Kidney transplantation is the most effective treatment for end-stage renal disease in clinical practice. Compared with patients receiving dialysis, kidney transplant recipients may achieve higher survival rate and quality of life, and better clinical outcomes. However, kidney transplant recipients constantly develop physiological and psychological disorders, such as frailty, decreased cardiopulmonary function and cognitive dysfunction, etc. In recent years, with the application of the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), rehabilitation therapy plays a pivotal role in optimizing preoperative baseline function, mitigating perioperative physiological and psychological stress and reducing the incidence of postoperative complications. In this article, the application of ERAS in kidney transplantation was reviewed, and research progress on pre-rehabilitation before kidney transplantation and acute-stage rehabilitation after kidney transplantation was summarized, aiming to provide reference for perioperative rehabilitation of kidney transplantation, enhance the quality of life of kidney transplant recipients and accelerate the development of kidney transplantation techniques.