For many foreign founders coming to Kenya, the permit that matters is Class G. It is the route the Directorate of Immigration Services describes as covering a person who intends to engage in a specific trade, business, consultancy or profession in Kenya. The application is document-heavy and the permit is tied to the activity described in it, so the file should be prepared with the same care as the investment itself.
Quick answer: the Class G permit is for a foreign national who will engage in a specific trade, business, consultancy or profession in Kenya, alone or in partnership, other than a prescribed profession. The application is lodged online through the Directorate’s Foreign Nationals Services portal, supported by company registration documents, tax compliance evidence, capital evidence and the applicant’s personal documents. The permit is class-bound, so the business described in the application must match what the holder actually does.
What the Class G permit covers
Under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011 and its Regulations, work permits and passes are issued in classes, and each class is tied to a described activity. The Directorate’s page for Class G states that the permit is issued to a person who intends to engage, whether alone or in partnership, in a specific trade, business, consultancy or profession, other than a prescribed profession, in Kenya.
The wording matters. A consultancy is covered, a prescribed profession is dealt with under a different class, and the applicant must be able to describe a specific activity rather than a general intention to invest. A holding structure with no identifiable operating business is a weaker application than a company with contracts, premises, staff or a funded work plan.
Who it suits, and who it does not
Class G is often the right route for a founder who will run the Kenyan enterprise, and for a partner who will take part in the business. It is not the right route for every foreign national attached to the investment. An executive deployed to an existing enterprise may be better described under Class D. A prescribed profession, a manufacturing operation, a mining or prospecting venture, or an agricultural project may fall under a different class whose requirements match the activity.
A person who will only attend board meetings occasionally, or who will remain outside Kenya and manage the investment at a distance, should have the status question examined rather than assumed. The same applies where the role combines employment with shareholding. The choice of class should be made on the activity actually performed, not on the label that appears quickest to process.
The documents the Directorate publishes
The Directorate publishes the requirements for the Class G route. The list should be checked on the current page before filing, because forms and supporting documents can change. The published list includes:
- a duly completed and signed application on the prescribed form;
- a signed cover letter from the company or organisation addressed to the Director General of Immigration Services;
- the applicant’s passport bio-data page, a recent photograph and current immigration status in Kenya;
- company registration documents, the company and individual PIN certificates, and a CR12;
- a valid Tax Compliance Certificate, with the position for renewals checked separately;
- documentary proof of the capital to be invested in the enterprise;
- for a renewal, signed audited accounts for the previous two years.
The enterprise documents and the personal documents must tell the same story. A CR12 that lists different shareholders from the capital evidence, or a company whose stated activity does not match the business plan, creates questions that delay processing.
How the application is made
Permit and pass applications are made and submitted online through the Directorate’s Foreign Nationals Services portal, with the supporting documents uploaded. Once the application is processed and the permit is issued, the applicant prints it from the portal and presents it at the immigration office for endorsement. The endorsement step should be diarised as part of the plan, not left until travel or a signing date is imminent.
Keep the filed version of every document. If the Directorate asks for clarification, the ability to show exactly what was submitted, and when, avoids a reconstruction exercise. Where a document is issued by a third party, such as a tax compliance certificate or a registry extract, check its validity period before filing.
Planning the permit around the launch
Processing times vary, and no applicant controls them. Work backwards from the first date on which the founder must sign contracts, open premises, hire staff or take up duties, and allow time for the corporate steps that must happen first. Incorporation, licensing, bank account opening and the tax documents a permit relies on all take their own time.
Avoid fixing a launch date on the assumption that the permit will issue by a particular week. Where the founder needs to be in Kenya before the permit is granted, take advice on the lawful options for that period rather than relying on an uncertain status. A short delay at the start is easier to manage than an application that has to be reopened after arrival.
Keeping the permit valid: scope, renewal and dependants
A Class G permit ties the holder to the business described in the application. A material change of direction, a new company, or a move into separate employment may require the status to be varied. Keep the enterprise’s records consistent with the application, and deal with changes before they become discrepancies.
Renewal files are stronger where the business has traded as described, kept proper records and met its tax obligations. Diarise the renewal date well ahead, and prepare the renewal evidence during the final quarter rather than after the permit has expired. Dependants need their own passes, so plan those applications alongside the principal’s.
When to take advice, and a pre-filing checklist
Take advice before filing if the activity crosses classes, the applicant has held a different immigration status, the enterprise is in a regulated sector, or a previous application was refused. Our governance advisory practice advises foreign entrepreneurs on permits and the wider compliance picture as the business grows. Related guides cover work permit classes and requirements in Kenya and work permit renewal and compliance pitfalls. For a confidential first assessment, contact the firm.
- Describe the specific trade, business, consultancy or profession in one clear paragraph.
- Incorporate the Kenyan entity and align its stated activity with the application.
- Check the current Class G requirements on the Directorate’s page.
- Reconcile the CR12, capital evidence, tax compliance certificate and audited accounts.
- Lodge the application through the Foreign Nationals Services portal.
- Include the endorsement step and the renewal date in the project schedule.
- Apply for dependant passes at the same time as the principal application.
Primary sources
- Directorate of Immigration Services: Class G permit, for the current description and requirements.
- Directorate of Immigration Services: work permits and passes, for the classes and the online application route.
- Kenya Law, for the current text of the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011 and subsidiary legislation.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
