FL5 · 2022–present
Import guides / Kenya
Importing a car from Japan to Kenya
Kenya's 8-year rule admits only right-hand-drive cars first registered within the last 8 years, after a pre-export inspection in Japan. Taxes are high and are assessed on KRA's own retail-price schedule.
Rule verificationPreliminary rules
Not yet verified
Preliminary estimate
Some of the import rules and fees for Kenya have not yet been confirmed by an official source or a customs broker. Treat this as a rough range and confirm with a licensed customs broker in Kenya before you buy.
Eligibility
- 8-year rule (KEBS KS 1515), counted from the year of first registration; cars outside the window are refused at the port.
- Pre-export roadworthiness inspection in Japan by the KEBS-appointed inspector.
- Right-hand drive only.
What you pay
- Import duty, excise duty by engine size, VAT, import declaration fee and railway development levy.
- KRA values the car on its current retail selling price schedule (CRSP), not the price you paid.
- Clearing agent and port charges; registration and plates are not included.
Cars from Japan that may be importable to Kenya — to be confirmed
Model codes whose production years already meet the import rules for Kenya — part or all of the run. Each model page shows the exact years.
XC10 · USC10 · 2014–present
ND · ND5RC · 2015–present
Rules MOTORAVI applies
These are the rules our eligibility check uses today, with their sources.
Duties, taxes and fees in estimates
Import duty (35%)
35% of vehicle price + export costs + freight + insurance
Source Not yet broker-verifiedExcise duty (by engine size)
25% of vehicle price + export costs + freight + insurance + duty
Source Not yet broker-verifiedVAT (16%)
16% of vehicle price + export costs + freight + insurance + duty + tax
Destination ports
Mombasa
