Kenya customs
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Free import
• For travelers aged 18 or older, as accompanied baggage: 1 L of spirits (including liqueurs) or 2 L of wine.
• For travelers aged 18 or older: cigarettes, cigars, cheroots, cigarillos, tobacco and snuff up to 250 g in total.
• For travelers aged 18 or older: perfume and toilet water up to 0.5 L in total, of which not more than 0.25 L may be perfume.
• Used personal effects are duty-free. Visitors staying up to 3 months may also bring non-consumable goods for personal use during the visit (to be taken out again when they leave) and consumable goods and non-alcoholic drinks for use during their stay.
• Goods for personal or household use bought abroad have a duty concession of up to USD 2,000. Goods worth USD 500 or more must be declared (for non-residents: goods that will stay in Kenya), as must gifts and goods for sale or business use. Alcohol, tobacco and perfume above the limits above, fabrics in the piece and trade goods are not covered by the concession.
• Travelers with goods to declare must use the Red Channel; not declaring or mis-declaring goods is an offence and the goods can be seized.
Currency
• Cash and other monetary instruments worth USD 10,000 or more (or the equivalent in Kenyan shillings or any other currency) must be declared to customs on arrival.
• Failure to declare can lead to a fine of up to 50% of the amount carried or up to 5 years in prison, or both.
Prohibited
• Narcotic drugs
• Counterfeit money and counterfeit goods of all kinds
• Pornographic and obscene material
• Shisha (hookah) and shisha flavours
• Skin-lightening creams, and soaps and cosmetics containing mercury
• Toy guns
• Worn underwear
• Used tyres for cars and light commercial vehicles
• Pet birds
• Plastic carrier bags, including duty-free shop bags: travelers arriving with them must leave them at the point of entry.
Restricted
• Restricted goods are released by customs only after you show the permit or licence issued by the relevant Kenyan government agency.
• Firearms, ammunition and their parts need prior authorization from the Kenyan authorities.
• Drones may not be imported without prior approval from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
• Plants, plant products, seeds and regulated articles such as soil need a Plant Import Permit from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), obtained before travel - also for gifts and duty-free items.
• Dogs and cats need an import permit from the Directorate of Veterinary Services (Kabete, Nairobi) obtained before departure, a current rabies vaccination certificate and a veterinary health certificate. Pets are dutiable but exempt from VAT.
• Wildlife specimens and products, including ivory, rhino horn, skins and trophies, may not be imported without a permit from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
• Unworked precious metals and precious stones, historical artefacts and medicines are also restricted.
• For travelers aged 18 or older, as accompanied baggage: 1 L of spirits (including liqueurs) or 2 L of wine.
• For travelers aged 18 or older: cigarettes, cigars, cheroots, cigarillos, tobacco and snuff up to 250 g in total.
• For travelers aged 18 or older: perfume and toilet water up to 0.5 L in total, of which not more than 0.25 L may be perfume.
• Used personal effects are duty-free. Visitors staying up to 3 months may also bring non-consumable goods for personal use during the visit (to be taken out again when they leave) and consumable goods and non-alcoholic drinks for use during their stay.
• Goods for personal or household use bought abroad have a duty concession of up to USD 2,000. Goods worth USD 500 or more must be declared (for non-residents: goods that will stay in Kenya), as must gifts and goods for sale or business use. Alcohol, tobacco and perfume above the limits above, fabrics in the piece and trade goods are not covered by the concession.
• Travelers with goods to declare must use the Red Channel; not declaring or mis-declaring goods is an offence and the goods can be seized.
Currency
• Cash and other monetary instruments worth USD 10,000 or more (or the equivalent in Kenyan shillings or any other currency) must be declared to customs on arrival.
• Failure to declare can lead to a fine of up to 50% of the amount carried or up to 5 years in prison, or both.
Prohibited
• Narcotic drugs
• Counterfeit money and counterfeit goods of all kinds
• Pornographic and obscene material
• Shisha (hookah) and shisha flavours
• Skin-lightening creams, and soaps and cosmetics containing mercury
• Toy guns
• Worn underwear
• Used tyres for cars and light commercial vehicles
• Pet birds
• Plastic carrier bags, including duty-free shop bags: travelers arriving with them must leave them at the point of entry.
Restricted
• Restricted goods are released by customs only after you show the permit or licence issued by the relevant Kenyan government agency.
• Firearms, ammunition and their parts need prior authorization from the Kenyan authorities.
• Drones may not be imported without prior approval from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
• Plants, plant products, seeds and regulated articles such as soil need a Plant Import Permit from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), obtained before travel - also for gifts and duty-free items.
• Dogs and cats need an import permit from the Directorate of Veterinary Services (Kabete, Nairobi) obtained before departure, a current rabies vaccination certificate and a veterinary health certificate. Pets are dutiable but exempt from VAT.
• Wildlife specimens and products, including ivory, rhino horn, skins and trophies, may not be imported without a permit from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
• Unworked precious metals and precious stones, historical artefacts and medicines are also restricted.