Kenya is not a signatory to the Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. This means that documents issued outside of Kenya need to be (1) notarised (2) apostilled (3) legalised by the Kenyan High Commission/Embassy.
However if a document is issued in the United Kingdom, it typically only needs to be notarised to be valid in Kenya. This is pursuant to the Kenyan Evidence Act, 1963 (sections 88 and 91). This means that an apostille by the FCDO and legalisation by the Kenya High Commission in London is not required.
The Republic of Kenya is located in eastern Africa, and is a presidential representative democratic republic. The capital of Kenya is Nairobi.
Modern Kenya was established as the East Africa Protectorate in 1895, becoming the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya in 1920. In 1963 it became independent from Britain and was briefly the Dominion of Kenya before becoming the Republic of Kenya in 1964.
The two official languages of Kenya are English and Swahili. Kenya has a diverse population and the largest ethnic groups are the Kikuyu, Luhya, Kalenjin, Luo and Kamba. There are also visible minority populations of Arabs, Europeans, Somalis and South Asians.
The United Kingdom is home to a large Kenyan expatriate population, and many need help with business dealings in Kenya. Kenya is also a popular choice for businesses to set up regional branches in eastern Africa. If you need help notarising documents for Kenya, get in touch today and we’d love to help.