Not all Kenyans transiting through EU need Schengen visas, only those exiting airports

One of the posts where the claim was made was published on TikTok on June 24, 2022, and has since been shared more than 1,000 times.

The video’s caption reads: “New visa rules throw Kenyans travel plan into disarray.”

A voice in the video says that “a newly introduced visa requirement is set to complicate the travel plans of countless Kenyans in addition to affecting the bottom lines of various careers”.

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A screenshot of the misleading TikTok video, taken on June 28, 2022

The clip adds that a notice issued by the Kenyan Ambassador to France, Judy Wakhungu, on June 21, 2022, stated that the country’s citizens travelling to destinations outside the EU via Schengen cities such as Paris and Amsterdam would be required to apply for transit visas.

Posts making the claim were also published on Facebook (here and here).

The Schengen visa enables its holders to enter and freely travel in any of the 26 EU member countries. There are no border controls within the Schengen zone.

The claim, however, is misleading.

No new visa rule

Confusion was sparked by a news report in the Business Daily when it reported that Kenyans would have to pay more for special new transit visas when travelling through the EU. 

But the Kenyan newspaper has since retracted the story, saying that it was “inaccurate”.

“We misinterpreted a notice issued by the Kenyan Embassy in France indicating that travellers changing airports while transiting must meet European Union visa rules,” reads part of the retraction.

The notice in question has since been removed by the embassy, but not before Kenyans on social media published it alongside similar misleading claims (here and here).

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Screenshot showing a copy of the notice shared on social media

This prompted a clarification from the EU, saying that travellers changing airports while transiting in the Schengen zone would need a visa.

"You don't need a visa as long as you stay in the airport transit areas. However, if you have a combination ticket that requires you to exit the airport, then you will need a Schengen entry visa," reads the EU clarification.

Wakhungu told AFP Fact Check that the embassy’s notice was simply meant to be a reminder about visa rules for Kenyans in Schengen zone airports.

The price of a Schengen visa hasn’t changed — adults pay 11,304 Kenyan shillings ($96) and children aged 6-12 exactly half. Children younger than 6 and holders of diplomatic passports are issued the visa free of charge.