Customs & compliance
Kenya Export Customs Clearance
The other half of the picture. If your goods were bought or made in Kenya, this is the process they go through before they leave, and it isn't the same as transit.
Export is not transit
A recurring confusion worth settling first.
- Export applies to goods already in Kenya, whether made, bought or stored there, that are being sent out of the country.
- Transit applies to foreign goods crossing Kenya on the way somewhere else, under customs control and under bond. See transit cargo through Kenya
Different declarations, different documents, different obligations. Tell us which one you have, and if you're not sure, describe where the goods came from and we will tell you.
Who administers it
Exports are handled by the Customs and Border Control Department of the Kenya Revenue Authority. KRA publishes an outline of its import and export processes , and the government's InfoTradeKenya portal publishes the official step by step procedures, the responsible institution and the legal basis for each step.
The documents
For a typical export consignment, expect to need:
- Commercial invoice. Seller, buyer, description, quantities, values, terms.
- Packing list. Pieces, weights, dimensions, marks.
- Transport document. Bill of lading, air waybill or road consignment note.
- Certificate of origin, where the consignee or the destination requires one
- Permits for any goods subject to export control or sector regulation
The process
- Prepare the documents. Everything above, consistent with each other.
- Lodge the export declaration. A licensed clearing agent transmits the declaration electronically to customs, against the registered manifest.
- Obtain any permits required for the goods.
- Customs processing, including examination where the consignment is selected.
- Release for export.
- Movement to the border or port of exit.
- Confirmation of export once the goods have left, which closes the export record.
Certificates of origin
Origin documentation matters in two ways: it can affect the treatment of the goods at destination, and preferential origin regimes have their own registration requirements. KRA issues certificates of origin through its customs stations, and exporters wishing to use particular preference regimes register with the relevant office.
If your buyer in South Sudan has asked for a certificate of origin, establish at the outset which form they need and on what basis. There is no single generic document.
Get a quotation
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.
Practical points for the South Sudan lane
- Use a licensed agent. Export declarations are lodged by licensed clearing agents.
- Match the documents to the consignee's needs. Your Kenyan export paperwork becomes the basis of their South Sudanese import entry. A description that is adequate for export may be too vague for classification at destination.
- Settle the HS codes once, for both ends. Agreeing classification before shipment avoids an inconsistency between the export and import declarations. See HS classification
- Remember the destination requirements. A clean Kenyan export does not help if the goods needed a Certificate of Conformity that nobody obtained. See Certificate of Conformity
Related
Before you rely on this page
This page is published as general guidance for people shipping cargo to South Sudan. It is not legal advice and it isn't customs advice. Duty rates, fees, permits and procedures are set by the authorities named above and they change. South Sudan sets its tax and duty rates in an annual Financial Act, so what applies to your goods depends on the date they are entered.
We don't publish duty rates, penalty amounts or clearance fees that we cannot tie to a current official source. Where a figure matters to your costing, confirm it with the relevant authority or ask us to check it for your specific goods and HS code before you ship.