Currency and customs information
- Official currency: Kenyan shilling (KSh)
- Division: 100 cents
- Banknotes: 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 KSh
- Coins: 5, 10 and 20 KSh
- Exchange rate: check the current rate here.
The currency of Kenya
Official currency
Kenya’s currency is the Kenyan Shilling (KES) and it’s represented with the symbol KSh. This currency can be divided into 100 cents.
There are banknotes of the following denominations: 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 KSh. The coins have these denominations: 5, 10 and 20 KSh.
Credit cards
Bank card usage varies according to the region of Kenya you’re in. In the main cities, hotels, tour providers and restaurants, you won’t have any trouble paying with a credit or debit card. It’s recommended for travelers to bring their Visa and Mastercard bank cards as they’re commonly accepted.
ATM
ATMs are easily found in tourist destinations, but not in rural areas.
Banks
The working hours for Kenyan banks are from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 15:00. Most banks also open the first and last Saturday of each month from 9:00 to 11:00.
Currency restrictions
There are currently no restrictions for the import and export of foreign currencies, but sums higher than US$10,000 must be declared.
If any traveler leaves Kenya with more than US$5,000 in cash, they need to be able to prove the origin of the money and the reason for having that amount.
Exchange rates
You can verify the current exchange rate for every international currency here.
- Official currency: Kenyan shilling (KSh)
- Division: 100 cents
- Banknotes: 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 KSh
- Coins: 5, 10 and 20 KSh
- Exchange rate: check the current rate here.
Customs and duty free
Regulated imports and exports
Foreign travelers can carry these objects while entering or leaving the country without any customs fees: 250g of tobacco; 1 liter of alcoholic drinks and 2 liters of wine and 1 liter of perfume or eau de toilette (more than a quarter has to be perfume).
Banned imports
Bringing the following items into Kenya is not permitted: controlled narcotics, counterfeit money and goods, used tires, matches made with white phosphorus, pornography, hazardous materials and chemicals.
The import of the following items is not banned but restricted, which means that you may require permits to bring them into Kenya: firearm parts and ammunition, ivory, genetically modified goods, historical artifacts, drones, bows, arrow and fencing foils.
Banned exports
It’s forbidden to leave Kenya having illegal drugs, firearms, explosives, ammunition (unless it’s with permission), knives and other hunting weapons, soil, plants and plant products (unless with permission), meat and meat products, counterfeit money and goods, pornography and hazardous materials.
