Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 February 2025  |  Effective date: 22 February 2025

Welcome to VisaGuide Kenya ("we," "our," or "us"), accessible at visakenya.co.ke. We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it when you visit our website.

By accessing or using VisaGuide Kenya, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the website.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways:

a) Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we and our third-party partners (including Google) may automatically collect certain information, including:

• IP address and approximate geographic location (country/city level)
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring URL and pages visited on our site
• Date and time of your visit
• Time spent on pages and click behaviour
• Device type (desktop, tablet, mobile)

This information is collected via cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies. It does not directly identify you as an individual.

b) Information You Provide Voluntarily

We do not currently operate a registration or account system. If you contact us via email or a contact form, we collect the information you provide (name, email address, and message content) solely to respond to your inquiry.

c) Bookmark / Local Storage Data

Our "Saved Guides" (bookmarks) feature stores your saved country guides locally in your browser's localStorage. This data never leaves your device and is not transmitted to our servers.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve the VisaGuide Kenya website
• Analyse usage patterns and understand how visitors engage with our content
• Serve relevant advertisements through Google AdSense
• Monitor and prevent fraudulent or malicious activity
• Respond to inquiries you submit to us
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience and to serve advertisements. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

Types of cookies we use:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the basic operation of the website (e.g., bookmarks via localStorage).
• Analytics Cookies: Used by Google Analytics to understand visitor behaviour. Data is anonymised and aggregated.
• Advertising Cookies: Used by Google AdSense to deliver personalised advertisements based on your interests and browsing history across websites.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality. You may also opt out of personalised advertising at: google.com/settings/ads.

4. Google AdSense & Third-Party Advertising

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our website. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website and other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet.

Google's advertising practices are governed by the Google Privacy Policy. You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting aboutads.info/choices or by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to our website or other websites. We do not control the cookies or tracking technologies used by these third parties.

5. Third-Party Links

Our website contains links to external websites, including official embassy websites, government immigration portals, and visa application centres. These links are provided for your convenience and information only. We have no control over the content or privacy practices of these external sites and accept no responsibility for them. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

6. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We may share data with third-party service providers (e.g., Google Analytics, Google AdSense, hosting providers) who assist us in operating the website. These providers are bound by their own privacy policies.
• Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority.
• Business Transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, user information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

7. Data Retention

We retain automatically collected analytics data for up to 26 months, after which it is deleted or anonymised. Any personal information you submit to us (e.g., via our contact form) is retained only as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was submitted, and is then securely deleted.

Data stored in your browser's localStorage (bookmarks) is retained until you clear your browser data or explicitly delete your bookmarks on our site.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal obligations.
• Objection: Object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing.
• Portability: Request that your personal information be transferred to another organisation (where technically feasible).
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at: privacy@visakenya.co.ke.

9. Children's Privacy

VisaGuide Kenya is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete such information.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Website: visakenya.co.ke
• Email: privacy@visakenya.co.ke
• Contact Page: visakenya.co.ke/contact