Duty Free Car Importation for Expatriates
Importing a personal vehicle is highly restricted and time-consuming, but often significantly cheaper than purchasing a vehicle locally. Expats may import their personal vehicle from outside Kenya without paying duty provided that:
• The vehicle is more than three months old but less than 8 years old, and has been registered in the owner’s name for more than three months
• The vehicle is less than 2,500 cc
• The vehicle is not sold within 12 months of import
• The owner is a first-time expatriate in Kenya and has a valid work permit
• The owner is 18 years of age or older
• When clearing customs, the following documentation is required:
• Import declaration form, clean report, and clean report certificate
• Authority to import vehicle letter
• Log book and service history
• Certificate of registration (from own country) indicating engine and chassis number, first date of registration, engine capacity, and history of vehicle ownership
• Certificate of local value (from own country)
• Passport and valid work permit
• C-15 form (available from customs)
Duty payable on the importation of a motor vehicle is as follows:
Import Duty: 25% of the CIF value of the vehicle
Excise Duty: 20% of the CIF value = import duty = excise duty
VAT: 16% of the CIF value + excise duty
IDF: 2.25% of the CIF value or 5,000 KES, whichever is higher.
Note: CIF = customs value of the vehicle, i.e. the cost, insurance and freight paid for the vehicle. The CIF value is also deduced from the current retail selling price of the vehicle.
Hi,
just to clarify, does the car have to be registered for only 3 months? i thought was 12
please clarify
Dear Carnjini, we are not quite sure which part you are referring to, but when bringing in a car as an expatriate, it should have been registered for more than 3 months and owned by you for a period of not less than 3 months. For Kenyan citizens, the rules are different and you can get more information here: http://www.kenyacarbazaar.com/blog/duty-free-car-importation-for-returning-residents/
I am an expatriate planning to relocate to Nairobi. Will I be entitled to duty free import of vehicle eventhough its not my first time relocating to Kenya? I lived in Kenya as an expat from 2003-2009. I did not make use of the duty free import at the time. My job is now again relocating me to Kenya. Hence i have to obtain fresh work permit. Can I now use the benefit?