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How to Choose a Clearing Agent in Kenya or Tanzania (2026)

AJAutocom Japan, YokohamaRules checked 19 October 20267 min read
How to Choose a Clearing Agent in Kenya or Tanzania (2026)

A clearing agent is the licensed company that declares your car to customs, works out the duty with the revenue authority and gets the car released from the port. In Kenya and Tanzania most buyers use one, so choose an agent whose licence you have checked yourself, before the ship arrives.

Key takeaways

  • Customs agents must be licensed: in Kenya by the KRA Commissioner of Customs and Border Control, in Tanzania by the TRA Commissioner for Customs and Excise.
  • Both revenue authorities publish a list of licensed agents. Check the company name on the current list before you hand over any documents.
  • Ask for the official customs assessment for your car before you send money for duty, and keep every receipt.
  • Choose your agent before the car arrives, and send them copies of your documents early.

1. What a clearing agent does

The agent turns your papers into a customs entry and deals with the port and government agencies for you.

KRA describes four roles for a customs agent: computing taxes on behalf of the Commissioner, acting as the link between the importer and Customs, preparing and submitting documents for the importer, and liaising with other government agencies. In practice that means the agent:

  • Lodges the declaration in the customs system: iCMS in Kenya, TANCIS in Tanzania.
  • Receives the official assessment of duty and taxes for your car.
  • Arranges payment of the assessed amount through official channels.
  • Attends any physical examination of the car at the port.
  • Arranges release from the port once customs has passed the entry.

The agent does not set the duty. The revenue authority does. What the agent controls is how fast and how accurately the paperwork is done, and their own service fee.

2. Check the licence on the official list

Only work with a company that appears on the current official list. A business card or a website is not proof.

Kenya. A customs agent is a company licensed by the Commissioner of Customs and Border Control under section 145 of the East African Community Customs Management Act. KRA publishes a list of licensed customs agents (PDF) with each company’s licence expiry date. Most licences on the current list run to 31 December 2026, and KRA has asked agents to apply for their 2027 renewal by 31 October 2026. If your car will be cleared in January, make sure your agent has renewed.

Tanzania. TRA licenses customs agents for twelve months at a time and publishes a list of licensed clearing and forwarding agents for 2026 (Excel file) with each company’s TIN. TRA says 2026 licences expire on 31 December 2026 and are suspended in the system in early January 2027 if not renewed, so check again if your car arrives after the new year.

Search the list for the exact company name. Then check that the name on your agent’s letterhead, invoice and receipts is the same company.

Need a car that meets Kenya’s age rule? Browse our stock first registered in 2019 or later. For Tanzania, start with our full stock.

3. Questions to ask before you agree

A good agent answers these clearly and in writing.

  • Is your company on the KRA or TRA list for this year? Ask for the exact registered name.
  • What exactly is in your fee? Ask for a written list of the agent’s own charges, separate from duty, taxes, port charges and storage.
  • How will I see the duty assessment? You want to see the official assessment for your entry, not just a total on a piece of paper.
  • Who pays the duty and how? Agree how the money moves and what receipt you will receive for each payment.
  • Which documents do you need, and which must be originals? Compare the answer with our documents checklist for Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.
  • Who will attend the inspection at the port? If customs selects the car for examination, the agent should be there.
  • Do you deliver inland? If you want the car driven or trucked to your town, ask who does it and who is responsible for the car on the road.

4. Pay duty safely

Duty and taxes go to the revenue authority, not to the exporter and not to a private person.

Before you send money for duty, ask your agent for the official assessment for your entry, and compare the car details on it with your invoice and export certificate. Pay the way you have agreed in writing, and ask for a receipt for each payment.

Be careful if anyone:

  • Gives you a “duty total” with no official assessment behind it.
  • Asks for duty money to be sent to a personal account or by a cash-transfer service.
  • Says they are Autocom staff or an Autocom office and asks you to pay duty, clearing charges or the car price to them, or to a personal account.

Autocom Japan does not collect duty, and our local offices and agents do not accept any payments. You pay us only for the car (and shipping, if included), by bank transfer (T/T) to an account in Japan in the name of Autocom Japan Inc. See how to pay for a car by bank transfer and how to avoid scams.

5. Give your agent what they need, early

Documents that arrive late or do not match are a common cause of clearing delays.

Choose your agent before the ship arrives and send them copies of the Japanese documents as soon as you have them: the commercial invoice, the bill of lading, the export certificate with English translation, and the inspection certificate (QISJ for Kenya, EAA for Tanzania). Add your KRA PIN or your TRA TIN.

Check that your name, the chassis number and the car details are the same on every document. Ask our office how and when the original documents will reach you or your agent.

For Kenya, also check that the car meets the age rule before you pay: in 2026 the year of first registration must be 2019 or later. KEBS has not yet announced the 2027 cut-off (as of 19 October 2026); it usually does so in November. Our guide to Kenya’s car import age limit explains the rule and what happens near the end of the year.

6. Don’t leave the car at the port

A car that sits at the port runs up storage charges, and if it stays uncleared too long it can be auctioned.

Under the East African Community Customs Management Act, goods that are not cleared within the allowed period can be moved to a customs warehouse and, if they are still not cleared, sold at public auction (sections 34 and 42). Your agent should tell you the dates that apply to your car as soon as it arrives.

To plan the money side, use our landed cost checklist. For how the taxes are worked out, see how KRA values a used car and what TRA charges on an imported car.

7. Using Autocom’s local offices

You are free to use your own licensed clearing agent.

In Kenya, our Mombasa and Nairobi offices can tell you about the clearing and delivery options we offer through a partner company. In Tanzania, our Dar es Salaam office can explain the options at the port. Either way, check the clearing company on the official list, exactly as you would any other agent.

For every rule in one place, see the Kenya import rules hub and the Tanzania import rules hub.

Frequently asked questions

Can I clear my car myself without a clearing agent?

KRA says you can import goods yourself without a licensed customs agent. Clearing a car at Mombasa means dealing with the customs system, the port and other agencies, so most buyers use a licensed agent. In Tanzania, ask TRA before you try to clear a car yourself.

Where do I find the list of licensed clearing agents?

KRA publishes a PDF list of licensed customs agents on kra.go.ke, and TRA publishes an Excel list of licensed clearing and forwarding agents on tra.go.tz. Both are linked in the sources below.

Should I pay the duty to my clearing agent?

Agree in writing how duty is paid, and only send money after you have seen the official assessment for your entry. Keep a receipt for every payment.

Does Autocom pay the duty for me?

No. Duty and taxes are set and collected by KRA or TRA. Autocom never asks you to pay duty to Autocom staff or local agents.

My car is going to Uganda. Do I need a Kenyan agent?

Cars for Uganda are declared to the Uganda Revenue Authority, even while they are still at Mombasa. Ask for a licensed clearing agent who has access to URA’s customs system; see our Uganda import guide.

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: Kenya Import rules: Tanzania

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