Cost of Shipping a Container to Rwanda

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

[email protected]

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.