Published by Chris Townsend
How Much Does It Cost of Shipping A Container To Rwanda?
It is a common thing for most people to say, "My moving company decides how much I pay for moving or shipping my cargo". However, other factors influence the price given by us. Besides state regulations that decide price range, other factors also play a role in deciding international relocating rates. These factors contribute to our worries when you are relocating internationally. Allow Three Movers one of the cheapest companies to guide you through your shipping and you will be glad that you did.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Relocating a Container
Rwanda is a landlocked country but relies on neighboring countries for its shipping through the sea. It also conducts shipping products through land transport systems of railway and roads. The following are factors that affect shifting to Rwanda.
The Volume/Weight of the Goods
The concept of international shipping is that the more products you have, the more you pay. As a result, the size of your goods will influence the transit cost.
Type of Transportation
Sea is cheap, but as Rwanda is landlocked, you will still have a long way to go before your cargo is delivered. Your best option is either of the other available options of road, air, or rail.
Sea Freight
Despite the difficulties of landlocked confinement. It's worth noting that shipping goods over the sea is a rather inexpensive choice. You can cut significant costs by using it. However, you will need to arrange for other freight plans or methods of transport into the country. Carrying a large amount of cargo is preferable. When relocating in bulk, sea freight is the most cost-effective method.
Air Freight
It can transport your cargo quickly but it can harm your budget due to price. High-volume goods cost more in using air cargo planes to convey your items. It is the best option for long-distance shifting and small cargo shipping.
Truck Freight
Transporting your goods with trucks is the quickest for local-distance movement. It is also quick to use when transporting from neighboring nations. Importers commonly use this means due to the landlocked nature of the country. However, it can be slowed down by the challenge of weather and road.
Train Freight
This freight option is only applicable to the neighboring nations of Rwanda. The International railway service of the country connects to two of its neighboring countries. It is less expensive than using the truck.
The Distance of the Journey
The distance of the journey goes a long way in deciding the hours of service and the price of work done. The distance between your pick-up location and final destination will affect the cost of transportation.
The Destination Port
Custom duties are required for every trade conducted across national borders. Charges are decided by a percentage of the volume of your cargo. The charges of the neighboring ports will determine your custom duty except you are shipping by air.
The Time of the Year
Proper timing is required for the shipping of cargo to every nation. Moving companies have periods when their shipping schedule is high. This usually increases the cost of transporting cargo at the time.
Average Container Shipping Rates
FCL shipping is best for transporting lots of boxes, pallets and anything which will require a full container shipping to Rwanda of up to 45,000lbs.
Full Container Load (FCL) Moving Rates | |
|---|---|
| 20 ft Container | $1545 |
| 40 ft Container | $1760 |
LCL shipping is more affordable way to transport less than container load shipments to Rwanda.
Less Than Container (LCL) Shifting Rates | |
|---|---|
| LCL | $75/CBM |
| Personal Effects | $795 |
| Household Goods | $895 |
International house moving to Rwanda services - quick, easy and cheap.
International House Moving Costs | |
|---|---|
| Partial House (2000Lbs & Less) | $520 |
| 1 Bedroom (3850 Lbs) | $1813 |
| 2 Bedroom (4500 Lbs) | $2613 |
| 3+ Bedroom (8750 Lbs) | $3515 |
International auto transport services to Rwanda via RoRo and container ships. Move cars, trucks, suvs, atv's, boats, RV's, heavy equipment and more.
Container Car Shipping | |
|---|---|
| Sedan via RORO | $1160 |
| SUV via RORO | $1230 |
| Sedan (Container) | $1985 |
| SUV (Container) | $2060 |
Additional Costs
These are also additional charges that should affect your budget in shipping your cargo to Rwanda. They include the following:
- Customs duties
- General Rate Increase (GRI)
- Container inspection fees
- Inland delivery charges
- Quarantine fees
- Insurance cover
What’s Next?
International shipping requires a quote to start your plans. You can open a free account and get a quote from us for free by filling our web form. You can also call us on (888) 202-0036 for more information.
Find Cargo Containers For Freight Transport & Relocation
Frequently Asked Questions
Import documentation to Rwanda includes:
- Airway Bill (Airfreight) or Bill of Lading (Sea Freight)
- Commercial Invoice(s) or equivalent document(s)
- Packing List
- Import Declaration Form (IDF) from the importer
- Importer’s Tax Identification Number (TIN) and VAT numbers
- Duties and Taxes Exemption Certificates, if any
- National Drug Authority Certificate / Permit for import of drug and pharmaceuticals
- Phytosanitary certificates for import of agricultural products
- Registration / De-registration Card of the country of origin of old/used vehicles
- Gift Certificates, if gifted to any organization eligible for duty-free clearance
- Passport of the individual for authorization of personal effects
- Certificate of Origin, especially for goods imported from COMESA countries
COMESA Rules of Origin can be found here.
For the step-by-step customs clearance procedure, visit the International Trade Administration’s website.
A Bill of Lading holds records of trade goods received on board. It establishes a written agreement between a transport company and its client.
If a Bill of Lading gets destroyed, lost, or stolen, the client won’t obtain a new copy unless the original document is found. You will need to submit several requirements to get another copy. You may refer to the list below.
- A letter from the shipper, count order
- Letter of indemnity
- Bank guarantee
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list.
The importation and manufacture of narcotic drugs, firearms, ammunition, explosives, pornography, and items infringing copyrights are prohibited. Exportation and importation of wild specimens of endangered flora and fauna are also banned. Importation of genetically modified products is restricted.
For further information on customs regulations, please contact:
Assumpta Mukabaranga
Kigali Field Operations
Customs Department Services
Rwanda Revenue Authority
P.O Box 718 Kigali
Phone: +250 78 8185675
Website: http://www.rra.gov.rw/
Commissioner for Customs Services
Ms. Rosine Uwamariya
Rwanda Revenue Authority
Customs Gikondo Magerwa
1st Floor, P.O. Box3987–Kigali
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +250 78 8185711
Mr. William Musoni
Deputy Commissioner for Customs Services
Rwanda Revenue Authority
1st Floor
Customs Gikondo Magerwa
P.O. Box 3987 – Kigali
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +250 78 8185840
As part of the EAC, Rwanda uses a four-band duty structure for imports from outside of the EAC:
- Product
- Capital Goods and Raw Materials
- Intermediate Goods
- Finished Goods
- Sensitive Goods
A stay of application is a different rate of import duty from the CET available for specific products. These are negotiated on a country-by-country basis, but once agreed, are available for all importing taxpayers.
Taxpayers must apply for the Duty Remission scheme by writing a letter to the Commissioner for the Customs Services Department (CSD) to explain the reasons for the application. If approved, the Duty Remission is valid for twelve (12) months. For more information on conditions and recent changes in duty remission and stay of applications, don’t hesitate to get in touch with RRA.
In addition to import duty (applied to CIF value), other taxes and levies include excise duty (varying rates depending on the product, used to CIF plus import duty plus handling fees); VAT (18 percent applied on CIF plus import duty plus excise duty plus handling fees); withholding tax (varying rates depending on the product; applied to CIF value); infrastructure development levy (1.5 percent used to CIF value); strategic reserves levy (applied only to fuel and petroleum products and assessed per liter); and, African Union Levy (0.2 percent used to CIF value).
For more information on Rwanda’s Import Tariffs, please visit the International Trade Administration’s website.
Before planning to deliver a container to Rwanda, you should consider several factors. You need to know in advance the information about delivery fees, permitting requirements, ground conditions, and clearance space.
20-ft containers demand a straight clearance of 75 feet, while 40-ft containers need a hundred. For its respective width, you will need a minimum of 12 feet of width clearance and 20 feet of overhead clearance.
In some cases, containers might get lost, destroyed, or even stolen. The number of lost containers every year is staggering! To prevent paying for additional costs, ensure that you can present your Bill of Lading with you to shield the cargo against inevitable losses. In the event of failure, cargo insurance policies indemnify the cargo motive. Most cargo insurance policies are underwritten on an “all-risk basis.”
Yes, you should be physically available when the container arrives; you must sign specific documents. It would help if you also supervised the moving crew when the container arrived.
