Kenya
Kenya Customs Contacts
Website: http://www.kra.go.ke/
Email: callcentre@kra.go.ke
Address: P.O.BOX 48240 - 00100 GPO Nairobi
Telephone: +25420310900 / +254202810000
Kenya is a country situated in Africa, bordered by Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. The country is a founding member of the East African Community. It is also a member of COMESA, World Trade Organization, World Customs Organization, International Chamber of Commerce and other international organizations.
Tariffs
Being a member of the East African Community, along with Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, customs tariffs, rules of origin, import prohibitions, and trade remedy regulations in Kenya have been harmonized through the EAC.
Kenya applies the East African Community common external tariff on the cost, insurance and freight value of imported goods.
The average customs duties in Kenya vary from 0% to to 25%. However, tariffs applied on sensitive products may reach 60%.
Importers will also have to pay a value added tax at of 16 % on the customs value (plus border charges) of imported goods.
Product certification, labelling and packaging
Labelling on all imported products should be present in English and/or Kiswahili.
On the package of such products as packaged pharmaceuticals, chemicals, cosmetics and fertilizer should be indicated the expiration date.
Goods imported into Kenya are subject to the pre-shipment inspection. The verification procedure is applied to ensure the compliance of the imported goods with the applicable Kenyan Technical Regulations and Mandatory Standards. As a result of the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PvoC), importers must obtain a Certificate of Conformity.
A certificate of origin is also needed when importing into Kenya.
Documents for import and export
To export to Kenya you will need to get the following documents:
- Certificate of origin
- Customs bond (which is a guarantee that the exporter to Kenya will respect the laws and regulations related to importation of goods into Kenya)
- Import declaration form (required for all imports entering Kenya)
- Letter of credit (issued by a bank to the exporter at the request of a buyer or importer. It guarantees payment to the seller if the terms and condition specified in the letter of credit are fulfilled)
- Export manifest (a detailed list of cargo being carried on board by a carrier such as aircraft or ship, showing the quantity, identifying marks, consignor and consignee of each item)
- Pre-shipment inspection certificate (goods being exported to Kenya must be inspected before they leave the country of origin. Pre-shipment inspection determines the quality, quantity, value, duties and taxes applicable. A report or certificate is issued which should accompany the import clearance documents)
- Bill of lading or airway bill
Customs tariffs for all categories of products can be found here:
http://www.revenue.go.ke/customs/pdf/EAC%20Externaltariff2007.pdf
List of tariffs applied on sensitive products:
http://tradehelpdesk.eac.int/documents/Sensitive_List.pdf
Sources:
http://kentexcargo.com/how-to-export-or-import-to-kenya-moving-shipping-goods-explained/
http://www.revenue.go.ke/customs/customspreshipmentinspection.html
http://www.revenue.go.ke/customs/pdf/EAC%20Externaltariff2007.pdf
