Your goods have left the factory. The supplier has sent a cheerful photo of cartons on a pallet. Somewhere in the Indian Ocean a ship is carrying your money in a steel box, and you have one question: what actually happens between that warehouse and my door?

Plenty, it turns out. But it happens in a sensible order, and once you know the order, customs stops being a mystery and becomes a checklist. Here is the process as it works today at the Port of Mombasa and at JKIA.

1. You need a clearing agent

In Kenya, customs declarations are lodged by customs agents. KRA gives only them access to its customs system, the Integrated Customs Management System, known to everyone as iCMS. If you remember the old Simba system, you can let it rest in peace: since 2021 iCMS has handled cargo clearance at the port, the airports and the border points.

Before anything else, make sure you, or your company, have a KRA PIN. Every declaration is tied to it. No PIN, no clearance, no matter how politely you ask.

2. Before the goods ship: the Import Declaration Form

Your agent lodges an Import Declaration Form (IDF) in iCMS using the supplier’s proforma invoice. The approved IDF carries a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR), which follows the shipment like a name tag at a wedding. Lodge it before the goods are shipped, not after they land.

Some goods need a permit as well: plants and seeds, medicines, food and chemicals, among others. Permits are applied for through KenTrade, the national single window, and the IDF is approved once the permit is in place.

3. Check whether your goods need a KEBS Certificate of Conformity

Many products must be inspected and certified before they leave the exporting country under the KEBS Pre-Export Verification of Conformity programme (PVoC). The inspection company issues a Certificate of Conformity (CoC). Goods that arrive without a required CoC go to destination inspection in Kenya, which costs more and takes longer. Think of the CoC as a boarding pass: you can argue at the gate, but it is cheaper to print it at home. Our guide to PVoC explains the routes and fees.

4. Shipping and the documents that travel with the cargo

Once the goods are loaded, the shipping line issues a bill of lading, or the airline an air waybill. Ask your supplier for the commercial invoice and packing list at the same time. The details on all of these must agree with each other: consignee name and PIN, description, number of packages, weights and values.

When documents disagree, customs believes none of them. Mismatches are the most common reason a perfectly clean shipment gets held. See the documents you need when importing.

5. The customs entry and your duties

When the ship’s manifest is in the system, your agent lodges the customs entry in iCMS. KRA assesses the taxes, and you pay them before release. The main charges are:

• Import duty, set by the East African Community Common External Tariff. The rate depends on the HS code: 0% for most raw materials, 10% for intermediate goods, 25% for most finished goods and 35% for a list of sensitive goods.
• Excise duty on some products, such as vehicles, alcohol and certain foods.
• VAT at 16% for most goods.
• Import Declaration Fee at 2.5% of the customs value.
• Railway Development Levy at 2% of the customs value.

The HS code decides the duty rate, so describe your goods precisely on the invoice. “Spare parts” is not a description; it is a shrug. “Brake pads for Toyota Probox” is a description.

6. Verification and release

KRA uses risk profiling. Some consignments are released on documents alone, some are scanned, and some are opened for physical verification with KEBS or other agencies watching. Containerised local imports are often moved from the port to a Container Freight Station (CFS) for verification and delivery. Once customs releases the entry and the port and CFS charges are paid, your agent collects the delivery order from the shipping line, and the cargo is free to go.

7. Watch the clock

Free days start the moment the container comes off the ship, and they do not wait for anyone’s paperwork. After that, port or CFS storage and shipping line demurrage begin to add up, usually faster than people expect. Have your documents ready before the vessel arrives. Our guide to demurrage and detention explains how the meters run.

8. Delivery to your door, or across the border

From Mombasa, cargo moves by road or rail to Nairobi and upcountry, or on to Uganda, Tanzania and beyond under customs transit. We arrange road transport from the port to your premises.

Talk to us before you ship

We have cleared cargo at Mombasa since 2009, and in that time we have learned one rule above all others: the cheapest moment to fix a clearing problem is before the goods are loaded. The most expensive moment is when the ship is already in the harbour. Send us your proforma invoice and packing list and we will check the HS codes, permits and likely duties with you. See our clearing and forwarding service or ask for a quote.

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

Your cartons will cross an ocean on their own. Getting them through the gate is where we come in.