Importing Chinese Heavy Trucks to Kenya and Tanzania: Process, Duties and Port Clearance

Kenya and Tanzania are the two biggest East African markets for Chinese heavy trucks — and they do not share one rulebook. Kenya runs a hard 8-year age limit and taxes on a KRA-published value; Tanzania prices age through extra excise, and published sources disagree on whether a hard age limit applies to commercial trucks at all. This guide gives the process for each country, the tax structure as reported in November 2026, and the points where you must confirm the live rules with a licensed clearing agent before you ship.

Read first: tax rates and age rules change. Everything below is a planning guide dated November 2026, not a customs ruling. Confirm the live schedule with your clearing agent and the revenue authority before you pay for a truck or a shipment.

0. Kenya vs Tanzania at a glance

1. Kenya: the process

Step 1 — Check the truck qualifies. The truck must be right-hand drive and no more than 8 years from its date of first registration. A vehicle first registered in 2018 is the borderline for a 2026 import. Salvage and crash-damaged vehicles are prohibited.

Step 2 — Pre-shipment inspection. A KEBS-approved agent must inspect the vehicle in the country of origin before it ships and issue a roadworthiness certificate (for Chinese exports, confirm with your agent whether the inspection is arranged through JEVIC, QISJ or another KEBS-recognised agent). No certificate, no clearance.

Step 3 — Ship to Mombasa. The truck arrives at the port of Mombasa. Your clearing agent files the import entry through KRA's Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS) with the bill of lading, commercial invoice, inspection certificate, logbook and your KRA PIN.

Step 4 — Pay duties and taxes. Kenya taxes on the customs value, and KRA uses its published Current Retail Selling Price (CRSP) to derive that value — your invoice price is not necessarily the tax base. The commonly reported structure is:

Published guides put total duties, taxes and port fees at roughly 70–100% on top of CIF for vehicles in general. Get a written estimate from your clearing agent on your exact truck before you commit.

Step 5 — Register. After clearance, register with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) for the logbook and number plates, and arrange insurance before the truck works.

2. Kenya: common mistakes

• Buying a left-hand drive truck. Kenya prohibits LHD imports except for rare special-purpose vehicles with prior approval. A cheap LHD truck is a truck you cannot register.
• Buying over 8 years old. The age limit is counted from first registration, not from manufacture or from the year on the advert.
• Budgeting on the invoice price. KRA's CRSP valuation can push the tax base above your CIF — budget on the agent's estimate.
• Shipping without the inspection certificate. The certificate must be issued before the vessel sails.

3. Tanzania: the process — and the age-rule conflict

The conflict, stated plainly. Published sources disagree on Tanzania's age rules for commercial trucks, and this guide will not pretend otherwise:

• Some logistics and clearing guides state a hard limit: passenger vehicles under 10 years, commercial vehicles (trucks, buses) under 15 years from manufacture.
• Other guides — including a Tanzania-focused used-import analysis dated September 2026 — state that mainland Tanzania does not ban a vehicle for its year of manufacture at all; instead it prices age through the excise schedule, with an additional age-related excise reported for vehicles 8 years or older (figures of 20% and 5% for utility vehicles are both reported by different sources).

What to do: treat the age rule as unverified until your licensed clearing agent confirms the live TRA position for your exact truck — year, type and use. Do not buy a used truck for Tanzania on the basis of any single blog, including this one. New trucks avoid the question entirely.

Step 1 — Pre-shipment verification. The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) requires a Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity (PVoC) inspection in the export country and a Certificate of Conformity. Without it, the truck faces destination inspection, a surcharge and storage charges at Dar es Salaam.

Step 2 — File early. Your licensed clearing agent must submit all import documents through the TANCIS system at least 7 days before the vessel arrives. Late documents mean storage and demurrage.

Step 3 — Clear at Dar es Salaam. Customs inspects the vehicle and verifies documents; port charges go to the Tanzania Ports Authority. Reported clearance time is about 5–7 working days with documents in order.

Step 4 — Pay duties and taxes. The commonly reported structure is:

TRA's Used Motor Vehicle Valuation System (UMVVS) gives estimates only — final duties are set by customs assessment.

Step 5 — Register. Register with TRA, pay the registration and plates fee, and arrange insurance before the truck works. Dar es Salaam is also the transit port for Zambia, Malawi and DRC-bound trucks — in-transit trucks need a transit customs bond.

4. Documents checklist (both countries)

1. Commercial invoice and packing list
2. Bill of lading
3. Pre-shipment inspection / conformity certificate (KEBS for Kenya, TBS PVoC for Tanzania)
4. Original logbook / registration documents of the truck
5. Import Declaration Form (IDF)
6. Importer's tax ID (KRA PIN in Kenya; TIN in Tanzania)
7. Clearing agent's appointment and power of attorney, where required

5. Landed-cost worksheet (illustrative structure only)

No prices are quoted here — freight and inspection are quoted per shipment, and duties depend on the assessed customs value.

6. FAQ

• Can I import a left-hand drive truck to Kenya? No, except rare special-purpose vehicles with prior approval. Buy RHD.
• Can I import a 10-year-old truck to Tanzania? Sources disagree — some say commercial trucks must be under 15 years, others say age is priced through excise, not banned. Confirm with a licensed clearing agent and TRA before you buy.
• Is the inspection really mandatory? Yes, in both countries: KEBS pre-shipment inspection for Kenya, TBS PVoC for Tanzania. Skipping it costs more at the port than the inspection itself.
• How long does clearance take? About 5–7 working days in Dar es Salaam with documents filed early; Mombasa depends on the entry and inspection queue — ask your agent for the current wait.
• Do duties use my invoice price? Not necessarily. Kenya uses the KRA CRSP-derived value; Tanzania uses TRA assessment. The assessed value can be higher than your invoice.

References

1. Kenya Revenue Authority — vehicle import duties, CRSP valuation and iCMS filing. https://www.kra.go.ke/
2. Kenya Bureau of Standards — pre-shipment inspection requirements (KEBS). https://www.kebs.org/
3. Tanzania Revenue Authority — import duty, excise, VAT and the Used Motor Vehicle Valuation System. https://www.tra.go.tz/
4. Tanzania Bureau of Standards — Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity (PVoC). https://www.tbs.go.tz/
5. Kenya Ports Authority — Port of Mombasa. https://www.kpa.co.ke/
6. Tanzania Ports Authority — Port of Dar es Salaam. https://www.tanzaniaports.com/
7. YITE Auto — trucks for sale, contact-for-price. https://www.yiteauto.com/en/trucks

Internal links

• Importing trucks from China to Nigeria: SONCAP, Form M, duties and Lagos port
• Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa: import duty and clearance cost comparison
• Right-hand drive truck buying guide for South Africa and Kenya
• Importing Chinese heavy trucks to Africa: 5 buyer questions
• How to order a Chinese truck step by step
• Africa truck payment and financing guide
• Trucks for sale
• Contact us