moving to Kenya, intend to import a 33 years old cruiser

[borolioze]

Hi all,
New to the club, but pretty old cruiser owner of a pretty old one ...
My first and only FJ 60; 2F , operated 13 years with it in this incredible Namibia, then 3 years in Zim, and the last 4 years in Swaziland, intending to import it into Kenya in April, driving there from Swaziland.
Heard that no cars older than 8 years old should be imported, anyone there who would know if exemptions exist for "classic" cars ? thanks in advance for answers .

 

[Robzimbo]

Salut, mon ami! As far as I know there are NO exemptions on the 8 year import rule. You might be able to bring it in on Swazi plates, a carnet and a COMESA yellow card - I see lots of vehicles driving around on DRC / Uganda / TZ plates, and I have a mate who just brought a bike up from RSA and is running it still on SA plates. But importing - as in, bringing it in, registering it, insuring locally, being able to sell it? I don't think so.

When are you coming to Kenya? ping me a message when you're here.

Bon chance

Rob

 

[borolioze]

Salut, mon ami! As far as I know there are NO exemptions on the 8 year import rule. You might be able to bring it in on Swazi plates, a carnet and a COMESA yellow card - I see lots of vehicles driving around on DRC / Uganda / TZ plates, and I have a mate who just brought a bike up from RSA and is running it still on SA plates. But importing - as in, bringing it in, registering it, insuring locally, being able to sell it? I don't think so.

When are you coming to Kenya? ping me a message when you're here.

Bon chance

Rob

Asante / Tatenda Rob for your answer ! well done for your french !
not familiar with " a carnet " : carnet de route ? where can we get it ? AA ? I don't see AA here in Swaziland, do you think I can get one from AA SA ? i emailed them, but no answers yet;
will see if an insurance here delivers the yellow card.
I am intending to start driving the early days of April, taking it easy, avoiding ZIM, beitbridge nightmare and road tolls ...! so via Botswana ,Zambia and TZ, i was thinking of taking a direct route from Mbeya to Arusha, via Mpika, kasama, Mbala, Tabora ..., avoiding Dar and its messy traffic, have you driven this road already ?
Thx for your answer !
Cheers
Stéphane

 

[borolioze]

Asante / Tatenda Rob for your answer ! well done for your french !
not familiar with " a carnet " : carnet de route ? where can we get it ? AA ? I don't see AA here in Swaziland, do you think I can get one from AA SA ? i emailed them, but no answers yet;
will see if an insurance here delivers the yellow card.
I am intending to start driving the early days of April, taking it easy, avoiding ZIM, beitbridge nightmare and road tolls ...! so via Botswana ,Zambia and TZ, i was thinking of taking a direct route from Mbeya to Arusha, via Mpika, kasama, Mbala, Tabora ..., avoiding Dar and its messy traffic, have you driven this road already ?
Thx for your answer !
Cheers
Stéphane

 

[borolioze]

View attachment 113982

This is the "Classic" one !

 

[Robzimbo]

Salut, Stephane,

What a lovely picture.. I've been up there in winter - it's somehow very special to drive in snow in Africa. A 'Carnet de passage' is a document that guarantees you will export your vehicle at the end of your (temporary) visit to a country with duty requirements. It usually works by you paying a deposit bond to the issuing agency of the Carnet, which is refunded when you return the vehicle to it's country of registration. The amount of the bond is dependent on the duty chargeable x the value of the vehicle. However you can also buy an insurance policy (for a non-refundable premium) which covers the duty payable.

So, for example, when I took an 80 series from Harare to Cairo a few years ago, the RAC in the UK valued the car at USD7,000 (very generous and kind of them); the import duty for Egypt at the time was 800%, so the bond would have been 7,000 x 8 = USD56,000. The insurance premium for a policy against me calling in the bond was something like 5% of that, so about USD3,000. The only alternative is to deposit the duty payable when you arrive in the country, and collect it when you leave. As you can imagine, this is not really an alternative....

A Carnet de Passage is usually only valid for a limited period - 6 months, or a year - and you may have to take your car out of Kenya every 3 months to re-validate the Carnet. It's fine to drive up and tour around, but don't assume you can bring it into Kenya and keep it there.

Definitely talk to the AA-SA about this - but don't expect anyone in South African bureaucracy to just answer an email. Plan a trip to see them, if I were you, and take all your car papers and a sack of cash.

This is a good discussion on the process, which may have changed since I did it 8 years ago:

https://blog.tracks4africa.co.za/2888-2/

The route you are planning to take is quite straightforward - decent roads most of the way. You'll have fun.

 

[Robzimbo]

http://www.revenue.go.ke/customs/faqcustoms.html

http://www.kenya.org.za/IMPORTATIONOFCARSINTOKENYA.pdf

http://overlandingassociation.org/carnet-de-passage/

Looks like you MIGHT be able to get a 90 day Temporary Import Permit (TIP) at the border, along with your 90 day tourist visa. But I am almost positive that you will not be able to extend the import of the vehicle even once you have your work permit

Good luck. See you in Nairobi.

R

 

[borolioze]

Mangwanani ! (?) Rob,
Sorry for the delayed answer, was in the bush ...
Thx a lot for all your answers, detailed informations, researches, links etc ...(your french efforts !it seems like you've lived in a francophone country ? or close to french speaking persons ?! ) really helpfull, I appreciate a lot .
I think i will try my luck to get the TIP at the border for the moment, as as expected, AA SA needs a deposit of 100 % and as I won't return the car back to Swazi, and have small (0 ? ) chances to import the car and register it there, I will lose the deposit anyway ! I will in case try the option to register it in TZ sometimes later, (my wife is originaly from there, Arusha, she might be able to be helped), I will also try all the means thx to her employers, to get some nice stamped documents delivered by her nex employer as she 's been apointed in Nairobi as a diplomat, (for Unaids), I count on my luck to drive still with the CD Swazi number plates, it usally helps on the road ! ...

If I may ask, in which domain are you working in Kenya, I am myself in the tours buisness, taking around Southern Africa, french speaking tourists, will have to start from "scratch" ?! there in Eastern Africa !

In case you have links also, may i take the advantage to ask if you have connections in real estates ?
we are still looking for a temporary furnished flat/house/cottage for 5 close to UN offices or/and ISK, then we'll be looking for a place to rent once there for our next 4/5 years in Nairobi .

Thanks in advance,

Cheers
Stéphane

 

[Robzimbo]

Salut Stephane - a short reply (I'm running around today) - TZ registration / SW CD plates could both be fine as a mid-term solution, after a TIP at the border as a short term solution.

email me on robcsadams [at] gmail and we can take this off line if you want.

 

[Robzimbo]

Hey Stephane - are you in Kenya now? I'm on 0735 895 515 - give me a call if you're here.

Best regards

Rob