Visa appointment in Kenya (2026): VFS, TLScontact, BLS, which centre for which country

In Kenya, most European countries do not take short-stay visa applications at the embassy counter: they use a private visa centre, and that is where you book your appointment. TLScontact in Nairobi handles France, Germany and Belgium (with Luxembourg), VFS Global handles the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and Canada (biometrics), and BLS International handles Spain. These centres only receive your file and take your fingerprints. Only the embassy or consulate decides on the visa.

This guide explains, for each destination, where to apply, how to book, what you will pay and what the embassies say about intermediaries. Everything below was checked on October 15, 2026 on the official sites listed at the end of the page.

Which destinations go through TLScontact in Nairobi? Three, according to the embassies themselves: France (France-Visas), Germany (German embassy, since May 1, 2022) and Belgium, whose centre also takes applications for Luxembourg. The UK does not use TLScontact in Kenya: its official centre is run by VFS Global.

For a Schengen visa, apply to the country where you will spend the most time. The fee is €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to under 12, and free under 6, always paid in Kenyan shillings. To see where your passport does not need a visa at all, check the visa-free list for Kenyan passport holders.

1. Fill in the application on France-Visas.
2. Book on the TLScontact France Kenya site and pay the TLScontact service fee online, in local currency, at the time of booking.
3. Attend in person at 9 West Building, 4th floor, Ring Road Parklands, Westlands, Nairobi. Submissions run Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; passport collection until 3:30 p.m.

The visa fee is set in euros, paid in Kenyan shillings when you submit, and is not refunded if the visa is refused. Apply at least 15 days before travel (up to 6 months ahead), and count at least 15 days of processing. Bring the printed appointment letter and a passport whose number matches the one on that letter. A third party can collect your passport with the original tracking form, a signed authorisation and their ID. France does not represent any other Schengen country in Kenya. Route details: France visa for Kenyan citizens.

All German Schengen applications go through TLScontact in Nairobi. When you book a Schengen appointment on the TLScontact Germany Kenya site, you are added to a waiting list and notified when a slot opens. The service fee is paid online during booking.

• Fees: €90 (children 6 to 12: €45, under 6: free) plus a TLS service fee of €28.50, both paid in Kenyan shillings at the embassy rate.
• Applicants aged 12 and over must attend in person. Fill in the VIDEX form first.
• Processing takes up to 15 days for a complete file.
• TLScontact announced an "Apply Anywhere" session in Mombasa on October 21 and 22, 2026 (Mombasa City Mall, off Nyali Links Road, 4th floor, office 438); check the TLScontact site for any later session.

The embassy warns: "Our office does not work with brokers or agencies. These individuals and organisations are NOT able to secure appointments with us." Route details: Germany visa for Kenyan citizens.

Kenyan citizens and permanent residents apply in person at TLScontact Nairobi, the centre for Belgium and Luxembourg.

• Fees: a service fee of KES 4,760 (€31.30) and a visa fee of €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to under 12, free under 6. The visa fee is paid in shillings and is generally not refunded.
• Timing: apply between 6 months and 15 calendar days before travel. In peak season, the wait for an appointment is 4 to 6 weeks. Processing usually takes 15 calendar days, up to 45, and "the Embassy does not provide fast track visa services."
• Passport trap: the Belgian embassy accepts only the new East African Community biometric e-Passport for Schengen applications.

Route details: Belgium visa for Kenyan citizens.

Book on the VFS Italy Kenya site. Two centres, open for applications from 08:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday:

• Nairobi: 5th floor, Park Field Building, Muthangari Drive, opposite Safaricom House on Waiyaki Way, Westlands.
• Mombasa: 8th floor, Imaara (The New Address), Dedan Kimathi Avenue.

Fees are €90 (KES 13,050) for adults, €45 (KES 6,525) for children aged 6 to 12, plus a VFS service fee of KES 2,885, paid at VFS in shillings. The embassy asks you to look for a slot at least 60 days ahead, and there must be at least 15 days between appointment and departure, or the file may be refused even with a valid appointment. Urgent documented cases, and family members of EU citizens, can write to [email protected]. Route details: Italy visa for Kenyan citizens.

Fill in the Dutch online form, then book yourself on the VFS Netherlands Kenya site: one appointment per person, and everyone attends in person, children included. The visa fee is €90 (€45 for ages 6 to 11, free under 6), paid in shillings by M-Pesa or bank card, plus VFS service costs. Apply between 6 months and 15 days before travel. Schengen visas for Estonia can also be applied for at this centre. The Dutch government's advice: "Do not make an appointment through an intermediary." Route details: Netherlands visa for Kenyan citizens.

BLS International is the exclusive partner of the Spanish embassy in Kenya. Appointments are made only on the [BLS Spain Kenya website](https://kenya.blsspainvisa.com/) and are free, as are the checklist and form; walk-ins are not accepted. Apply between 6 months and 15 days before travel. The embassy will not accept passports issued more than 10 years ago, and the passport must be valid 3 months after you leave the Schengen area. Check the current fees on the BLS site before you go. Route details: Spain visa for Kenyan citizens.

GOV.UK sends Kenyan applicants to VFS Global Kenya.

1. Apply online on GOV.UK first.
2. Pay online: £135 for a Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months), £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years, £1,128 for 10 years. Each family member pays separately.
3. Book the VFS appointment for fingerprints and photo, with your passport.

You can apply at the earliest 3 months before travel; a decision usually comes within 3 weeks. Route details: UK visa for Kenyan citizens.

Apply online with IRCC: CAD 100 per person (CAD 500 maximum for a family of five or more), plus CAD 85 per person for biometrics (CAD 170 family maximum). After your biometric instruction letter, you have 30 days to give fingerprints at VFS Global Nairobi. The appointment is free: IRCC says not to pay anyone for it. Route details: Canada visa for Kenyan citizens.

Kenya is not on the State Department's visa suspension list (Proclamation 10998, page updated February 2, 2026), and not on the list of countries subject to visa bonds (page updated October 2, 2026).

1. Fill in the DS-160.
2. Pay the USD 185 fee for a B1/B2 visitor visa. It is non-refundable and non-transferable.
3. Book your interview on the official appointment website for Kenya. The embassy is on United Nations Avenue, Nairobi.

Passports are returned through the BLS office, which moved on August 11, 2025 to Gallant Mall, 4th floor, Parklands Road, Nairobi. Apply in Kenya if you live here: the embassy warns that applying outside your country of residence makes the visa harder to get, and those fees are not refunded. For an urgent trip, first book the earliest regular slot, then use "Request Expedite" in your account. Route details: US visa for Kenyan citizens.

• Never pay for an appointment. BLS says its staff never ask for money to obtain, expedite or move up an appointment. Germany says agencies cannot secure appointments; France warns against sites selling appointments.
• Stay on the German waiting list instead of looking for a paid shortcut: slots are offered in turn.
• Book early: 6 months ahead for Schengen, 60 days ahead at least for Italy, and 4 to 6 weeks of waiting for Belgium in peak season.
• Use official urgent channels: the Italian embassy email for documented emergencies, the US "Request Expedite" button.
• Do not switch countries to get an earlier slot. Apply to your main destination; France reminds applicants it represents no other Schengen state in Kenya.

Travel insurance. Required for every Schengen visa: at least €30,000 of cover for emergency care and repatriation, valid across the Schengen area for the whole stay (Spanish embassy). Criteria and traps are in our Schengen visa travel insurance guide.

Accommodation. Your file must show where you will stay: a hotel booking or an invitation from your host. Pick free cancellation and keep the booking until you travel: the German embassy notes that border police can ask for your hotel reservation.

Checked on October 15, 2026.

• France-Visas, Kenya.
• German embassy Nairobi, Schengen visa and TLScontact Germany Kenya.
• Embassy of Belgium in Kenya, visa and TLScontact Belgium Nairobi.
• Embassy of Italy in Nairobi, where to apply and fees.
• Netherlands Worldwide, apply in Kenya and consular fees.
• Embassy of Spain in Kenya, Schengen visas and BLS Spain Kenya.
• GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa and find a visa application centre.
• IRCC, fees and where to give biometrics.
• US Embassy in Kenya, visas, appointment service, visa fees, visa suspension and visa bonds.

IziVisas is not an embassy or a visa centre and does not book appointments. Check the amounts on the centre's website before you go: they can change.