eTIMS Registration Online: KRA and eCitizen Steps (2026)

Step-by-Step

1. 1. Confirm the taxpayer and VAT status

   Use the KRA PIN of the entity making the sale. Confirm whether it is VAT registered and whether you are registering a sole proprietor, company, partnership, association, trust, or another business taxpayer.

2. 2. Choose the right eTIMS solution

   Select eCitizen/USSD/mobile Lite for eligible non-VAT small taxpayers, the online portal for browser invoicing, Client for installed pay points, or OSCU/VSCU for system-to-system integration.

3. 3. Open the official registration route

   Use ecitizen.kra.go.ke for eCitizen invoicing or etims.kra.go.ke for the taxpayer portal. Verify the domain before entering a PIN, password, or OTP.

4. 4. Provide and verify taxpayer information

   Enter the requested KRA PIN, registered contact information, business details, and verification code. Portal OTPs are sent to the contact held in KRA records.

5. 5. Activate or onboard the selected solution

   Complete the declarations and activation shown for that channel. OSCU/VSCU users also need the appropriate service request, device details, and integration initialization.

6. 6. Create and verify a test invoice

   Set up at least one correctly classified item or service, submit a test or first genuine sale as appropriate, and confirm that the resulting receipt contains the returned eTIMS details.

Registration, Onboarding and Invoicing Are Different Milestones

Treat these as separate checkpoints. Many setup problems happen because a user can log in and assumes the invoicing channel is ready, or because an integration has credentials but has not completed a realistic end-to-end transaction. Record the evidence for each milestone and the person responsible for the next one.

Which Registration Route Should You Use?

What to Prepare

• ✓The correct taxpayer KRA PIN and registered legal or business name.
• ✓Access to the phone number and email held in the taxpayer's KRA records.
• ✓The business nature, branch information, and invoicing workflow.
• ✓VAT registration status and the tax treatment of the goods or services sold.
• ✓Authorized-user and device details where the chosen solution requests them.
• ✓An integrator or technical implementation plan when choosing OSCU or VSCU.

Confirm the Taxpayer, Branch and Authorized User

Use the KRA PIN of the legal person or entity making the sale. A director's, employee's, buyer's or related company's PIN is not interchangeable with the seller's PIN. Compare the registered name and contact details shown by KRA before continuing.

If the business operates more than one branch, decide which branch issues each transaction and confirm how the selected solution represents those locations. Do not assume every business should use the main-branch identifier for every operation; obtain the branch details applicable to the taxpayer and workflow.

• ✓Legal or registered business name matches the intended seller.
• ✓KRA PIN is copied from a reliable taxpayer record, not typed from memory.
• ✓Phone and email used for OTP or recovery are controlled by the business.
• ✓The person registering has authority to act for the taxpayer.
• ✓Branch and operating-unit decisions are documented before invoice numbering begins.

Official eTIMS Login Links

Practical note: KRA says a forgotten taxpayer-portal password can be reset using the Forgot Password button. OTP delivery depends on the contact information held in KRA records.

How to Register for eTIMS on eCitizen

Open the official KRA service on eCitizen and sign in with the account authorized for the taxpayer. Locate the invoicing or eTIMS service, select the taxpayer profile, and complete the activation or onboarding declarations shown. KRA's current guide should control the exact button names because eCitizen screens can change.

KRA describes eTIMS Lite as a simplified set of options for eligible small and micro taxpayers not registered for VAT. Those options include eCitizen web, USSD through *222# and the eTIMS Non VAT mobile app. Eligibility should be confirmed from the current KRA flow rather than inferred from business size alone.

• ✓Check that the browser is on ecitizen.kra.go.ke before entering credentials.
• ✓Choose the KRA service and the correct taxpayer profile.
• ✓Open the invoicing or eTIMS activation workflow shown for that profile.
• ✓Read each declaration and confirm the business information before submitting it.
• ✓After activation, configure the required records and create an invoice only when the intended taxpayer is visible.
• ✓Keep the final submission status and receipt details; a locally saved draft is not a completed eTIMS invoice.

How the Taxpayer Portal Route Differs

The eTIMS Taxpayer Portal is a separate official destination from eCitizen and iTax. KRA's portal guidance uses the taxpayer KRA PIN as the user identifier and the password created for that portal. Do not repeatedly try an iTax, eCitizen or third-party product password on the wrong service.

Use the portal for the registration, solution access, item or transaction functions and invoice history available to the taxpayer. The exact menus depend on the selected solution and current KRA interface. If the expected service is missing, confirm the taxpayer profile and onboarding stage before creating another account.

Can You Use More Than One eTIMS Solution?

KRA says taxpayers can register on more than one eTIMS solution and view invoices from the different solutions through the online taxpayer portal. Each solution keeps a unique invoice-number sequence.

This flexibility can support business continuity, but corrections remain tied to the source: a credit note must be generated from the same solution that raised the original invoice.

OSCU or VSCU Registration for an Existing System

A business integrating a POS, ERP, billing product or marketplace needs more than an ordinary portal account. KRA's system-to-system route includes a service request, the appropriate OSCU or VSCU model, technical implementation, testing and production setup. Confirm the current process and required documents before committing an integration deadline.

OSCU is intended for always-online transaction workflows, while VSCU supports bulk or not-always-online patterns. The choice affects submission timing, reconciliation and recovery design. It should be made from the real system architecture, not from a vendor label.

• ✓Document invoice volume, connectivity, branches and the source system of record.
• ✓Confirm who owns the KRA service request and production approval evidence.
• ✓Keep sandbox and production credentials, URLs and data strictly separated.
• ✓Test success, validation failure, timeout, retry, duplicate prevention and correction flows.
• ✓Name the team responsible for monitoring and reconciling unresolved submissions after launch.

Registration Problems and Fixes

Validate the Setup Before Daily Use

Practical note: Use a genuine business scenario or an approved safe test process. Do not create a fictitious production sale merely to obtain a success screen.

What Registration Does Not Guarantee

A successful account signup is not the end of implementation. The business still needs correct items, tax treatments, authorized users, invoice numbering, a correction process, and evidence that the chosen channel can return a valid receipt.

Avoid promising a universal registration time. Activation depends on the selected solution, the accuracy of taxpayer records, verification access, and any integration work required.

The First 30 Days After Registration

• ✓Review pending, retrying, failed and rejected invoices every business day.
• ✓Correct repeated item, buyer-PIN or tax errors at their source instead of fixing each invoice manually.
• ✓Reconcile accepted eTIMS totals with sales and payment records.
• ✓Check that every branch, sales channel and authorized operator is following the agreed process.
• ✓Sample final receipts and verify that returned transaction details match the business record.
• ✓Document KRA and provider support contacts before an urgent outage or account problem.
• ✓Review access when staff roles change and never share OTPs with a person claiming to activate eTIMS remotely.

Official KRA Sources

Frequently Asked Questions