Duty Free Car Importation for Returning Residents

Firstly, the regulations for exporting cars to Kenya still apply hence they still have to meet the age limit set by the government; they would still need their vehicles inspected by JEVIC and the vehicle should not be LHD. Please read more on our other post on Importation of Duty Free Cars into Kenya

A lot of Kenyans in the Diaspora are moving back to Kenya so we felt this article will help many of those looking to take their treasured vehicle back with them.

The general requirements to qualify include:

One must be 18 years old and above
Must have owned the vehicle for at least 12 months before the shipping period, and his/her name is on the registration documents
Owner must have stayed in the foreign country for a minimun of 2 years
The vehicle should arrive within 90 days of the owners arrival
Within the two years that the owner has been away, they ought not to have made a visit and stayed in Kenya for a period exceeding in aggregate of 90 days. Hence if you travelled in 2009 for 60 days and then travelled in 2010 for a 60 days – in total those are 120 days and hence if this was within the past two years from when you were returning you would not meet the requirements.

Required Documents:

KRA Pin Certificate
Vehicle Log book
Bill of Lading
Pre Inspection Certificate
Original passport

As many of you may know, KRA have become very strict in their requirements and they recently published an article in the Daily Nation with respect to vehicles imported by returning residents. Please see below: