Indian Medical Visa for Kenyan Citizens

Which visa routes are open to Kenyans?

Kenyan passport holders can choose between two routes. The first is the e-Medical visa: Kenya appears among the nationalities that may apply for an e-Visa, and application, payment and approval all happen online. The second is a regular paper visa from the High Commission of India in Nairobi, which issues only paper visas. Validity of the e-Medical visa is two months (60 days) from first arrival in India, and the patient may enter more than once while it lasts.

What does each route cost?

The visa fee is set by the Government of India and paid online with the application (or at the Indian mission for a paper visa); Jivo confirms the current fee with you before you apply.

How does the e-Medical route work?

1. The partner hospital, which is FRRO-registered like every Jivo partner hospital, issues the Visa Invitation Letter, and Jivo arranges it with the hospital for every patient.
2. Kenyans file on indianvisaonline.gov.in between 120 days and 4 days before they land. The patient completes the e-Medical form and uploads the passport bio page and the hospital letter on its letterhead.
3. The Electronic Travel Authorization arrives by email and goes to the immigration checkpoint in India with the patient. No visit to the Nairobi mission is needed for biometrics on this route; they are captured at Indian immigration on arrival.

How long does the e-Medical decision take?

The portal states no overall processing time. A request to resubmit a document normally reaches the applicant by email inside 24 hours, and the decision, Granted or Rejected, follows by email.

Which documents does the Nairobi mission ask for?

• A signed hard copy of the online form for the patient and for the attendant, each present in person
• Two recent photographs, 51 mm by 51 mm, on a white background
• An invitation letter from an approved hospital or recognised doctor in India, naming the patient and the attendants, their passport numbers, the illness, the duration and the estimated cost, emailed to [email protected]
• Medical documents that establish the need for treatment, with a referral letter from a local hospital or doctor, emailed to the same address
• Proof of funds for the stay and treatment: bank statement for the past three months, salary certificate, or a sponsorship or insurance letter, with the sponsor's letter and proof of relationship if the statement belongs to another person
• Proof of relationship with the attendant
• A Medical Visa Undertaking stating the purpose of the visit and the return home after treatment
• Consent of both parents for minor children
• Previous medical papers and the Indian hospital's discharge summary, for follow-up treatment

Which route suits which patient?

The regular route asks the applicant to be present at Nairobi for biometric registration, and the mission states that its visa validity runs from the date of issue, not from the date of arrival. The online route needs no mission visit. Jivo arranges the Visa Invitation Letter for either.

If treatment takes longer than the visa allows, the hospital and the Jivo team help the patient apply for an extension on the e-FRRO portal.