Kenya offers more than 140 nationalities an electronic visa to travel for business, tourism, and many other purposes. Some nationalities require a regular visa that can be obtained by the consular office of Kenya in their home country. The eligibility criteria help them to distinguish nationalities who are willing to come more often and want to travel more easily. The nationals of the UK, the US citizens, and Australia most African countries are already eligible for electronic visas in Kenya. You can apply for an evisa even if you have more than one nationality simultaneously. Governments regulate countries so that people can belong to more than one nationality, and laws regulate it. Dual nationality indicates that an individual is a citizen of both nations at the same time. Each country's citizenship rules rely on its particular policies.
Our blog will discuss how Kenya Government regulates dual citizenship laws.
Dual Nationality Regulations
A lot of migrants are moving to different areas of the world. It can be hard to adapt to the culture, interact with nationals, deal with that cultural shock, and all other problems on your own. Kenyan Immigration Service acknowledged the challenges faced by migrants in the diaspora with their travel documents. National and citizenship passports rules etc. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya allowed Kenyans to supply their passport applications without needing to travel to Nairobi. The Consular Services lead the process. Having dual citizenship is legal in Kenya, based on the Kenya Constitution of 2010 and the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act of 2011. Kenyans who are holders of multiple nationalities must report their different nationalities in three months to qualify for dual citizenship.
According to Section 8(4) of the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011, a person with two nationalities who doesn't reveal dual nationality in the format required acts a criminal offense and is subject to a fine below five million shillings or jail time for a period not over three years, or both, upon acquittal.
Kenya Citizenship by Investment
Kenya is the most populous and developed industry in East and Central Africa. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) comprises over fifty percent of the total for the entire area. Expanding middle classes and rising demand for precious products and services help Kenya's robust economic forecasts. This aspect is sure to draw in a large number of outside investors interested in Kenyan passport and the future Kenya citizenship with business opportunities.
CBI Programs allow HNWIs(high net worth individuals with liquid assets of more than one million dollars), investors, and families to submit applications for change nationality and get investment visas in exchange for making a financial investment in the country's economy. One of the most significant advantages of economic citizenship by investing system for an individual is the option of making a different nation home. There are numerous ways for investment visas, ranging from naturalization to economic citizenship. CBI (Citizenship by Investment) is another road to citizenship. Citizenship by investment is an official procedure, and every nation's CBI program has its own rules and laws. Governmental organizations are committed strictly to the economic citizenship process for investment visa. They are in charge of overseeing and processing all CBI requests.
Kenya Citizenship by Descent
If you do not recount your family history, it will be lost. Says Madeleine L’ Engle
In past decades, people have considered their nationality on behalf of their ancestry. If your mother or father is a Kenyan citizen, you are also a Kenyan national. The Constitution of Kenya proves the fact of “ancestry citizenship." by law. The Kenyan Constitution indicates that an individual is a Kenyan citizen considered by birth if the person’s day of birth, whether mother or father, was a citizen. So mainly, you are a Kenyan citizen if one of your parents was a Kenyan national when you were born. It is not important where you were born if your ancestry is Kenyan; you will also probably be considered Kenyan national. There is one more interesting article on the Constitution. A kid discovered in Kenya that seems to be under the age of eight and whose country and parents are unknown is deemed to have been a citizen by birth. Even if it
is not on their genealogy, someone who is a Kenyan citizen by birth but has lost Kenyan nationality status due to acquiring citizenship of another nation may apply to reclaim Kenyan citizenship.
Naturalization and Residency
Permanent residency provides many possibilities, including owning real estate, changing occupations without authorization, living anywhere in the country, and using welfare services with minimal difficulty. Employers profit from having access to diverse personnel in a constantly changing market, as well as eliminating work permit procedures. The total duration of the methods is the essential criterion for the permanent residency system in Kenya. It takes a long time since several government departments are engaged, such as the security division, which may investigate whether the possible permanent resident includes a security risk to the state.
An individual can be naturalized as a Kenyan citizen as long as they persuade the government's citizenship application that their qualifications match the following criteria:
- He has reached the age of 21.
- Has lived in Kenya regularly and appropriately for the year before the application.
- Has usually and legitimately resided in Kenya for at least four years, or for periods totaling at least four years, in the seven years following the most recently 12 months.
- Is a good person.
- Has a good command of the Swahili language.
- If naturalization occurs, he plans to remain in Kenya.
If they are qualified for all the criteria, they get a chance to have permanent residency in Kenya.
Renunciation and Loss of Citizenship
Citizenship is not a voluntary thing to deny. People can sometimes refuse their nationality for several reasons. These can be family processes, national issues, problems with the country's political sides, etc. Renouncing citizenship is a challenging process. The Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act, 2011, states that when a Kenyan citizen by birth willingly forms a statement of renouncing citizenship in the specified way, the Cabinet Secretary must arrange for the declaration to be issued. The Constitution of Kenya has a revocation of citizenship act which consists of different manners;
If the person acquired citizenship with registration, renouncing citizenship can occur if;
- Citizenship is acquired by fraud, false information, or wrong documentation on legal procedures.
- Citizens traded any governmental information during the war engaged by Kenya
- Citizen has been convinced of any offense and go to prison for more than three years within five years after registration.
The person has yet to be seen guilty of terrorism or an offense. No less than seven years in jail may be punished, or a harsher punishment can be assessed.
The nationality of an individual believed to be a citizen may be canceled if,
- the citizenship was obtained through a scam, deception, or hiding of any substantial information by any individual;
- that individual's citizenship or descent becomes known, revealing that individual was a citizen from a different country; or
- the person's age turns into recognition, revealing that the person was older than eight years while they were identified in prison.