Most car export dealers will include the costs of exporting your car in your quote. This makes it easy to calculate the purchase cost. The most common types of quote are FOB and C&F. If you are given an FOB quote this is refers to ‘Freight on Board’ and includes all the costs to buy, transport it to the destination port. It does not include your shipping to Kenya.

Purchase cost of your car

Agents fees

Auction fees (if applicable)

De-registration from Japan

QISJ inspection fees

Transport costs to the destination port

Port charges

Road insurance in Japan

Courier of documents and loose items to Kenya

We advise that you check you have these costs included, so you can be confident you won’t experience any surprise charges as your car is exported.

This means that the costs of shipping are also included. It’s important to note that the marine insurance is not automatically included. But Marine insurance is a vital part of your car’s export. See our note below on marine insurance.

At the moment the cost of shipping is at a particular high point. Shipping costs will be quoted depending on your choice of container shipping or roll on-roll off shipping. . Roll on roll off shipping service is the most cost effective and popular. Cars are stored above and below deck. We strongly advise your car is stored below deck.

The shipping journey from Japan to Kenya takes around 25-28 days. Be sure to allow 3-4 additional days for loading and unloading at each port for realistic timings for the entire journey

Marine insurance is a very important part of your car’s export. The value of your marine insurance is based on 0.4% of the value of the car including duty in Kenya less the Kenyan VAT.

Kenyan law requires that marine insurance is provided by a local Kenyan company and not an overseas company. It’s advisable that you clearly understand the marine insurance provision for your car before your buy it. We are aware that not all companies provide marine insurance. It’s not uncommon to find that the insurance policy only covers the cost of the scrap metal and not the retail value of your car. Hopefully it won’t matter, but when it does, you will be relived to know you can recover your loss without issue.

On arrival in Kenya your car will incur port charges. These are between 40,000 – 70,000 Ksh. This includes storage for your car at the CFS for 14-27 days, IDF fees and radiation fees.

You will need to employ a licensed clearing agent to complete your IDF for your car. This usually costs between 10,000-30,000 Ksh. We provide clearing and registration service for many of our clients. This costs 8% of your vehicle cost and can be reduced for clients who are able to pay a greater proportion of their car’s costs prior to leaving Japan.

Calculating import duties in Kenya is done using the Kenya Revenue Authority’s CRSP tables. These aren’t always the easiest to read. So we have provided our own

to help our clients accurately estimate the duties for their cars.

The calculation for Car Duty in Kenya is as follows:

KRA provide the current Retail Selling Price (CRSP) for your vehicle.

Customs Value is the CRSP value with depreciation applied.

Import Duty is 25% of the Customs Value.

Excise Duty is 20% of the Customs Value + Import Duty.

VAT is 16% of the Customs Value + Import Duty + Excise Duty.

IDF Fee 3.5% of the Customs Value.

RDL Fee is 2% of the Customs Value.

When calculating the import duties for your car, be sure that your are using the current CRSP tables. These have been changed a number of times over the past five years and are often updated to account for the new car launches such as electric and hybrid models. Not all calculators are kept up to date with these changes.

Car registration fees will cost between 15,000 – 23,000 Ksh. Your clearing agent will manage this for you. If you have a special number plate then allow an additional 30,000 Ksh for it to be transferred to your new car. This can sometimes cause a delay to your registration.

If your car is being transported to Nairobi for you, then you should allow 20,000 – 25,000 Ksh for a multi car carrier service and 50-000 – 75,000 Ksh for a single car carrier.

Importing a car to Kenya takes around 41 days. Our short video shows the breakdown of the stages for the car export process.

How long it takes to import a car to Kenya

There can be ambiguity in the CRSP value of a car. This is less common for the popular makes and models. But if you are buying a prestige car or a new model or new engine variant such as a hybrid or electric car, you are well advised to have clear conversations with your clearing agent prior to buying your car. This ambiguity can sometimes go against you can incur much higher charges than initially anticipated. Car importers will be able to advise you and provide a robust estimate for your car before you buy it. Clearing agents will then be able to confirm their estimations too.

Your car will have

and

available in Japan. These clearly state whether there is any damage or wear and tear to your car. It’s smart to ask for these if they aren’t readily available and if you they are not available, we would urge you to re-consider the car and find an alternative car to buy.

It’s common sense to see the mileage certificate for your car before you buy it. As a general rule, if something appears too good to be true, then it probably is.

Insurance is a cost which can easily be avoided, but when you are spending such a large amount of money on your car, you’ll want the peace of mind that your money is not lost should an accident occur. And know who much your insurance is going to reimburse you before you buy. The journey from Japan to Kenya is almost 2 months. The scuffs and grazes are not uncommon. But also the loss of loose items is a common issue when the vehicles are in transit. Insure your car properly and know your hard earnt money is going to be protected on the high seas.

Along with your key documents, ask that your remote controls, headphones and spare keys etc are couriered to you separately from your vehicle.

Importing a Japanese car to Kenya is the best way to sidestep the offering from local cars and buy the car your want with the specification you want. Many models are available at the cheapest price globally so you should get a great deal. Being clear on what the import costs are from the outset means you are well positioned to make a good purchase. For more information about the best cars to buy in Japan,

and we’ll be delighted to help.