Shipping guides
How to ship goods from Kenya to South Sudan: a step by step guide
If you have never shipped on this corridor before, this is the order to do things in, and the decisions that have to be made before anything moves.
Most problems on this route are created weeks before the cargo moves, by decisions taken in the wrong order. Here is the right order.
Step 1: Establish where the goods come from
Before anything else, answer one question: were these goods bought in Kenya, or are they coming from abroad through Kenya?
- Bought in Kenya → this is a Kenyan export
- Arriving from China, India, the UAE, Europe or elsewhere → this is transit cargo
The two are cleared differently, with different declarations, different documents and different obligations. Everything downstream depends on this answer.
Kenyan export or transit cargo? How to tell
Step 2: Get the consignee ready
The goods will be cleared in South Sudan in someone's name. That party needs to be registered with the National Revenue Authority and hold a Taxpayer Identification Number.
This takes time and it is entirely within your control. Doing it while a container sits at a border is the worst possible moment.
Step 3: Check whether the goods need a Certificate of Conformity
South Sudan runs a pre-export verification of conformity programme. If your goods are within scope, a Certificate of Conformity must be obtained in the country of export, before shipment.
There is no way to fix this after arrival. Check scope now.
Certificate of Conformity explained
Step 4: Settle the HS classification
The HS code determines the duty rate and triggers permit requirements. Agree it before you ship, and use the same code on both the export and import declarations.
Step 5: Choose the service
| If you have | Consider |
|---|---|
| A few cartons, urgent | Air freight |
| A part load | Groupage |
| Enough for a vehicle | Full truckload |
| Dense, heavy cargo for a container | 20ft FCL |
| Bulky, lighter cargo for a container | 40ft FCL |
Our rates for each are published rather than hidden behind a form.
Step 6: Prepare the documents, and make them agree
Commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, certificate of origin, and any permits. The most common documentary failure isn't a missing document. It's three documents that contradict each other.
Step 7: Move the cargo
Collection, export or transit declaration, the road or air leg, the border crossing at Nimule, and the South Sudanese entry.
Step 8: Clear and deliver
Declaration, classification, valuation, assessment, any inspection, payment and release.
A realistic view of timing
Published transit times describe a normal run with complete paperwork. The things that move the date are almost never about transport itself: they are documents, permits and registrations. If you want a shipment to arrive on a particular date, work backwards from the clearance requirements, not from the driving time.
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Tell us what you are shipping
Send us the cargo description, weight or volume, and the pickup and delivery addresses. We reply with a written rate, the transit time and the documents you will need.