Kenya - Import/Export Process

This is the latest in a series of posts dealing with import and export processes for African countries. All information courtesy of AGS Frasers.

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE / TIMEFRAME: 

 Sea shipments  8 to 12 working days*
 Air shipments  2 to 4 working days*

*providing all requested documents have been submitted to AGS Frasers Kenya 


DOCUMENTATION:

Kenyan Returning Citizen

 Original and valid passport used for the last 2 years + OBL/AWB
 PIN certificate (Personal Identification Number, also called Taxpayer Registration Certificate)
 Packing list, valued inventory  To be granted duty free import, the returning citizen must have been abroad for more than 2 years and must not have visited Kenya for more than 90 days during the last 2 years. The shipper must be in Kenya at the time of clearance.

Expatriate 

 Original valid passport + OBL/AWB
 First original 2 years entry permit (work permit)
 PIN certificate
 Packing list, valued inventory  The expatriate does not need to be in the country to submit his work permit application (1 to 2 months). The goods must be imported within 90 days from the approval of the work permit. The expat must be in Kenya to have the passport endorsed with the work permit.

Diplomat

 Original Pro1b exemption approval document
 Copy of original and valid passport + OBL/AWB
 Importer’s PIN certificate  Packing list  The diplomat must be in the country for the exemption certificate application (2 to 3 weeks) and when the shipment arrives.

DETAILED PROCESS FOR SEA SHIPMENTS: 

Step 1 - 1 to 2 days
We present the OBL and the client’s passport, locally collect invoices from the shipping line after the shipment’s arrival, pay invoices and collect the proofs of payment.

Step 2 - 3 to 7 days 
We present the OBL, passport and payment receipts and wait for the delivery order from customs (1-2 days). Meanwhile, the container is offloaded from the vessel and transferred by road to a Container Freight Station (CFS) outside the port, but within the environs of Mombasa. The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) nominates the CFS to which each vessel’s containers are transferred. We have made it a practice to nominate all our containers to one particular CFS known as AWANAD (please indicate ''Goods in transit to Awanad'' on the BL). The container is transferred within 2 to 5 days if there is no congestion at the port.

Step 3 - 2 days 
The CFS arrange the containers to be transferred to their yards. Each CFS has a customs station at which clearance takes place. The premises are safe and under 24 hour police and CCTV surveillance. All shipments will be inspected, except Diplomatic goods with an approved Pro1b document.

Step 4 - 2 days 
Container is sent to Nairobi by truck once inspection is completed and shipment is released from customs.


IMPORTANT 

 Mombasa is the busiest port in Eastern Africa, it is therefore quite overwhelmed and operations are slow.
 We strongly advise that sea shipments are sent to POE Mombasa.
 For shipments sent to TOE Nairobi an additional 2 to 3 weeks transit time are to be expected.
 Kenya has very strict regulation on the importation of vehicles. Please check with your office.
 Lift vans must be fumigated.


Time frame for export shipments from Nairobi: 

Sea shipments  6 to 7 days
Air shipments  4 to 5 days


AGS FRASERS KENYA

 Established in 1995
 1,200m2 storage capacity
 5 fully owned vehicles
 38 staff members for service in English, French and Spanish

Our Services
 Customised solutions for local, national, office and international moves
 Packing and crating services
 Export and import customs clearance
 Short- and long-term storage
 Comprehensive relocation services/records management

TW

Ebola Update

As the Ebola epidemic continues to spread, business in the affected regions is becoming more severely affected, including some closings and restrictions on air travel. The below update from AGS Frasers provides some more details. 

SPOTLIGHT: International Responses

·       United Nations: “Current flight limitations are hampering the movement of international experts involved in the control efforts. These flight restrictions hinder the capacities of aid organizations like Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) to deploy their personnel in support of the crisis response and mitigation.”

·       IATA: “The risk of transmission of Ebola virus disease during air travel is low … Ebola is not spread by breathing air (and the airborne particles it contains) from an infected person. Transmission requires direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected living or dead persons or animals, all unlikely exposures for the average traveller.”

·       Médecins sans Frontières: “It is clear that the Ebola epidemic will not be contained without a massive deployment of medical and disaster relief specialists from states. The governments of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone are doing everything they can to try to fight this epidemic. They desperately need international support.”

Following AGS’ newsflash on Ebola in Guinea, we hereby provide an overview of other affected countries. Please note that due to the volatility of the situation, we advise contacting the AGS Frasers African Desk for last-minute updates.

Throughout August affected countries have experienced expatriates leaving – with related negative impacts felt by local economies – and foreign diplomats and business people abroad not returning.

All of AGS’ branches in Africa – including Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia – remain operational for our clients’ benefit, with those in Ebola regions implementing strict hygiene control measures. These include daily  counselling for staff and availability of cleaning kits, and travel restrictions to minimize risk.

Travel and Business

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have all declared States of Emergency following the Ebola outbreak.

In the wake of major airlines – including Emirates, Air France and British Airways – cancelling flights to Ebola-affected countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) both issued calls in August for this trend to stop.

By mid-August the only airlines still flying to Sierra Leone were Brussels Airlines and Royal Air Maroc – Kenya Airways suspended their Sierra Leone flights – and only three airlines still served Liberia.

Most recently, Air France confirmed that it was also suspending flights to Freetown, Liberia, effective August 28 (while still maintaining its flights to Guinea and Nigeria) following the French Government encouraging French citizens to leave Liberia and Sierra Leone. 

Lifestyle restrictions have also been felt within Ebola-affected countries. Banks in Sierra Leone close at 13:30, making afternoon trade difficult, and steep inflation has occurred in food prices. An outbreak of cholera in Sierra Leone also complicated matters, and some of its hospitals turned away patients out of fear of Ebola.

Overview:

·       Please note, due to a nationwide lock down resulting from the Ebola outbreak, AGS Frasers Sierra Leone will be closed from 19th to 21st September 2014. Service disruption may start on 18th September 2014. Unless the lock down is extended, business will be resumed on 22nd September 2014.

·       Sierra Leone implemented an evening curfew, with all establishments closed by 20:30, as well as the banning public gatherings. A curfew was also introduced in Liberia, effective August 19.

·       Gabon announced on August 14 that it would no longer be receiving ships which had previously stopped over in any Ebola-affected countries (including Nigeria).

·       Cameroon closed all its borders with countries touched by Ebola, with the Cameroon Government prohibiting both imports and exports of cargo and people, across land, sea and air. Senegal similarly closed its borders.

·       Late in August, Botswana closed its northern border to trucks from the Democratic Republic of Congo, after Ebola victims were also declared within the country – possibly a different strain to those in the West African outbreak.

Please be assured that AGS’ executives, branch managers and staff are treating this matter with the utmost attention, and are at your disposal. 

You can contact me directly or via Linkedin with any questions and I will get the answers from my colleagues in Africa.

TW

GABON Update

Timing is EVERYTHING!

Whether this is just coincidence or customs officials in Gabon just did not like what I wrote about import procedures, the nation's customs service has shut down due to a strike.

The strike went into effect on September 15 and, as of today, there is no indication that it will end soon.

I will post updates as I get them.

TW

Gabon - Libreville

This is the latest in a series of posts dealing with import and export processes for African countries. All information courtesy of AGS Frasers.

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE / TIMEFRAME:

 Sea shipments  7 to 10 working days*
 Air shipments  5 to 7 working days*
 Best AOE/POE  Libreville

*providing all requested documents have been submitted to AGS Frasers Gabon

DOCUMENTATION:

Main documents:
 Detailed and valued inventory list in French / 1 set of OBL or 1 set of Sea waybill / 1 set of BIETC (Electronic cargo tracking note)
 Copy of passport (main pages)
 Certificate of move (from Town Council) or Certificate of change of residence (from local native country Embassy or Consulate)
 End of mission letter from former employer
 In addition to the main documents, the following will be needed for the different groups:
Gabonese returning citizen:
 Letter from previous employer confirming end of contract/employment

Expatriate
 Letter of employment in Gabon

Diplomat
 Exemption certificate + letter from the Embassy in Gabon
 The diplomat does not need to be in Gabon to apply for the exemption certificate (3 to 10 days)


PROCESS:

Step 1 - 1 day Preparation of the D.U. (specific customs form for Gabonese customs clearance formalities) prior to submission of the whole import file to the customs office in Libreville.

Step 2 - 1 to 2 days Submission of the whole import file to customs office.

Step 3 - 1 to 2 days Release/legalisation of the OBL at shipping line’s office in Libreville. We need 1OBLs + CNCA.

Step 4 - 2 to 3 days Settlement of the port charges and terminal storage charges + final arrangements at terminal to pick up the container.

Step 5 - 1 day Offloading the container at our warehouse.

Step 6 - 1 day Delivery at residence.

IMPORTANT

 BIETC document is compulsory / please contact AGS Africa if needed
 RUSID tax is NOT included in our rates
 Almost all non-diplomatic import and export shipments are subject to customs inspection / please inform your clients accordingly as this may be a source of delays and extra charges (fines to be expected)

Timeframe for export shipments:

Sea shipments  8–15 working days
Air shipments  4–8 working days

AGS FRASERS GABON

§  Established in 1995

§  600 m storage capacity

§  3 fully owned trucks

§  30 staff members for service in English, French, Swahili and Spanish

Our Services

§  Customised solutions for local, national, office and international moves

§  Packing and crating services

§  Export and import customs clearance

§  Short- and long-term storage

§  Comprehensive relocation services

TW

Gabon (Port Gentil)

Gabon (Port Gentil) Import Process For Personal Effects.

This is the latest in a series covering import/export requirements in Africa with detailed step by step description of the import process. 

All information courtesy of AGS Frasers.

(NOTE: Libreville has slightly different details and will be the subject of the next post)

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE / TIMEFRAME:

                          §   Sea shipments        à 7 to 10 working days*

                          §  Air shipments          à 8 to 15 working days* (including transportation from LBV to POG)

                          §   Best AOE   à Libreville / Best POE à Port Gentil

*providing all requested documents have been submitted to AGS Frasers Gabon

DOCUMENTATION:

Main documents:

                          §   Detailed and valued inventory list in French / 1 set of OBL or 1 set of Sea waybill / 1 set of BIETC (Electronic cargo tracking note)

                          §   Copy of passport (main pages)

                          §   Certificate of move (from Town Council) or Certificate of change of residence (from local native country Embassy or Consulate)

                          §   End of mission letter from former employer

                          §   In addition to the main documents, the following will be needed for the different groups:

Gabonese returning citizen:

                          §   Letter from previous employer confirming end of contract/employment

Expatriate

                          §   Letter of employment in Gabon

Diplomat

                          §   Exemption certificate + letter from the Embassy in Gabon

                          §   The diplomat does not need to be in Gabon to apply for the exemption certificate (3 to 10 days)

DETAILED PROCESS FOR SEA SHIPMENTS:

Step 1
1 day Preparation of the D.U. (specific customs form for Gabonese customs clearance formalities) prior to submission of the whole import file to the customs office in Libreville.
Step 2
1 to 2 days Submission of the whole import file to customs office.
Step 3
1 to 2 days Release/legalisation of the OBL at shipping line’s office in Libreville. We need 1OBLs + CNCA.
Step 4
2 to 3 days Settlement of the port charges and terminal storage charges + final arrangements at terminal to pick up the container.
Step 5
1 day Offloading the container at our warehouse.
Step 6
1 day Delivery at residence.

IMPORTANT

§  BIETC document is compulsory / please contact AGS Africa if needed

§  RUSID tax is NOT included in our rates

§  Almost all non-diplomatic import and export shipments are subject to customs inspection / please inform your clients accordingly as this may be a source of delays and extra charges (fines to be expected)

Timeframe for export shipments:

Sea shipments  à 8–15 working days

Air shipments    à 4–8 working days

AGS FRASERS GABON

 Established in 1995
 150m2 storage capacity
 5 staff members for service in English and French

Our Services

 Customised solutions for local, national, office and international moves 
 Packing and crating services 
 Export and import customs clearance
 Short- and long-term storage 

 Comprehensive relocation services

TW