Practice Areas
Short Term Expatriate Work & Investment Permits
When it comes to working, investing or doing business in Kenya, there are several options. But figuring out the right one for you can be a challenge. That’s where we come in.
Dira provides support in processing the listed below business visa, work and investment permits services:
What We Are Expert At
Our Practice Areas
Temporary work permit (Special Pass)
The Special Pass work authorization is granted to all categories of workers and is issued for an initial period of between 1-3 months.
Expatriates Class D Work Permit
The Class D Work Permit is granted to any skilled and experienced category of professional or technical worker
Investors Permits
Issued to individuals that are interested in investing in Kenya. The process begins by the individual setting up a legal entity in Kenya.
Temporary Visas for Individuals
Business travellers into Kenya are issued with a Visitor’s Pass-Business Category. The traveller needs to initiate the process online
Employer Of Record Services (EOR)
An EOR is a company who employs people on behalf of global businesses in a foreign country – in our case Kenya.
Naturalization, Citizenship & Permanent Residency
In a smaller world, Kenya continues to welcome new citizens from every nation. We think that is what makes Kenya great.
Immigration Compliance for Employers
As an employer, the immigration rules and obligations you must comply with can seem incredibly complex.
Notarization and Legalization of Documents
A common problem faced by our clients here in Kenya is how to legalize or attest documents for use in another country
Expat – Hire to Retire lifecycle.
We offer a comprehensive range of services and deliver integrated HR compliance and consulting services for your expatriates
Business Registration Services
Many Business Registrations & Licenses have been made mandatory by both the county government as well as the national governments.
Temporary work permit (Special Pass)
The Special Pass work authorization is granted to all categories of workers and is issued for an initial period of between 1-3 months. It is generally granted for incremental periods of one month or more, and extensions are available for a maximum incremental period of six months within a year.
The main criteria are: intended length of stay of up to six months, and the nature of contract or activity. In very exceptional circumstances, the authorities would allow special passes beyond six months. It is ideal for short term assignments and in cases where the employer would wish to engage the services of an expatriate as the long work permit is being processed.
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Expatriates Class D Work Permit
The Class D Work Permit is granted to any skilled and experienced category of professional or technical worker and permits work for up to two years, but is also issued for one year if so, required by the applicant organization. Renewals are available on application.
Where the expatriate is accompanied by his family, they are issued with a dependent pass or student pass for children attending school in Kenya. The dependent passes are processed after the main work permit is issued and remain valid as long as the work permit is valid. Holders of dependent passes are further required to acquire a re-entry pass to allow them multiple entries into Kenya without a visa.
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Investors Permits
Issued to individuals that are interested in investing in Kenya. The process begins by the individual setting up a legal entity in Kenya. Dira has a sister law firms that can help you manage the company registration process. Talk to us.
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Temporary Visas for Individuals
Business travellers into Kenya are issued with a Visitor’s Pass-Business Category. The traveller needs to initiate the process online, receive approval and make payment for the visa before travel. The online process is done through this link e-visas website
Allowable activities
- Attend internal meetings and conferences.
- Attend client meetings.
- Conduct internal/external audit, provided the activity is performed in a meeting environment
- Undertake sales and marketing activities, provided the activity takes place at a trade show and in a meeting environment; and
- Receive training or undertake training (not “on-the-job” training), provided the training activity is observational and in a meeting environment
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Business visitor restrictions
Business travelers who engage in only allowable business activities may still require work authorization if any of the following conditions will apply to their trip.
- Be under the direct control of the host entity;
- Perform “hands on work”.
- Perform activities that will generate profit and/or other benefits to host entity either directly or indirectly.
- Perform activities on behalf of/in the name of/as a representative of the host entity.
Whether you are coming to Kenya to attend business meetings, to attend a conference, to attend or conduct classroom trainings, to visit friends and family, to see the sights or to experience a slice of life in Kenya there is a visa category for you. Dira provides advice and services related to the following temporary visa categories for individuals: -Business Visa, -Referral Visas, -Tourist Visa, -East Africa Visa, -Medical Visa, -Transit Visa
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Naturalization, Citizenship & Permanent Residency
In a smaller world, Kenya continues to welcome new citizens from every nation. We think that is what makes Kenya great. Dira provides legal services for individuals seeking Kenya Citizenship and Permanent Residency:
- Kenya Citizenship by Registration
- Kenya Citizenship by Marriage
- Regaining Kenya Citizenship
- Renunciation of Kenya Citizenship – For individuals seeking to acquire citizenship of another country that does not allow dual citizenship.
- Declaration of Dual Citizenship
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Immigration Compliance for Employers
As an employer, the immigration rules and obligations you must comply with can seem incredibly complex. We help employers navigate the immigration compliance maze with ease and protect against unwanted liability.
Dira provides the following immigration compliance and policy guidance services for employers:
- Immigration Health-check or Audits if you like.
- Immigration Profiling Services
- Immigration Rescue Services
- Managing Mergers & Acquisitions
- Immigration Policy Development
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Notarization and Legalization of Documents
A common problem faced by our clients here in Kenya is how to legalize or attest documents for use in another country.
What is legalization? This is verification that an original document is legitimate and authentic for use in another country.
Below the procedure of legalization of a document in Kenya;
- Present the document (s) that need to be legalized and your identification card or passport to the Notary Public. Dira, being a company run by experienced lawyers, we have qualified Notaries Public to offer this service to you.
- The Notary Public place a seal on the documents and sign. Request to see that the Notary Public is admitted in Kenya and has a valid certificate.
- The notary public will be required to obtain a letter from the High Court of Kenya stating that he/she is recognized in Kenya as a notary public and for verification of the signature. The High Court officer will issue a letter. Dira will manage this process for you.
- The notarized documents will be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for verification. The foreign affairs officer will issue a letter. See why you need Dira, this too, we will handle for you.
- The notarized documents will then be taken to the Embassy e.g. if the document is required to be used in the US, they will be taken to the US Embassy. Again, your preferred consultant Dira will do this for you.
The timelines vary from Embassy to Embassy, therefore, talk to us for guidance to avoid last minute frustrations.
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Expat – Hire to Retire lifecycle.
Having one trusted partner to turn to helps minimise risk for HR leaders and their C-suite teams.We offer a comprehensive range of services and deliver integrated HR compliance and consulting services for your expatriates:
- Drafting Employment Agreement
- Managing End-to-End Payroll, including Structuring of Salaries
- Statutory Compliances & Submissions
- Employees’ National Social Security Fund (N.S.S.F) registration and management
- Employee’s National Hospital Insurance Fund Registration (N.H.I.F) and management
- Personal identification Number (PIN) registration.
- Preparing & Filing of Personal Tax Returns
- Tax-Clearance Certificate at the time of Exit and permit renewal process
- Police Clearance Certificates
- Notarization and Legalization of documents
- International driving license application and renewals thereof
- Foreign Nationals Registration Certificate application commonly referred to as Alien Card registration.
- Huduma Namba registration
Dira’s team, support you in complex problems and provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of rules and regulations applicable to expats in Kenya.
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Business Registration Services
At Dira, we work closely with our affiliate law firm D.M.Nyagah Advocates to help you identify and obtain the specific licenses/registrations or permissions that your business may need in Kenya. The statutory responsibility of companies does not end with simply company registration. The employers need to apply for several statutory registrations to run their businesses in Kenya under various departments.
Dira assists start-ups, subsidiary, branch office or manufacturing unit in all statutory registrations, licenses and permissions that are mandatory by the government for starting a business in Kenya. We We act as an intermediary between our clients and the respective government departments/agencies.
Be Legally Compliant
Many Business Registrations & Licenses have been made mandatory by both the county government as well as the national governments. We provide services at every stage of your journey as an entrepreneur and act as a one-stop solution to all your registration needs. We possess the expertise in understanding the complexities of market dynamics and the ‘Law of the Land.’
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
Why use EOR?
Access to Top International Talent
The Covid pandemic has opened the world’s eyes to the benefits of remote working. It has also made businesses realize that they can access the best talent anywhere in the world. EOR is the cryptocurrency of Global Hiring – it allows global businesses to transcend borders and hire the world’s best talent without being constrained by legalities. It has become apparent that cultural diversity in teams play a major role in creative processes and team dynamics, hence the strength of global teams.
Reduced Costs of Global Expansion
It costs much less to use an EOR than to set up your own entity. Setting up your own legal entity in a foreign country involves extensive professional fees for lawyers, accountants and other professionals. Using an EOR therefore assists in managing the costs of Global Expansion, whilst reducing risk.
Testing New Markets
When businesses want to test new geographical markets without making a long-term bet, then EOR makes a lot of sense. EOR contracts can be cancelled on short notice if things don’t work out. EOR is therefore the perfect tool to use when “dipping your toes” into new geographies and markets.
Employer Of Record Services (EOR)
Dira, through her subsidiary company Diracom Company Management Services Limited (Diracom) focuses on providing end-to-end employer of record services in Kenya. This clear and geographical focus allow us to be the best in our field because we will support your assignees in all their immigration related services, labor and employment services and manage their payroll for purposes of filing their taxes. We provide EOR services for global businesses from across the world and in all industries in Kenya.
What is an Employer of Record (EOR)?
An EOR is a company who employs people on behalf of global businesses in a foreign country – in our case Kenya. The EOR is the legal employer and is responsible for all employment, HR, Payroll, tax, labour, and compliance related issues.
Dira through her subsidiary Diracom EOR is therefore legally obligated to comply to all company, tax, labour, HR and other statutory regulations specific to South Africa.
EOR is still a new concept and one that is being adopted by more global businesses every day. The “New World of Work” has radically increased the growth of the Global EOR industry and this growth trajectory is expected to continue for many years.
Why is Kenya becoming a popular EOR destination?
Low Cost of Skilled Employment
Kenya has a good literacy rate with many people acquiring tertiary qualifications (college and university degrees) after high school. Combined with an extremely high unemployment rate makes Kenya a perfect low-cost labour market for global businesses.
Time Zones and Language
Kenya’s time zones coincide with most European countries. This bodes well for global European businesses who are looking to access low-cost labour markets. Kenya’s official business language is English. The Kenyan English accent is also regarded as “neutral” and easy to understand. This is especially relevant for call-centres.
Work Ethic
Kenya work ethic is well regarded world-wide. Kenyans are generally regarded as intelligent, hard-working individuals who take pride in their work.
Fridah Mawira
CEO, Dira immigration Consultants
When Time to Market is Important
Businesses sometimes have limited time to appoint people in foreign countries. This could be for a variety of reasons – securing top talent, commercial opportunities and so on. It can take many months to set up a legal entity in a foreign country, and by then the talent or the opportunity might be lost.
Managing Legal Risk of Compliance
Global businesses are often averse to legal and compliance risks of foreign countries that are unfamiliar to them. An EOR takes the compliance risk away from the global business whilst giving them full access to a new market. It keeps global expansion goals on track and reduces the legal risks that go with expansion. Non-compliance to local laws and regulations can result in significant penalties.
Short-term projects
If a global business intends to operate in a foreign country for a limited time or for a very specific project with a clear end date, then setting up a legal entity and incurring all the associated costs make no sense. An EOR can on-board and off-board full-time employees as well as local contractors on behalf of a global business – at a fraction of the cost and in much less time.