How to think about eTIMS endpoints
Developers integrating with eTIMS want to know the endpoints: the addresses an integration calls to do its work. At a high level, an eTIMS integration needs to authenticate, register or initialise its control unit, send invoice data, and handle KRA's responses including validation results. These map to a set of operations exposed through KRA's eTIMS system.
The important discipline is that the exact endpoint paths, request and response formats, parameters and authentication are defined by KRA in its official eTIMS API documentation, and they evolve. Publishing or relying on a fixed list of endpoint URLs here would go stale and cause failures, so this guide deliberately points you to the authoritative source rather than reproducing specifics. Treat KRA's current documentation, and any certified integrator guidance, as the truth.
The cheapest eTIMS integration is often the one you do not have to build, certify and maintain yourself.
How to approach it
A practical path. Confirm exact technical details against KRA's official documentation.
- 1
Get the current KRA documentation
Obtain KRA's current eTIMS API documentation, which defines the actual endpoints, parameters and payloads. This is your reference, not a blog list.
- 2
Identify the operations you need
Map your integration to the operations involved: authentication, control unit setup, invoice submission and response handling.
- 3
Build against the official spec
Implement each call to KRA's documented endpoint and payload, with proper authentication and error handling.
- 4
Test every endpoint in the sandbox
Validate each operation against KRA's testing environment before relying on it in production.
What to check before you build
Hard-coding endpoints from a third-party list
Third-party endpoint lists go stale. Build against KRA's current official documentation so your calls do not break.
Skipping authentication and error handling
Robust authentication and error handling are essential, not optional. Handle KRA's responses, including validation failures, properly.
Not re-checking when KRA updates
Endpoints and requirements evolve. Re-check KRA's documentation when they update so your integration keeps working.
A developer avoids a stale-spec trap
A developer in Nairobi started building an eTIMS integration from a third-party blog that listed endpoint URLs, and hit failures because the details were out of date.
They switched to KRA's official eTIMS API documentation, rebuilt each call against the current spec, and tested every operation in the sandbox.
Building against the authoritative source rather than a stale list got the integration working and kept it resilient when KRA later updated requirements.
Trading without eTIMS-compliant tax invoices risks KRA penalties, blocked VAT input claims for your customers, and receipts a business buyer cannot expense.
Veira signs every sale to KRA eTIMS automatically, so each receipt is compliant the moment it prints, with no separate device to reconcile.
When you can skip the integration
The biggest decision here is whether you need to build an integration at all. Veira is already a compliant eTIMS system: it issues compliant KRA invoices automatically, applies the right tax treatment, captures the buyer PIN, transmits to KRA, and works offline. For many businesses that removes the need to build, certify and maintain a custom integration yourself.
If you do run an ERP or a custom stack, weigh the cost of building and maintaining an integration against running point of sale and invoicing on Veira and reconciling. Veira runs from KES 2,999 a month with a free terminal and a 30-day money-back guarantee. See how Veira works, or book a free demo to talk through your setup.
Frequently asked questions
What endpoints does the eTIMS API have?
Where do I find the eTIMS API endpoints?
Why are the exact endpoints not listed here?
Do I need to call the API at all?
Do I have to build my own eTIMS integration?
Where is the authoritative eTIMS technical spec?
eTIMS API endpoints comes down to the concepts above plus KRA's official documentation for the exact details, and for many businesses the simplest path is compliant software that handles it for you. See how Veira works, or book a free demo. Always build against KRA's current official eTIMS documentation.