Cargo does not move on diesel alone. It moves on paper. A container can sit at Mombasa long after its ship has sailed, its goods in perfect condition and its owner pacing the corridor at the CFS, all because one page says 120 cartons and another says 112.

Our guide to the clearing procedure in Kenya sets out the steps. This post is about the three documents that decide whether your cargo moves or waits: the Import Declaration Form, the Certificate of Conformity and the bill of lading.

1. The Import Declaration Form (IDF)

The IDF is your formal introduction to KRA. It says what you plan to import before it ships. Your clearing agent lodges it in KRA’s iCMS system using your supplier’s proforma invoice, and the approved IDF carries a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) that ties together every later document for that shipment.

If your goods need a permit from a regulator, for example medicines, food, plants or chemicals, the permit is applied for through the KenTrade single window. The IDF is approved once the permit is granted.

The IDF records the details KRA will later check against your cargo, so treat it as a promise:

• Value, which is the base for your taxes.
• Quantity, stated exactly.
• Description and HS code. Different HS codes carry different duty rates, so the description must be specific.
• Origin and supplier details.

Do not confuse the form with the fee; they share a name and very little else. The Import Declaration Fee is charged on most goods entered for home use at 2.5% of the customs value. It is separate from import duty, excise duty and VAT. A Railway Development Levy of 2% of the customs value is also charged on most imports. Some goods are exempt from one or both.

2. The Certificate of Conformity (CoC)

Many products must meet Kenyan standards before they leave the exporting country. Under the KEBS Pre-Export Verification of Conformity programme (PVoC), an inspection company appointed by KEBS inspects and, where needed, tests the goods, then issues a Certificate of Conformity to the exporter. In plain terms, someone checks the goods are what the label claims while they are still at the factory, which is the only place a mistake is cheap to fix.

For the 2026 to 2029 contract cycle, KEBS has appointed nine companies for general goods: ASTC, Bureau Veritas, CCIC, China Hansom (CHIC), Cotecna, Intertek, Quality Inspection Services Japan (QISJ), SGS and TÜV Rheinland. QISJ handles used vehicles and spare parts.

Plan ahead. The exporter books the inspection, and testing can take days. Goods that arrive without a required CoC are sent for destination inspection in Kenya, which costs considerably more. Read our full guide to PVoC.

3. The bill of lading (or air waybill)

For sea cargo, the bill of lading is issued by the carrier once your goods are on board. It does three jobs at once: it is a receipt for the goods, evidence of the contract of carriage, and a document of title. That last one matters. Whoever holds the original can claim the cargo, which makes it the closest thing in shipping to a title deed.

Bills of lading usually come as a set of three originals, and one must be surrendered to the shipping line to release the cargo. Many shippers now use a telex release or a sea waybill instead, which saves couriering paper from China and waiting for it to arrive. Air cargo travels on an air waybill, which is not a document of title.

Check these details on the draft before the bill is issued:

• Consignee: your full name or company name, address and KRA PIN, exactly as on the IDF.
• Port of discharge and place of delivery.
• Description that matches the invoice, with the true number of packages.
• Container and seal numbers, which must match the CoC where the inspector sealed the container.

The supporting cast

Customs and KEBS will also ask for the commercial invoice and the packing list, and sometimes a certificate of origin if you are claiming a preferential duty rate under a trade agreement. These are not extras. They are the witnesses that confirm the main story. Ask your supplier for all of them before the goods ship, not after.

Let us check your papers first

Most delays we see at Mombasa begin with one document contradicting another. Send us your proforma invoice and packing list before you pay the supplier’s balance, and we will check them against what KRA and KEBS will want to see. See our clearing and forwarding service.

Call +254 722 375 423 or +254 741 444 444, WhatsApp @sidoman254 or @Sidoman_, or email info@sidoman.com. Sidoman Plaza, Ground Floor, Lumumba Road (Sidoman Street), King’orani, Mombasa.

Get the paper right, and the steel box will follow.