The regulation of plant & plant materials is under the mandate of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), who is responsible for the assurance of plant health, seed, plant variety, & agro-inputs quality issues in Kenya, to prevent adverse impact on the economy, the environment and human health. Exporters of plant & plant materials are required to obtain a phytosanitary certificate per consignment, which is processed through KEPHIS’ Integrated Export Import Certification System (IEICS). For more information on how to register on IEICS, click the link.
The East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) is an organisation that brings together tea producers (manufacturers), buyers (exporters), brokers, packers and warehousemen to interact commercially at the tea auction and to promote the best interests of the tea trade in Africa. Anyone who intends to take part in the tea auction must first register with EATTA. The auction system has four main categories; producers (manufacturers), brokers, buyers (exporters) and warehousemen.
Select your type of membership below to get more information on the registration process.
The Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) is a State Corporation mandated to establish, implement & manage the Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP), and to facilitate trade. The TFP is an online platform that serves as a single entry point for parties involved in international trade & transport logistics to lodge documents electronically, for processing, approvals and to make payments electronically for fees, levies, duties & taxes due to the Government, on imported or exported goods. Training is mandatory for new users of the system prior to registration on the system; this includes new staff from organizations already registered on the TFP. For more information on how to register on the TFP, click the link.
This procedure applies to first time traders who require to obtain a preferential certificate of origin during export. Traders are required to register with the Kenya Revenue Authority’s (KRA) Rules of Origin Section to obtain a registration letter. The letter confirms the country of origin of the goods to be exported and is a requirement when applying for the preferential certificate of origin.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KNCCI) is the umbrella body of the private sector in Kenya. The Chamber is an autonomous, non-profit, membership-based & private sector lobby institution. Membership to the Chamber is not mandatory however, membership is diverse and has benefits such as networking opportunities, training consultancy, customer referrals & credibility in your business to mention a few. For more information on how to register with KNCCI, click the link.
A food hygiene licence is required for all facilities that process and package products that are for human consumption, e.g packhouses. The licence is issued by Port Health Services Kenya (PHS) or by Public Health Officers, from the respective County Governments where the premises are located. The licence is valid for one (1) calendar year. For more information on how to obtain a food hygiene licence from either the County Government or County Public Health Office, select from the options below.
Export of tea in Kenya is regulated by the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK), who issue a tea export release order per consignment. For more information on how to obtain the export release order, click the link.
Export of plant & plant materials is regulated by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) who issue a phytosanitary certificate per consignment, to ensure compliance with the phytosanitary requirements of the importing country on freedom from certain diseases or pests during the growing period and compliance to safe use of pesticides. KEPHIS plant inspectors normally visit commercial growers & farmers of various agricultural & horticultural crops during the active growing period. Inspection of all material for export is done to ensure compliance with the recommended quality standards. It may be visual, microscopic, or a combination of both on plants/plant products at airports, seaports, mail, and border posts. Usually, samples are inspected according to the type & volume of the commodity. Inspection levels are determined by the assessed risk of the commodity. For more information on how to obtain the phytosanitary certificate, click the link.
The Certificate of Origin (COO) is an international trade document which certifies that, a certain product being exported is wholly manufactured, produced, processed or obtained from the exporting country. For more information on how to obtain the COO, please select from the options below.
The AfCFTA certificate of origin is an international trade document which certifies that a certain product being exported is wholly manufactured, produced, processed or obtained from the exporting country. COO is issued by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Rules of Origin Section. For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click the link.
The European Union (EU) certificate of origin is required for goods obtained, manufactured, produced or processed in Kenya, and are to be exported within the European community. The certificate is issued per consignment. For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click the link.
The COMESA certificate of origin is required for goods obtained, manufactured, produced or processed in Kenya, and are to be exported within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region. The certificate is issued per consignment. For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click the link.
The Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) certificate of origin is required for goods obtained, manufactured, produced or processed in Kenya, and are to be exported to a member state. The certificate is issued per consignment. For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click the link.
The EAC certificate of origin is required for goods obtained, manufactured, produced or processed in Kenya, and are to be exported within the East African Community (EAC) region. The certificate is issued per consignment. For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click the link.
The African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA) certificate of origin is required for goods obtained, manufactured, produced or processed in Kenya, and are to be exported to a country within the AGOA trade Act. The certificate is issued per consignment. For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click the link.
A non-preferential certificate of origin is an export document issued by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) that confirms the country of origin of goods being exported.For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click the link.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has the mandate to issue the (ordinary/non-preferential) Certificate of Origin (COO) to all exporters of goods originating from Kenya. For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click the link.
The National Biosafety Authority (NBA) is mandated to exercise general supervision and control over the transfer, handling and use of genetically modified organisms with a view to ensuring safety of human and animal health and provision of an adequate level of protection of the environment. The Authority issues a licence for export of produce that are globally known/suspected to be of possible Genetically modified organism e.g., maize (add more commodities), for each consignment. The market requirements in the country of destination will determine the need for the GMO certificate. For more information on how to obtain the certificate, click on the link.
According to the fourth (4th) schedule of the East African Customs Management Act (EACMA), and in accordance with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Agreement on Customs Valuation (ACV), valuation of cargo is undertaken by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Exporters are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is responsible for the transmission of declarations (C17B) electronically to Customs, with information obtained from the exporters through documents such as: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin & permits relevant to the consignment. Prior to release, the export officer verifies and/or supervises stuffing of the export cargo/consignment before the goods proceed to the border of exit. A certificate of export is issued after export has been confirmed. For more information on how to export a consignment of tea through the Lunga Lunga OSBP, click the link.
According to the fourth (4th) schedule of the East African Customs Management Act (EACMA), and in accordance with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Agreement on Customs Valuation (ACV), valuation of cargo is undertaken by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Exporters are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is responsible for the transmission of declarations (C17B) electronically to Customs, with information obtained from the exporters through documents such as: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin & permits relevant to the consignment. Prior to release, the export officer verifies and/or supervises stuffing of the export cargo/consignment before the goods proceed to the border of exit. A certificate of export is issued after export has been confirmed. For more information on how to export a consignment of tea through the Taveta-Holili OSBP, click the link.
According to the fourth (4th) schedule of the East African Customs Management Act (EACMA), and in accordance with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Agreement on Customs Valuation (ACV), valuation of cargo is undertaken by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Exporters are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is responsible for the transmission of declarations (C17B) electronically to Customs, with information obtained from the exporters through documents such as: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin & permits relevant to the consignment. Prior to release, the export officer verifies and/or supervises stuffing of the export cargo/consignment before the goods proceed to the border of exit. A certificate of export is issued after export has been confirmed. For more information on how to export a consignment of tea through the Namanga OSBP, click the link.
According to the fourth (4th) schedule of the East African Customs Management Act (EACMA), and in accordance with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Agreement on Customs Valuation (ACV), valuation of cargo is undertaken by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Exporters are required to acquire the services of a licensed customs clearing agent, who is responsible for the transmission of declarations (C17B) electronically to Customs, with information obtained from the exporters through documents such as: commercial invoice, bill of lading/airway bill, packing list, certificate of origin, & permits relevant to the consignment. The entries are lodged against the manifest registered electronically by the shipping/airline agents. Prior to release, the export officer verifies and/or supervises stuffing of the export cargo/consignment before the goods proceed to the border of exit. A certificate of export is issued after export has been confirmed. For more information on how to export a consignment of tea through the Port of Mombasa, click the link.
This procedure sequentially compiles the licences, permits and clearance steps to be fulfilled by a registered business owner exporting a consignment of tea, of more than $2000 of value, for the first time out of Kenya, via the Lunga Lunga OSBP.
This procedure sequentially compiles the licences, permits and clearance steps to be fulfilled by a registered business owner exporting a consignment of tea, of more than $2000 of value, for the first time out of Kenya, via the Taveta-Holili OSBP.
This procedure sequentially compiles the licences, permits and clearance steps to be fulfilled by a registered business owner exporting a consignment of tea, of more than $2000 of value, for the first time out of Kenya, via the Namanga OSBP.