How to Get a KRA PIN in Kenya: Apply, Retrieve a Lost PIN and Download Your Certificate

A KRA PIN (Personal Identification Number) is free to get and takes about 10 minutes on iTax — you don't need an agent or a cyber café to pay anyone on your behalf. You'll need it to get a job, open a bank account, register a business, transfer land or clear a car at customs. If you've lost yours, you can reprint the certificate from iTax in a couple of minutes without visiting a KRA office. This guide covers all three — applying, retrieving a forgotten PIN, and downloading the certificate — plus the PIN for students and non-earners that KRA introduced in April 2026, checked against KRA's own pages as of October 2026.

Quick facts

Who actually needs a KRA PIN

You need a PIN if you have taxable income, or if the Commissioner requires you to have one for a specific transaction. In practice that covers almost every adult doing anything official in Kenya. KRA's own list of PIN-dependent services includes:

• Registering a business name or company
• Land registration, transferring a title deed and stamping of transfer instruments
• Vehicle registration, transfer and customs clearance when importing a car
• Opening a bank account
• Applying for a driving licence
• VAT registration and any government tender or supply contract
• Registering for eTIMS so you can issue tax invoices once you're in business
• Approval of building plans and trade licences with county governments
• Applying for private medical insurance — insurers such as Jubilee ask for a KRA PIN certificate from every adult applicant

(Source: KRA — transactions that require a PIN, checked October 2026.)

If you don't earn anything yet: the PIN with No Obligation (PWO)

In April 2026, KRA scrapped the old rule that forced every PIN holder — including students and job seekers with zero income — to file a nil return every year or risk the KES 2,000 penalty. In its place, iTax now has a PIN with No Obligation (PWO), built for people who need a PIN but aren't earning: students applying for a HELB loan, job seekers, and diplomats.

A PWO holder files no returns at all — not even nil returns — until they start earning. Once you get a job or start a business, you go back into iTax and amend your PIN to add the relevant tax obligation; from that point the normal filing rules apply (see our guide to filing KRA returns and who still needs to file a nil return if you already have an ordinary PIN).

(Source: KRA — Step-by-step guide for PIN Without Obligation, checked October 2026.)

What you need before you start

For a Kenyan resident applying for an ordinary PIN or a PWO, you need:

1. Your National ID (original, to hand — the form pulls some details from it)
2. A valid personal email address you can access immediately (iTax sends an OTP to it)
3. A working phone number
4. Your employer's PIN, if you're already employed
5. Your business registration details, if you're self-employed

Non-citizens, diplomats and Kenyans married to non-citizens have separate document lists (passport, work permit, marriage certificate, and so on) — see KRA's PIN requirements brochure for your category. Kenyans applying from abroad get an acknowledgement receipt online, then complete the process at a Kenyan mission or at iTax's Railways Club office, per KRA's diaspora guidance.

How to apply for a KRA PIN on iTax

1. Go to itax.kra.go.ke and click New PIN Registration.
2. Select Taxpayer type: Individual and Mode of registration: Online form, then click Next.
3. If you're a student or have no income yet, select Yes when asked "Do you want to register for a PWO?" Otherwise leave it as a standard registration.
4. Choose Resident Individual, enter your National ID number, and fill in your date of birth — the system auto-fills some personal details from the national registry.
5. Enter your physical address (building, street, town, county) and postal address.
6. Enter your phone number and email, then click Send OTP and enter the code sent to your email to verify it.
7. If you're registering an ordinary PIN (not a PWO), select your tax obligation — usually Income Tax, Resident Individual — and the registration date. Once you're employed, run your payslip through our Kenya income tax calculator to check your take-home pay. For the current PAYE bands, reliefs and how NSSF, SHIF and the housing levy affect that number, see our guide to PAYE in Kenya. Your first payslip will also start NSSF deductions — see our guide to NSSF rates in Kenya for how much that is and how to check your balance.
8. Solve the arithmetic security question and submit.

Your PIN certificate is generated immediately and emailed to you. You can also download it any time from your iTax account — see the steps below.

(Source: KRA — PIN requirements and how to apply; KRA — PWO application steps, both checked October 2026.)

How to retrieve a forgotten KRA PIN

If you remember your iTax password

Log in to iTax with your PIN or ID number and password, go to Registration, select Reprint PIN Certificate, leave the fields as they are and click Submit. Your certificate downloads as a PDF with your PIN on it.

If you've forgotten your password too

On the iTax login page, click Forgot Password/Unlock Account, enter your PIN or ID number, then answer the security question you set when you registered. A new password is sent to your registered email — log in with it, then follow the reprint steps above. You can also reset by phone: call KRA's contact centre on 0711 099 999 or 020 4 999 999, press the option for password reset, and give your National ID number; the new password goes to your registered email.

If you can't access that email at all

Visit any KRA office or Huduma Centre with your original National ID. Ask the customer service desk for KRA PIN recovery — they verify your identity on the spot and print the certificate for you, free of charge. You can also email a colour scan of your ID to callcentre@kra.go.ke, or message KRA on social media (@KRACare).

(Source: KRA — how to print your PIN certificate, checked October 2026.)

How to download your KRA PIN certificate

Already registered and just need the document? Log in to iTax, go to Registration tab > Reprint My Certificate, choose Applicant Type: Taxpayer, and click Submit. The certificate is ready to download as soon as you submit — there's no waiting period and no cost, however many times you need it.

How much does a KRA PIN actually cost

Applying for a PIN, reprinting your certificate, and resetting your password are all free — KRA doesn't charge for any of them, whether you're registering a fresh PIN or a PWO. If a website or an "agent" asks you to pay a registration fee or send money to a till number before they'll "process" your PIN, that's not a KRA charge; walk away.

The only real cost most people hit is practical: if you don't have a laptop or reliable data, a cyber café will do the typing and printing for you. Nairobi cyber cafés typically charge around KES 50–80 an hour for computer and internet use, plus roughly KES 10–15 a page to print your certificate once it's done (source: Business Daily Africa, on current cyber café pricing, checked October 2026) — call ahead and ask the attendant's rate before you sit down, since it varies by town and shop.

What to watch out for

• Fake "PIN registration" sites and agents asking for payment. The real process is free on iTax. Anyone charging a flat fee "to register your PIN" is either padding a free service or running a scam.
• One person, one PIN. KRA issues one PIN per person for life; don't register twice under slightly different details — it creates duplicate records that are a headache to untangle later.
• Forgetting to update a PWO once you start earning. The moment you take a job or start a business, go back into iTax and add the tax obligation. Staying on a "no obligation" PIN while you're earning taxable income doesn't exempt you from filing — it just means KRA hasn't been told yet, and that catches up with you.
• Sharing your PIN loosely. It's used for loan applications, SIM registrations and business filings — only give it to parties you're actually transacting with.
• Reviving an old, dormant PIN. If you're reactivating a PIN that's gone quiet for years and it turns out to carry unfiled returns or old tax debt, check the 2026 tax amnesty before you panic — it waives penalties, interest and fines on tax owed up to 31 December 2025, as long as you clear the actual tax by 31 December 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is a KRA PIN free?

Yes. Applying for a new PIN, registering a PIN with No Obligation, resetting your iTax password and reprinting your certificate are all free on iTax. The only cost most people pay is a small cyber café fee if they don't have their own computer or data.

How long does it take to get a KRA PIN?

If you have your National ID, a working email and a phone to hand, the whole online application takes 10–15 minutes, and your certificate is generated and emailed to you immediately — there's no waiting period for residents applying online.

Can I get a KRA PIN without a job?

Yes. Since April 2026, students, job seekers and other non-earners can register a PIN with No Obligation (PWO) on iTax instead of an ordinary PIN. It lets you do things like apply for a HELB loan without committing you to file annual returns until you actually start earning.

What do I do if I forgot my KRA PIN and my iTax password?

Use "Forgot Password/Unlock Account" on the iTax login page with your ID number, or call KRA's contact centre on 0711 099 999. Once you're back in, go to Registration > Reprint PIN Certificate to see and download your PIN.

Can someone else retrieve my KRA PIN for me?

Not online — the password reset and reprint steps need access to your own registered email or phone. In person, KRA offices and Huduma Centres will only release a PIN certificate to the ID holder themselves, or to someone with legal authority such as a court-appointed guardian.

Do I need a KRA PIN to open a bank account in Kenya?

Yes, Kenyan banks require a KRA PIN to open most personal and business accounts, as part of the transactions KRA lists as requiring a PIN.