Issuance of Foreign Nationals Certificate

Registration of foreign nationals is governed by the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011 laws of Kenya. A Foreign National Certificate, are commonly referred to Alien Cards in Kenya. All foreign nationals who have been residing in Kenya for a continuous period of at least 3 months and have a valid immigration permit or a Dependant pass or permanent residence are required to be register and be issued with an alien card. The alien card is an identification document issued by the immigration department showing the status of the immigration during their stay in Kenya.

Section 2 of the repealed Aliens Cap 173 Laws of Kenya defines an alien as any person who is not a citizen of Kenya. A foreign national is defined in Part 1 of the newly enacted Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011 as any person who is not a citizen of Kenya.

After processing the application and bio metrics capture, the production of an alien card may take an average of one to three months. Generally an alien card is issued for a validity period of two years. In case of loss of an alien card, one should make an application for replacement.

Exemptions

The following persons are exempted from Foreign National Registration.

• Serving member of the armed forces

• A public officer and the spouse and children

• A person exempted from the provisions of the Act under section 34 (3) of the Act

• A refugee registered under the refugee Act 2006

• A person who resides in Kenya for a continuous period not exceeding three months and is in possession of valid visitors or other authority under the Act e.g. special pass