Looking for the destination side of this lane — duty, importer of record and certification? Open the Kenya destination guide.
How long does shipping from China take?
| Mode | Typical time | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight FCL | 15–25 days | Port to port to Mombasa on direct weekly services: ONE EA3 publishes Nansha 15 days, Ningbo 17, Shanghai 19; Maersk Mashariki has Shanghai 22, Ningbo 21, Nansha 17 |
| Ocean freight LCL | Confirmed per shipment | Consolidation to Mombasa quoted per booking |
| Air freight | 2–4 days | Airport to airport to Nairobi; China Southern flies Guangzhou–Nairobi direct at about eleven and a half hours block time |
| Express courier | Confirmed per shipment | Carrier sites publish no readable transit for Kenya; confirmed with the booking |
Typical ranges measured from supplier pickup to signed delivery. They are not a commitment; the binding range is issued with your quotation.
Lane facts
| Loading from | Shanghai, Ningbo and Nansha on the direct weekly rotation; other South China origins confirmed per booking |
| Destination ports | Mombasa (Kilindini) is the gateway; Lamu takes transshipment under the 2026 KRA/KPA port reforms |
| Direct sailings | Maersk Mashariki Express weekly (Singapore and Tanjung Pelepas as en-route calls) and CMA CGM KILIMA weekly since August 2025 |
| Container options | 20GP, 40GP and 40HQ; LCL accepted from 1 CBM |
| Duty and tax | EAC common external tariff of 0/10/25/35% by HS line with 50–100% on sensitive goods; VAT 16% on CIF plus duty |
| Import levies | Import declaration fee 2.5% and railway development levy 2% of customs value — 1.5%/1.5% for approved manufacturers’ inputs |
| Pre-shipment inspection | A KEBS Certificate of Conformity from PVoC inspection is mandatory, issued in China by CCIC before departure |
| Importer of record | A KRA-registered importer declares through a licensed clearing agent on the SIMBA portal |
| Inland delivery | SGR rail links Mombasa to the Nairobi and Naivasha inland container depots |
| Quote turnaround | A formal quotation is issued within one hour once the cargo details are complete |
What does this cover?
Kenya is served by direct and transhipment ocean services into Mombasa, with rail and road links to Nairobi and the western corridor. We confirm the routing and the PVoC arrangement before the cargo sails, because the certificate cannot be issued after arrival.
Who is this for?
- Commercial imports for wholesale, retail and distribution
- Factory-to-buyer shipments arranged on a delivered or port-to-port basis
- Consolidated cargo from several Chinese suppliers
- Buyers who need a duty-paid door price rather than a port-to-port rate
What is included in the service?
- China pickup, consolidation and warehouse handling where the scope includes it
- The transport combination quoted — ocean, rail, road, air or express
- Export declaration and shipping document guidance
- Destination clearance under the confirmed arrangement where a door scope is quoted
- Delivery to the agreed address within the quoted delivery area
What do you need from us to quote?
- Product name, material, use and photographs
- Declared value with currency and whether the goods carry a brand
- Piece count, gross weight, volume and package dimensions
- China origin city or the supplier address
- Destination city, full address and postcode
- Address type: commercial, residential, warehouse or free zone
- Whether the consignee can act as importer of record if the destination requires it
- Any battery, liquid, powder, magnet or regulated attribute
- Cargo-ready date and any required delivery window
Who is responsible for what?
| Scope | Company | Customer | Responsibility transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door to door |
|
| Responsibility passes on delivery and signature at the agreed destination address. |
What does the quotation cover?
The quotation states the total for the scope described in it. It is built from the cargo data, the origin and destination, the transport mode and the delivery scope agreed at that time.
What is included?
- China pickup and consolidation as quoted
- Export declaration and main transport on the quoted routing
- Destination import clearance under the confirmed arrangement
- Duty and tax for the declared goods where the scope is DDP
- Delivery to the agreed address within the quoted delivery area
What is not included?
- Customs revaluation where the declared value is not accepted
- Certification, registration or testing required by the destination authority
- Storage, demurrage and inspection costs arising at either customs point
- Remote-area delivery outside the quoted area
- Unloading equipment or labour at the destination address
What might cost extra?
- Remote or difficult-access delivery beyond the standard service area
- Customs inspection, holds or revaluation at either end
- Storage where cargo cannot be dispatched inside the agreed free period
- Detention and demurrage when a container or vehicle is held beyond free time
- Oversized, overweight or special loading equipment
- Cargo that arrives without the documents required for the confirmed route
- Special cargo approved after review but requiring extra handling or documentation
- Address change, re-delivery or a failed delivery appointment after dispatch
- Peak-season or fuel surcharges applied by the carrier
- Duty or tax reassessment where customs does not accept the declared value
Freight rates and space change with the market, so each quotation carries its own validity period. Once it expires, or if the rate or space changes before booking, the price is reconfirmed before dispatch.
Cargo is weighed and measured after it reaches the warehouse. If the piece count, weight, volume, packing, cargo attributes or delivery address differ from the original inquiry, the charge is recalculated and sent to you for confirmation before payment and dispatch.
How long does each stage take?
Transit is counted from the stated start point to the stated end point for each stage. Carrier schedules, port and customs conditions, and the destination delivery arrangement all affect the outcome.
- Pickup and warehouse intake: Typically 1–3 days from supplier release (calculated from Pickup arranged from the supplier address to Cargo received, counted, weighed and measured at the warehouse)
- Consolidation and waiting: Typically 2–5 days, longer if later suppliers are still producing (calculated from Cargo accepted at the warehouse to Container loaded and sealed, or cargo handed to the carrier)
- Export and ocean transit: Typically 15–25 days port to port to Mombasa on the direct weekly services (calculated from Container loaded on board to Vessel arriving at the destination port)
- Import clearance and duty handling: Pre-arrival processing is expanding under the 2026 port reforms and cargo dwelling over 21 days moves to CFS yards; clearance is confirmed with the terminal (calculated from Vessel arrival at the destination port to Customs released and duty or tax settled where the scope includes it)
- Final delivery: Typically 1–3 days in Nairobi via SGR rail or road from Mombasa (calculated from Customs released to Delivered to the agreed address and signed for)
Estimated total: An estimated total is issued with the quotation, expressed as a range with the calculation start and end points stated. It is an estimate, not a guaranteed arrival date.
Last verified 2026-09-15.
How is the shipment handled?
Illustrations generated for this page, showing the handling stages your cargo moves through. They are not photographs of a specific shipment.


What must be confirmed before booking?
- A KEBS Certificate of Conformity from PVoC inspection (CCIC in China) must be issued before the cargo sails — goods without it are refused at destination
- Duty is set by the EAC common external tariff line by line; sensitive goods run 50–100%
- LCL, express and door-to-door air ranges are confirmed per shipment — no carrier-published tables exist to quote
- The import declaration fee of 2.5% and the railway development levy of 2% apply on top of duty and VAT
- Storage after the free days at Mombasa falls outside the quoted scope, and long-dwell cargo moves to CFS yards under the 2026 reforms
What mistakes should we avoid?
- Shipping without the KEBS PVoC Certificate of Conformity and expecting to clear at Mombasa
- Budgeting only duty and VAT — the 2.5% import declaration fee and 2% railway development levy add to landed cost
- Ignoring the 2026 port reforms — cargo dwelling over 21 days now moves to CFS yards
- Assuming any bill of lading clears itself — Kenya’s SIMBA declarations require a licensed clearing agent