Kenyan China visa applicants told to apply 3–4 weeks ahead; visa centre website moves

The Chinese Embassy in Kenya told Kenyan visa applicants on 3 November 2026 to submit their online applications at least three to four weeks before they travel, and to check the application system and their registered email regularly.

The embassy's notice, headed "Reminder on visa application issues" and posted on its website at 17:09, says the reminder is meant to better meet Kenyan applicants' visa needs and to avoid disruption to travel plans from too little lead time or documents that do not match requirements.

What an applicant should do, according to the notice:

1. Apply early. Submit the online application at least three to four weeks before the trip, to leave time for any extra or corrected documents.
2. Track the application. Check the visa application system and your registered email regularly, supplement or correct documents as requested and resubmit them. Otherwise the review may be delayed.

The notice also points applicants to the embassy's guide to applying for a Chinese visa.

A second embassy notice, posted at 17:37 the same day, says the website of the Chinese Visa Application Service Center has changed because of a technical upgrade. The new address is https://www.visaforchina.cn/NBO4_EN/.

The first notice lists these contacts for applicants:

• Visa Application Center, Nairobi: telephone +254 790487260, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 15:30; email [email protected].
• Embassy, English-language enquiries: telephone +254 795016109, Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:30; email [email protected].

The centre's fee page lists, for Kenyan citizens applying for a regular single-entry visa, a visa fee of 3,000 and an application service fee of 4,958, which the centre charges itself. Fica News reported on 29 October that the visa fee for a single-entry China visa is KSh 3,000; the centre's application service fee is charged on top. The page says payment at the centre can be made by M-Pesa, Visa or Mastercard, and that visa fees are collected on behalf of the Chinese Embassy and Consulate General.

Fica News reported on 28 October that false papers can mean a one-to-five-year ban from China.