Kenya has implemented a mandatory Advance Cargo Declaration (ACD) requirement for all containerised cargo imported into the country, taking effect from September 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) told exporters on July 14, 2026, that all container shipments headed for Kenyan ports need a reference code from its new Advance Cargo Declaration platform, which launched on Aug. 3, 20261<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The Advance Cargo Declaration (ACD) is a digital system where cargo papers are sent to Kenyan customs before the ship arrives1<\/a><\/sup>. KRA says exporters obtain the code at the point of loading1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n In short, the seller abroad must upload four shipping papers to a KRA website before a container is loaded for Kenya. The code that comes back must be written on the bill of lading, the shipping company’s receipt for the goods.<\/p>\n The public notice was signed by KRA’s Commissioner for Customs and Border Control and dated July 14, 20261<\/a><\/sup>. It is addressed to importers, exporters shipping to Kenya, shipowners, carriers, shipping agents and customs agents1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n It covers all containerised cargo going to Kenyan ports1<\/a><\/sup>. Exporters get the ACD reference code<\/strong> from KRA’s ACD website when the container is loaded1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n The platform creates the code only after four documents are uploaded1<\/a><\/sup>:<\/p>\n The notice then requires the code to be endorsed on the bill of lading<\/strong> before the shipment sails for a Kenyan port1<\/a><\/sup>. In practice, a container without the code on its bill of lading does not meet the notice. Buyers in Kenya depend on their overseas suppliers to complete this step, since the notice gives the task to the exporter.<\/p>\n KRA set the launch for Monday, Aug. 3, 20261<\/a><\/sup>. At a meeting at the Port of Mombasa on Aug. 31, KRA Commissioner General Adan Mohammed said the platform had received more than 1,000 applications since that date2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n He described this as uptake "ahead of full implementation"2<\/a><\/sup>. Neither the notice nor the later reports gives a separate date for full enforcement. Port users agreed at the meeting to keep discussing the operating rules for a smooth change-over2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n KRA describes the system as a way to handle cargo papers before arrival1<\/a><\/sup>. According to the Government Advertising Agency’s report of the Aug. 31 meeting, papers are submitted and checked before goods are loaded at the port of export2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n Mohammed said this lets importers start customs processing earlier. He said it will cut the time cargo sits at the Port of Mombasa after arrival2<\/a><\/sup>. For a buyer in Kenya, earlier checks mean customs questions come up while the goods are still at sea.<\/p>\n On July 28, the Kenya News Agency reported that the KRA head called the platform a digital pre-arrival system for all containerised cargo destined for Kenya3<\/a><\/sup>. He presented it as part of work with the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which runs the port, to reduce clearance delays3<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n KRA and KPA also plan a pilot of automated "Smart Gates" at Gate 24 of the port2<\/a><\/sup>. The gates are meant to identify trucks automatically and cut the time trucks spend at the port3<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\nWhat does the KRA notice require for containers?<\/h2>\n
Which papers must be uploaded to the ACD platform?<\/h2>\n
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Papers uploaded before the code is issued<\/h4>\n
When did the ACD system start?<\/h2>\n
Kenya’s ACD platform so far<\/h4>\n
Why is Kenya’s customs agency adding the step?<\/h2>\n
What else is changing at Mombasa port?<\/h2>\n
Share of containers handled at Mombasa, %<\/h4>\n