Working in Kenya
As an East African Community citizen you can live and work in Kenya on a free permit, without a labour market test.
Guidance from official sources, checked on 5 November 2026. Not a visa decision. Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa.
Legal ways to work there
- Class R permit: free for EAC citizens (KES 0). You apply on eCitizen with your passport, a letter from your employer and your certificates. It covers living, working, running a business and practising a profession.
- Under the EAC Common Market Protocol, a contract of more than 90 days needs a work permit applied for within 15 working days of arrival.
Your rights
- The Employment Act protects all employees in Kenya, including foreign workers: written terms of employment, paid annual leave and protection from unfair dismissal.
- Statutory minimum wages are set by the government and vary by location and occupation.
Pay floor
Minimum wages vary by town and job; check the current Regulation of Wages orders from the Ministry of Labour.
Red flags
- Anyone asking you to pay for a job, a "visa slot" or a medical test booking before you have a real written offer.
- An offer without an interview, or a contract sent only by WhatsApp.
- An agent who is not registered with TaESA, or who asks to keep your passport.
- Being told you need to pay for a Class R permit: the permit itself is free (KES 0).
Where to get help
- Kenya Department of Immigration Services (eCitizen) for permits.
- Ministry of Labour county labour offices for workplace complaints.
- The Tanzania High Commission in Nairobi.
Tanzanian embassy contacts
From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (official list) and each mission's own website, checked 5 November 2026. Call before you visit.
Before you go: TaESA and registered agencies
Tanzania Employment Services Agency (TaESA): Bibi Titi Mohamed / Morogoro Road, near the Commission for Mediation and Arbitration building, P.O. Box 80348, Dar es Salaam. Mwanza office near the Railway Station / Kenyatta Road junction, opposite Lake Hotel; zonal offices in Arusha and Dodoma. Phone +255 735 221 022 | +255 739 221 022 (call first), email info@taesa.go.tz. TaESA's website is offline; there is no official list of registered agencies online, so ask TaESA or the embassy to confirm one.
We only list recruitment agencies whose registration we have confirmed with TaESA. None are confirmed for this country yet; ask TaESA to confirm any agency before you pay or sign anything.
Official sources
Last checked 5 November 2026. Rules change: always confirm with the official source before you pay for anything or sign a contract. This is guidance, not legal advice.