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Clearing a Car for Uganda at Mombasa: How It Works (2026)

AJAutocom Japan, YokohamaRules checked 19 October 20267 min read
Clearing a Car for Uganda at Mombasa: How It Works (2026)

A car for Uganda is shipped to Mombasa (or sometimes Dar es Salaam), but it is declared to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), not to the Kenyan or Tanzanian authorities. Under the East African Community’s Single Customs Territory, your clearing agent lodges one declaration in Uganda and, in most cases, pays URA’s taxes while the car is still at the port; the car then moves to Uganda under electronic tracking.

Key takeaways

  • Uganda-bound cars are declared to URA in its ASYCUDA system. In most cases the taxes are paid to URA while the car is still at Mombasa or Dar es Salaam.
  • You need a URA TIN and a licensed clearing agent appointed on the URA portal.
  • The age rule still applies first: cars 15 years or older from the year of manufacture cannot be imported (as of 19 October 2026).
  • Don’t leave a car uncleared at the port: goods past the clearance period can be warehoused and auctioned.

1. How the Single Customs Territory works

The Single Customs Territory (SCT) lets the destination country clear goods at the first port of entry, so your car is not cleared twice.

URA explains the main features: goods are cleared at the first point of entry, one customs declaration is made at the destination, taxes are paid to the destination country while the goods are still at the port, and goods are monitored by electronic cargo tracking on the way. The SCT started in 2014, and URA says all sea cargo at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam is now cleared through SCT processes.

URA has officers at the Port of Mombasa and the Port of Dar es Salaam, as well as at Nairobi, Naivasha, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu.

One detail surprises many buyers: inside the East African Community this is not called “transit”. URA uses “transit” only for goods going to countries outside the EAC. A car moving from Mombasa to Kampala is a “transfer of goods” between Partner States (the EAC member countries).

2. Check the car before you pay

Customs clearance only works if the car is allowed into Uganda in the first place.

  • Age: Uganda bans cars that are 15 years or older, counted from the year of manufacture. In 2026, look at cars made in 2012 or later. A 2026 bill to cut the limit to 13 years was withdrawn, so the 15-year rule still applies.
  • Inspection: every used car for Uganda needs a pre-export inspection for the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), by a UNBS-appointed inspection company (in Japan, EAA Co., Ltd.).
  • Final destination: tell us that the car is for Uganda before it is inspected, even if it is shipped to Mombasa.

Our import age checker tells you quickly whether a car’s year qualifies.

Questions about a car for Uganda? Contact our Kampala office by email at uganda@autocj.co.jp or on WhatsApp +256 77 166 4284. Office details are on our Uganda page.

Ready to look at cars? Browse our stock registered in 2013 or later (a safe starting point), then ask us to confirm the exact date of manufacture before you pay.

3. What you need before the ship arrives

Get your Ugandan paperwork in place early, so your agent can declare the car as soon as the ship’s cargo list (manifest) is in the system.

  • A URA TIN in the name of the person or company importing the car. The car is registered to this TIN.
  • A licensed clearing agent, appointed on the URA portal. The Ministry of Works and Transport lists this as the first step of first-time registration.
  • Copies of the Japanese documents: commercial invoice, bill of lading, export certificate with English translation, and the UNBS inspection certificate.

Check that the importer’s name and the chassis number are the same on every document. A wrong name on the bill of lading needs a manifest amendment through the shipping line, which takes extra paperwork.

4. Step by step: from Mombasa to your number plates

The steps below follow URA’s description of SCT clearance and the Ministry of Works and Transport’s guide to first-time registration.

  1. Declaration in Uganda. Once the ship’s manifest is in URA’s ASYCUDA system, your clearing agent lodges the declaration in Uganda.
  2. Assessment and payment. URA assesses the duty, taxes and the age-based environmental levy. In most cases they are paid to URA while the car is still at the port. Some cars are instead moved to Uganda under a customs bond (a guarantee) and taxed there; ask your agent which applies to you.
  3. Release by URA. URA’s Document Processing Centre handles the customs formalities and releases the declaration.
  4. Exit from the port. The agent requests the exit note (the document that lets the car leave the port), and the agent at the port (if your agent has no office in Mombasa, they nominate one) takes the car out of the port with the port release documents.
  5. Road to Uganda. The car travels with a cargo movement document and electronic cargo tracking, through a border such as Malaba or Busia. These borders still check cargo, but with fewer controls than before.
  6. Number plates. First-time registration follows customs clearance. You pay for the digital number plates through the bank, then the plates are fitted.

URA does not publish a fixed clearance time, and shipping schedules change, so ask our office for the current schedule for your route.

5. Who is responsible for what

URA spells out several responsibilities that buyers often ask about.

  • Your clearing agent makes the declaration, supervises any physical examination at the port, and is responsible for bonded cargo reaching its destination in Uganda.
  • The security of goods on the road is the responsibility of the clearing agent, the transporter and the owner, even though the Partner States provide security on the corridors.
  • A car shipped in a container goes to a bonded warehouse for general goods (not a car yard), where it is taken out of the container.
  • Selling the car in Kenya instead after paying Ugandan taxes needs approval from the customs commissioners of both countries.

Ask your agent in writing who moves the car from Mombasa, whether it is driven or carried on a truck, and who is responsible if it is damaged on the way.

6. Pay taxes safely

Taxes go to URA. Ask your agent for the official URA assessment before you send money for them, and keep every receipt.

The amount depends on the car’s value, engine size and age. URA sets the rates, so we don’t quote them; use URA’s calculator or ask your clearing agent before you buy. Our landed cost checklist lists every cost to ask about.

Autocom Japan never collects Ugandan taxes. Our local offices and agents do not accept any payments, and our staff will never make a transfer for you. You pay us only for the car, by bank transfer to an account in Japan in the name of Autocom Japan Inc. See how to pay by bank transfer and how to avoid scams.

7. Don’t leave the car uncleared

Under section 42 of the East African Community Customs Management Act, goods that pass their clearance and warehousing period are “un-customed goods”. In July 2026, for example, URA gave owners of such goods at Mombasa and Naivasha 30 days to clear them, after which they would be sold at public auction.

So agree on your clearing agent before the ship arrives and keep the money for taxes ready. If anything delays you, tell your agent at once.

For the full import process, read our guide to importing a car from Japan to Uganda. For choosing the agent, see how to choose a clearing agent, and for every Uganda rule in one place, visit the Uganda import rules hub.

Frequently asked questions

Is my car cleared in Kenya or in Uganda?

In Uganda’s system. Under the SCT, one customs declaration is made in Uganda and the taxes are paid to URA, so the car is not cleared twice. Port and storage charges at Mombasa still apply.

Can a Ugandan clearing agent clear my car at Mombasa?

Yes. Under the SCT, agents licensed in one Partner State are recognised in the others. An agent without an office at the port can nominate another agent there to handle the port steps.

Can I ship my car to Dar es Salaam for Uganda?

Yes, some buyers do. URA also has officers at Dar es Salaam, and sea cargo there is cleared through SCT processes too. Ask us about shipping options for your route.

How do I get Ugandan number plates?

First-time registration follows customs clearance: you pay for the digital number plates through the bank and the plates are fitted. Your clearing agent can guide you through it.

What happens if I can’t pay the taxes in time?

URA says goods not declared within 21 days of arrival can be auctioned, and goods that pass the clearance period can be moved to a customs warehouse and later sold. Talk to your clearing agent before the deadline.

Sources

Pay safely: our bank accounts are all in Japan and the beneficiary is always "Autocom Japan Inc". If anyone sends you new bank details, stop and contact our office before you pay.

Import rules: Uganda

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