Customs Clearance – Kenya

Customs clearance at Mombasa Port is one of the most operationally demanding stages of any import journey into Kenya. The process involves lodging a KRA-compliant customs declaration, presenting correct supporting documents, managing the examination process, paying assessed import duties and taxes, and obtaining the port’s freight release before cargo can be moved. Done correctly and in advance, it is a manageable process. Done poorly — with incorrect declarations, late filing, or missing documents — it leads to costly delays, storage charges, and demurrage exposure that can significantly erode your landed cost margins.

Sealine Consolidators provides end-to-end import customs clearance at both Mombasa Port and ICD Nairobi (Inland Container Depot). Our customs team has deep, day-to-day working knowledge of KRA procedures, tariff classifications, port processes, and the common pitfalls that cause delays — and we apply that knowledge to every shipment we handle.

We file customs entries a minimum of five working days before the vessel’s estimated arrival at Mombasa Port. This pre-arrival filing approach means that by the time the ship berths and the cargo is available for examination, our declaration is already in the KRA system, the duty assessment is known, and we are positioned to move the cargo through the port efficiently — not starting the process after arrival when time pressure and cost exposure have already begun.