Japanese Car Import Costs, Duties and Taxes

There is no single landed-cost multiplier such as “2× FOB” or “50–60% of CIF”. Those lines were written for one East African stack and then copied everywhere. They are wrong for the UK, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Zambia, and South Africa.

What you pay in Japan

Vehicle FOB, auction fees, inland to port, export certificate, inspection, and ocean freight. KMC JAPAN quotes these pieces. They are not destination duty.

What you pay at destination

• EAC (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) — often ~25% import duty on passenger cars, then excise, then VAT. Kenya adds 3.5% IDF and 2% railway levy and often taxes CRSP.
• Tanzania — extra excise if older than 8 years from manufacture. Use UMVVS.
• Zambia — age-banded specific duty, not a simple percentage.
• Bangladesh — high supplementary duty by CC; can be several times CIF.
• UK — tariff plus VAT via NOVA; no East-Africa age excise.
• South Africa — used passenger imports generally prohibited; do not budget a duty % until ITAC says yes.

How we quote

We separate Japan-side cost from destination tax and name the authority (KRA, TRA, URA, ZRA, NBR). Open the country regulation page and, where it exists, the official calculator before you bid. Payment to KMC JAPAN is typically bank transfer (TT) before shipment.