By Abdi Ali
Published December 25, 2023

International Arrivals area at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International AirportFollowing an avalanche of seemingly never ending complaints about harassment of travellers to and from Kenya by Customs officers at entry and exit points to Kenya, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has issued guidelines aimed at making travel to and from Kenya easier.

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In a message addressed to taxpayers during the festive period, KRA says it ‘cares about giving you a seamless travel experience’ and goes on to list what it calls ‘essential information from Customs Kenya’ for travellers to and from Kenya:

Airports in Kenya

  • Items intended to be returned to Kenya should be declared upon exit (Temporary export) including but not limited to: Cameras and accessories for filming, Sporting equipment, Items exported for repair or alterations and Musical instruments
  • All arriving passengers are required to make declarations using the prescribed Passenger Declaration Form(s) (Form F88)
  • Passengers with accompanied luggage are exempted on their used personal items. However, used goods imported for commercial purposes attract taxes
  • Only speak to a uniformed Customs Officials within the baggage halls

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  • Prohibited and restricted goods which include but are not limited to narcotic drugs, firearms, counterfeit currency, shisha are not allowed
  • Customs Officers are permitted by the law to examine passenger’s luggage and conduct body searches based on intelligence and profiled security information possessed by Customs officers. However, in the process of the body search, the officer will observe high standards of human dignity, and
  • Any foreign currency and monetary instruments exceeding US$10,000 or its equivalent must be declared at Customs upon arrival and before departure.

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Passengers with accompanied luggage are exempted on their used personal items. However, used goods imported for commercial purposes attract taxes.For detailed information on the passenger terminal clearance process in Kenya, KRA advises travellers to consult KRA’s online guidelines, call +254 711 099 999 or email callcentre@kra.go.ke