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Guide Details
Household Goods
Documents
Documents required for importing used household goods, personal effects, and related shipments.
- Detailed, itemized packing list in English, dated and signed by the shipper
- Original valid passport (with entry stamp; destination agent requires it in hand)
- Expired visa from abroad (confirming duration of expatriation)
- Copy of TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) certificate
- Two originals of Ocean Bill of Lading, Sea Waybill, Telex Release, Airway Bill, or Road Consignment Note (RCN)
- Invoice for all new items
- Detailed, itemized packing list in English, dated and signed by the shipper
- Original valid passport (with entry stamp)
- Original Work Permit
- Original Residence Permit
- Copy of employment contract (required by Customs for cross-border road shipments)
- Copy of TIN certificate
- Two originals of Bill of Lading, Sea Waybill, Telex Release, Airway Bill, or RCN
- Invoice for all new items
- Detailed, itemized packing list in English, dated and signed by the shipper
- Passport copy
- PRO6 form (diplomatic exemption) — must be applied for through the shipper's employer/mission to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; documents must be express-mailed to the destination agent at least 30 days before the shipment arrives so the employer can apply for the duty exemption
- Two originals of Bill of Lading, Sea Waybill, Telex Release, Airway Bill, or RCN
- TIN certificate
- Exemption certificate accompanied by an approved Form VAT 220
- Packing list, passport, and Bill of Lading
Specific Information
All non-diplomatic shipments are subject to 100% physical inspection and verification by Customs officials.
To qualify for duty- and tax-free clearance, the shipment must arrive after the importer has obtained their Work Permit, Residence Permit, and TIN certificate. If a shipment arrives before these documents are issued, port or airport storage charges, demurrage, and penalties will accrue from day one. It is strongly advised to hold the shipment at origin until all documents are confirmed in hand.
Personal effects must be imported within 3 months (90 days) of the importer's first arrival in Tanzania. The 90-day period can be extended for a further 3 months on request. Customs counts the first date of entry into Tanzania as the start date, even if the initial entry was on a temporary visa.
Returning Tanzanian nationals must have lived abroad continuously for at least 12 months with no time spent in Tanzania during that period. Any stay in Tanzania, even a few days, within the previous 12 months makes the shipment fully taxable.
New items are always taxable. For non-diplomats, all wooden furniture and electronic appliances are subject to excise duty with no exemption, even when the rest of the shipment qualifies for duty-free clearance.
Taxes on new and dutiable items for non-diplomats: Import Duty 25% of CIF value, plus VAT 18% of CIF, plus Railway Development Levy (RDL) 1.5% of CIF, plus Customs Processing Fee 0.6% of CIF.
Diplomatic shipments are exempt from VAT but are subject to a wharfage tax of approximately 1.5–1.6% of the Customs value declared on the PRO6 form. Physical inspection is not required for diplomatic shipments with a valid PRO6.
Shipper-owned containers are dutiable.
Port storage charges begin 7 days after arrival at approximately USD 20 plus VAT per day for a 20-foot container and USD 40 plus VAT for a 40-foot container for the first 21 days, doubling thereafter. Demurrage accrues after a free period of 7–14 days (depending on the shipping line) at approximately USD 4–14 per day for a 20-foot container and USD 8–30 for a 40-foot container.
Documents should reach the destination agent at least 2 weeks (15 days) before the vessel arrives. Clearance typically takes approximately 2 weeks when documents are in order and the shipment contains no dutiable items.
Prohibited & Restricted Items
Prohibited Items
- Firearms and ammunition (without specific authorization) `PERMIT REQUIRED`
- Narcotics and unlawful drugs
- Elephant tusks and ivory `CITES`
- Wildlife products from protected species `CITES`
- Pornographic materials
- Toy guns
- Oil and petroleum products
- Foodstuffs (for non-diplomatic shipments without import permit)
- Alcohol (for non-diplomatic shipments — import treated as prohibited/heavily dutiable)
- Detergents (in shipments)
- Telecommunications items (without specific authorization)
- Grains
Restricted / Dutiable Items
- Food items, alcohol, medicines, and minerals are not treated as personal effects and are taxed heavily (duty rates of 50–100% of CIF value). A special import permit from the relevant government authority (Ministry of Health for medicines, Ministry of Natural Resources for minerals) may be required prior to the shipment's arrival.
- Trophies: require a special import permit.
- Consumables (food, beverages, medicines, cigarettes): prohibited in non-diplomatic shipments unless an import permit is obtained from government authorities. Diplomats may import consumables with the required permits.
- New furniture and electronics: subject to excise duty for all non-diplomatic importers — no exemption available.
- Cigarettes: restricted; include in personal effects at the owner's risk.
Importing a Used Personal Vehicle
Required Documents
- Original logbook or registration certificate, or de-registration certificate (used vehicles)
- Original invoice (new vehicles)
- Two original Bills of Lading
- TIN number (from TRA)
- Interpol Certificate (SARPCCO) — required if the vehicle is coming from a southern African country
- Road worthiness certificate (post-arrival inspection at a TBS-approved facility costs approximately USD 250)
- Sales agreement
- PRO6 form (diplomats)
- Exemption certificate + VAT 220 form (NGOs)
Specific Information
Vehicles must be right-hand drive. Left-hand drive vehicles cannot be imported.
Any vehicle equipped with an engine is classified as a motor vehicle. Only one vehicle per returning Tanzanian national or non-diplomatic expatriate qualifies for the duty exemption; the vehicle must have been owned and used by the importer for at least 12 months in the country of origin.
Vehicles older than 8 years are subject to over-age fees and anti-dumping taxes in addition to standard duties. The vehicle must be under the name of the owner of the goods; if registered to another party, full duties and taxes apply.
For returning residents, a vehicle purchased in a country other than the country of expatriation cannot be imported unless documented proof is provided that the owner was actually resident in the country where the vehicle was purchased.
Customs clearance takes approximately 10 business days for diplomatic shipments and 12–14 business days for non-diplomatic shipments, provided all documents arrive 2 weeks before the vessel. Port storage and demurrage charges for vehicles range from approximately USD 650 for a 20-foot container to USD 1,350 for a 40-foot container or larger.
Pets
- Import permit from the Tanzania Veterinary Authority (TVA) — must be obtained before the animal is sent
- Original vaccination record including rabies
- Official veterinary health certificate issued within 10 days of departure
- Owner's passport
- ISO 11784/11785-compliant microchip (strongly recommended)
An import permit must be obtained in advance by presenting the original vaccination record and the owner's passport to the TVA. Do not send the animal before the import permit is confirmed.
No quarantine is imposed if all requirements are met. Animals not meeting requirements will be quarantined, returned, or euthanized at the owner's expense.
Tanzania is classified as a high-rabies-risk country. Current rabies vaccination is required. A titer test is not required by Tanzania, but is strongly recommended if the pet will later travel to South Africa or other countries that require it. Veterinary clinics with the capacity to perform titer tests are generally located in urban centers (Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza).
Consignment Instructions
Contact the destination agent to ensure all requirements have been met prior to import, especially for differences between sea, air, and road shipments.
Do not ship before the Work Permit, Residence Permit, and TIN certificate are all confirmed in hand. For diplomatic shipments, documents must be express-mailed to the destination agent at least 30 days before arrival so that the PRO6 exemption can be processed.
Documents must reach the destination agent at least 2 weeks before the vessel arrives. Delays result in port storage and demurrage charges from day 8, which escalate rapidly. All documentation must be in English; non-English documents incur a translation fee of approximately USD 50.
New items, wooden furniture, and electronic appliances are always subject to duty and excise for non-diplomatic shippers, regardless of the overall shipment's exemption status. Shipper-owned containers are dutiable.
Cultural & Other Information
Tanzania — officially the United Republic of Tanzania — is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique, with a coastline on the Indian Ocean. It has a population of approximately 67 million, making it the most populous country in East Africa. The capital is Dodoma (official) with Dar es Salaam serving as the commercial capital and main port city. Swahili and English are official languages. The currency is the Tanzanian Shilling (TZS).
Tanzania is home to notable natural landmarks including Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa's highest peak), the Serengeti, and Zanzibar. The economy is based largely on agriculture, tourism, and mining. The main port for incoming shipments is the Port of Dar es Salaam.
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