How to Import a Japanese Used Car to Kenya

Who this guide is for

This walkthrough is for buyers importing a right-hand-drive Japanese used car into Kenya through Mombasa. It covers the order of work from Japan: eligibility, IDF, QISJ inspection, shipping, KRA payment, and NTSA registration. It is not a substitute for KEBS or KRA notices, which can change with the Finance Act.

If the car is left-hand-drive, older than the KS 1515 cap, or first registered before 2019 (for 2026 arrivals), stop. Those units are not a normal commercial import.

2026 eligibility checklist

KEBS KS 1515 is a ban, not an extra excise band (that is Tanzania’s model). Check all three before the auction:

• First registration 2019 or later for cars arriving in 2026. KEBS’ 17 November 2025 notice: from 1 January 2026 only RHD vehicles first registered on or after 1 January 2019 are allowed. 2018-registered CoRs were not valid after 31 December 2025.
• Manufacture year within one year of first registration. A 2018-built car first registered in 2020 fails even if it looks “new enough”.
• RHD only for normal Kenyan roads. Read the Japanese export certificate, not only the auction sheet headline.

Non-compliant units are rejected at the importer’s cost. Do not load “and sort it in Mombasa”.

Documents you will actually use

QISJ inspection and IDF (do these in Japan)

KEBS appointed QISJ for used vehicles from Japan under KS 1515. The PVoC manual (v15) lists a Japan inspection fee of USD 155 per unit — confirm the current manual. Arrival without CoR/CoC goes to destination inspection under Legal Notice 78 (2020), which is slower and riskier.

Apply for the IDF before sailing. A car on the water with no IDF is the most common self-inflicted delay we see. Book QISJ before the RoRo cut-off; monthly East Africa sailings do not wait for a late inspection slot.

Shipping to Mombasa

Almost all Japan used cars for Kenya discharge at Mombasa. Sea time is typically 30–45 days. Budget 8–10 weeks door-to-registration when you include purchase, QISJ, export, and KRA/NTSA. Lines commonly used on this route include NYK, MOL, K Line, and Höegh — confirm the sailing, not a generic weekly promise.

What you pay KRA (planning, not a bill)

There is no reliable “2× FOB” shortcut. KRA often uses CRSP (current retail selling price) as the tax base, so a cheap auction car can still clear on a high list value.

A stacked “~55%” figure is only a planning illustration. CRSP updates change the payable amount even if FOB does not. Official starting point: KRA motor vehicle procedures.

Typical order of work

1. Confirm first-registration year (2019+ in 2026) and manufacture year on the export certificate.
2. Apply for the IDF with your KRA PIN.
3. Buy the car only after those two checks. Pay FOB.
4. QISJ inspection and CoR in Japan.
5. Export deregistration, bill of lading, RoRo to Mombasa.
6. KRA entry on CRSP; pay duty, excise, VAT, IDF, and RDL.
7. NTSA registration, plates, and insurance.

Mistakes that get cars rejected or delayed

• Bidding a 2018 first-registration car “because it is still 8 years in some calculators”.
• Ignoring a manufacture year more than 12 months before first registration.
• Loading without QISJ CoR because the sailing was leaving.
• Shipping before the IDF is in place.
• Budgeting from auction price instead of CRSP.
• Comparing Kenya to Tanzania: Tanzania counts age from manufacture and uses extra excise on older cars; Kenya’s 8-year rule is a hard KEBS gate from first registration.

What to do next

Open the Kenya regulation page for documents, inspection notes, and source links. Send us the chassis, first-registration year, and destination if you want a pre-bid eligibility check. Browse current stock or contact KMC JAPAN — we will not recommend a unit that fails KS 1515.