Entry GuidanceWhat to know before travelling to Germany
Use the section that matches your travel purpose and passport context.
01Tourist & Leisure
Visitor requirements
Kenyan ordinary-passport tourists need a Schengen visa. Prepare an itinerary, accommodation evidence, financial and employment or study records, evidence of ties at home, a signed application and a biometric photograph. Travel medical insurance must meet the embassy checklist, including at least EUR 30,000 cover throughout Schengen; check the accepted-insurer list. Children need additional consent and identity documents. Use the linked tourism checklist for your circumstances; this summary is not the complete application checklist.
Passport & documentsUse a recognised passport issued within the previous ten years, with at least two blank pages and validity extending at least three months beyond your intended Schengen departure. Check both issue and expiry dates before arranging an appointment.
02Business Travel
Business requirements
Choose the business checklist for a business visit, or the separate trade-fair checklist for that purpose. Business applicants need a German host-company invitation detailing the programme and funding, employer or business evidence, accommodation and financial evidence, alongside identity and insurance documents. Do not treat a short business visit as permission for employment; ask the embassy about your exact activity.
Passport Context
Kenyan passport holders
The German Embassy confirms that Kenyan nationals require a visa. A short-stay visa permits only its approved dates, entries and duration, within the Schengen limit of 90 days in any 180-day period. Border officials decide admission.
Kenyan residents using other passportsThis review covers Kenyan ordinary-passport holders resident in Kenya. Other nationals must check nationality-specific visa exemptions and provide lawful residence evidence where required. EU/EEA family-member rules, special travel documents, transit and long-stay applications require separate assessment.
04Application Route
How and where to apply
For a Kenya resident whose main destination is Germany, follow German Embassy Nairobi instructions: complete VIDEX and submit through the TLScontact centre linked by the embassy. Attend the appointment with the applicable documents. Sunward assistance does not confer preferential appointment access or influence the embassy decision.
Embassy / missionGerman Embassy Nairobi. Use its official visa pages for current jurisdiction, appointment-provider links and category-specific requirements.
Processing guidanceThe EU normally allows 15 days for assessment, with extension to 45 days where further examination is needed. The Nairobi checklist describes around two weeks for a complete application, with longer cases possible. Submit no earlier than six months before departure and normally at least 15 calendar days ahead; appointment waiting time is additional. These are planning estimates, not a promised decision date.
