Every traveler to Kenya needs their own electronic travel authorisation, infants and children included, and a child cannot ride on a parent's application. When a child travels without both parents, the application asks for one more document, which the portal labels a consent/commitment letter. Since mid-2026 the Directorate of Immigration Services expects that document on its own form, an affidavit of consent, rather than a letter you write yourself. This page explains who needs it and fills the form in for you.
What is a consent commitment letter?
It is the document the Kenya eTA portal asks for when a child travels without both parents: a signed statement from the parents or legal guardians that the child may make the trip, naming who the child travels with and who receives them in Kenya. Since mid-2026 that statement goes on the Directorate's own affidavit of consent, which the generator below fills in. For adults on a business trip the same upload slot takes a different document, the host company's commitment letter, covered further down.
Who needs the affidavit
- Child with both parents: no affidavit. Carry the birth certificate if the surnames differ.
- Child with one parent: yes. The parent who is not traveling gives consent, and the birth certificate goes with it.
- Child with a grandparent, relative, teacher or family friend: yes. Both parents or the legal guardians give consent and name the accompanying adult.
- Child traveling alone: yes. Both parents or the guardians give consent and name who receives the child in Kenya.
The form, which the portal also calls a parent/guardian consent form, is a consent statement with signatures. Airlines and border officers give more weight to a signed form witnessed by a notary or a commissioner for oaths, and the portal's own name for the document, affidavit, points the same way. Print the filled form, sign it in front of a notary where you can, and upload the scan with the child's application. Keep the original in the hand luggage. An affidavit of support is a different document, a sponsor's undertaking to pay for a trip, and the child's consent slot does not take it.
Fill in the official form
The fields below are the ones on the Directorate's affidavit of consent, in the same order. Nothing you type leaves your browser; the page fills the form on screen and you print it or save it as a PDF from the print dialog.
Sample consent commitment letter for the Kenya eTA
The document below is the format the form expects. It updates as you type, and the print-out is what you sign and upload.
Affidavit of Consent for Children Travelling Abroad
To whom it may concern,
I / We, , of , (telephone , email ), am / are the parent(s), legal guardian(s) or other authorised person(s) with custody rights, access rights or parental authority over the following child:
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Date and place of birth | , |
| Passport number and date of issue | , issued |
| Issuing authority of passport | |
| Birth certificate registration number | |
| Issuing authority of birth certificate |
This child has my / our consent to travel with the following accompanying person:
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Relationship to child | |
| Passport number and date of issue | , issued |
| Issuing authority of passport |
This child has my / our consent to travel alone.
| Destination(s) | |
|---|---|
| Travel dates | |
| To stay with / at | |
| At the following address | |
| Telephone and email during the trip |
Signature(s) of person(s) giving consent:
Date:
After you print it
- Sign it in front of a notary or a commissioner for oaths if you can. The witness block at the bottom is there for that. In Nairobi a commissioner charges a few thousand shillings; elsewhere, any notary will do.
- Upload a clear scan of the signed page in the child's eTA application, in the consent or commitment letter slot, together with the birth certificate and a copy of the consenting parent's passport.
- Travel with the original. The airline at check-in and the officer at Nairobi may ask for it, and a phone photo is not the same thing.
- Apply at least three to five working days before departure; the eTA itself is usually decided within three.
Business travelers: commitment letter, letter from employer or invitation letter
The same upload slot serves a different purpose for adults on a business trip: a letter from the inviting company in Kenya, on letterhead, naming the traveler, the dates and the reason for the visit, together with a copy of the company's registration. That is what the portal means by a commitment letter. Hosts often call the same document an invitation letter, and when you travel for your own company a letter from your employer on its letterhead does the same job. There is no form for it; the host or employer writes it.
File the Kenya eTA
SimpleVisa files the Kenya eTA end to end, one application per traveler, children included, at the consular fee plus a $39 service fee, with the uploads checked before submission. Start at apply.simplevisa.net, or check the current requirement for your passport first with the requirements checker.
Checked against the Directorate of Immigration Services form on 29 September 2026. Rules for minors move; if the portal shows a newer form, use that one.