payable |
|---|---|---|
| Processing fee | KES 20,000 | At application/invoice stage; non-refundable. |
| Issuance fee | KES 500,000 per year | After approval, before issuance for the approved period. |
| Professional support | Quoted separately | Depends on file readiness, role complexity and scope of support. |
Sources: Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations (Kenya Law); Kenya Gazette, 14 November 2023; Directorate Class D page.
Get a Class D cost and file-readiness review
Send the employer name, applicant nationality, job title, intended start date, current Kenya immigration status, CV/qualifications, local recruitment evidence and proposed Kenyan understudy details. We can identify the correct route and the material gaps before filing.
Class D Requirements: What Immigration Actually Asks For
The current Directorate checklist is best understood as three linked evidence files: the employer and role, the foreign employee, and the Kenyan understudy/local-labour position. Treating the application as a set of unrelated uploads makes inconsistencies more likely.
| Evidence group | Current requirements to prepare | Consistency check |
|---|---|---|
| Employer & role | Employer cover letter; organization registration certificate; valid company Tax Compliance Certificate for a new Class D file; Form 27; relevant regulator/clearance letter where applicable; evidence of competitive recruitment and failure to fill the vacancy locally. | Employer name, job title, duties, location and justification should align across the cover letter, Form 25, Form 27, contract/offer and recruitment record. |
| Foreign employee | Passport bio-data page; current immigration status if already in Kenya; recent coloured photograph; CV; certified academic and professional certificates; English translations where documents are in another language. | The qualifications and experience should clearly map to the specialist requirements stated for the role. |
| Kenyan understudy | Understudy name and Kenyan identity document; certified academic/professional certificates; full contact details; CV. | The understudy should be credible for the role and the employer's skills-transfer explanation should be realistic. |
Pre-Filing Evidence Test for Employers
This is the part most generic work-permit pages miss. Before uploading documents, test whether the file tells one coherent employment story.
| Question | Weak file signal | Stronger filing position |
|---|---|---|
| Why this foreign employee? | Generic claims such as “highly experienced” without linking expertise to the role. | Specific qualifications/experience mapped to defined duties and the employer's operational need. |
| Why could the role not be filled locally? | No recruitment record or only a bare statement that no Kenyan was available. | Competitive recruitment evidence plus a factual explanation of the skills gap identified. |
| Who is the understudy? | A name added late with no logical connection to the role. | A Kenyan employee with a plausible training path, supported by the required ID, CV, qualifications and contacts. |
| Do all documents describe the same job? | Different titles, duties, dates or employer details across Form 25, Form 27, contract and cover letter. | One consistent role narrative across every document and upload. |
| Is a sector clearance needed? | Regulated role but no evidence the professional/regulatory requirement was checked. | Applicable clearance or licence identified and prepared before the immigration filing. |
How the Class D eFNS Application Works
- Confirm Class D is the correct category.
Check nationality, sponsoring employer, actual duties and expected duration first. - Build the employer evidence pack.
Prepare the cover letter, role justification, local recruitment record, company compliance documents, Form 27 and any sector clearance. - Build the applicant and understudy files.
Certify qualifications, check passport/status details and assemble the complete Kenyan understudy evidence. - File through Government of Kenya Single Sign-On / eFNS.
Use the Permit Issuance/Renewal workflow, complete Form 25 information and upload the supporting documents. - Pay the processing invoice and monitor the portal.
eFNS sends progress notifications through the account and email. Respond to any request for clarification or additional evidence promptly. - After approval, pay the issuance invoice and complete the directed issuance/endorsement steps.
Do not treat an approval notification as authority to work before the required permit/pass is actually in place.
Need us to review the file before eFNS submission?
Send the employer cover letter or draft job description, applicant CV and qualifications, recruitment evidence, understudy documents and any sector clearance. We can review consistency before the application is lodged.
Talk to us · info@bizbrokerskenya.com · WhatsApp +254 757 884 710
How Long Does a Class D Work Permit Take?
The Directorate of Immigration Services Delivery Charter publishes a 21-working-day timeline for issuance of work/residence permits and 10 working days for renewals. That is the best current official service standard to cite.
It should not be presented as a guaranteed end-to-end project duration. The 21-working-day standard does not remove the time needed before filing to obtain certified documents, recruitment evidence, understudy records or sector clearance, and it does not guarantee that a file requiring additional information will be decided within the same period.
Legal and Administrative Basis
| Source | What it establishes |
|---|---|
| Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, section 40 | Permits are applied for in the prescribed manner and issued in the required class where the statutory requirements are met. |
| Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations, regulation 19 and Seventh Schedule | Form 25 is the permit application form and Class D covers specific employment by a specific employer where the applicant has skills/qualifications not available in Kenya and the employment benefits Kenya. |
| Directorate Class D checklist / eFNS | Current document requirements, local recruitment evidence, understudy details and the online filing workflow. |
| Directorate Service Delivery Charter | Current service target and administrative fee schedule used by the Directorate. |
Class D Work Permit FAQs
How much does a Class D work permit cost in Kenya?
The Directorate currently lists a KES 20,000 non-refundable processing fee and a KES 500,000 per-year issuance fee for Class D. Confirm the payable amount against the live eFNS invoice.
How long does a Class D application take?
The Directorate's published service target for work/residence permit issuance is 21 working days. Treat this as an administrative service standard, not a guarantee that every case will be completed in exactly 21 working days.
Can the foreign employee work while the application is pending?
A pending Class D application is not itself work authorization. The foreign national should hold the permit or another pass that lawfully covers the activities being undertaken.
Do EAC nationals use Class D?
Check Class R first. eFNS now provides a dedicated Class R permit for East African Community nationals who intend to reside, work, do business, trade or practise a profession in Kenya, and lists its processing and final fees as KES 0.
Is local recruitment evidence required?
Yes. The current Class D checklist asks for evidence that the organization failed to fill the vacancy from the local labour market through competitive recruitment.
Is a Kenyan understudy required?
The current checklist requires a Kenyan understudy's name/ID, certified qualifications, full contact details and CV. The employer should be able to explain a credible skills-transfer position.
What if the employee already has a Class D permit?
Use the separate Class D renewal guide, which focuses on the existing permit, renewal tax-compliance position and continuing understudy/employment evidence rather than duplicating this first-time application page.
Next Action: Class D File Review
For a preliminary review, send: employer name and registration status, applicant nationality and passport bio page, current Kenya immigration status, job title/duties, CV and qualifications, proposed contract/offer, recruitment evidence, understudy details and any relevant professional or sector clearance.