Suggestions on how to get through customs/immigration when traveling from Kenya. Should I expect customs/immigration to take longer?
Thanks
Are you asking if passport control (immigration) will take longer because the flight originates in Africa rather than a European or North American country?
Yes, might it take longer. I will have to have proof that I've received yellow fever vaccine.
So, do you have the proof of the vaccination?
Yes, I have proof, "a yellow card" that is needed to enter Kenya.
I have flown to and from Nairobi through London, and was never asked to show my yellow vaccination card. Not to say you don’t need it, though.
It may take longer and it may not. It depends on so many factors including the personal inclination of the immigration officer who checks your documents when you arrive. No doubt, there are those who disagree but there is a good chance it will take longer and you will be questioned if you are an black or Muslin African as opposed to say a white North American. I know it is not France but I'll never forget the time I was arriving in Germany and my German colleague gently and unobtrusively guided me away from the line I was getting in for passport control. The line was way shorter but the people on it happened to be Turks arriving from Turkey and after we got through passport and they were still being questioned, he looked at me and said "never get in line behind the Turks, the Africans or the Arabs because they always get questioned." I don't know if he was right but I do know that I got out of passport control way faster than the few people who were on the shorter line.
I lived in Africa for 7 years and traveled through Europe to get to North America more times than I can count. The only airport authorities that will check your yellow fever card are the African ones. European airports don’t check or care about your card.
As for taking more time, passport control might take a bit longer as many will have visas, but, honestly, Paris airports handle flights from non-North American locations all day long so a flight from NBO is no big deal.
With customs, you just walk through. Takes 2 seconds.