How to Import from China to Tanzania in 2026: TIN, Licensed Agent, TANCIS, FCC Trademark Recordation and Taxes

TL;DR

• You need a TIN and a business licence. The Finance Act 2026 requires a TIN application within 15 days of starting a business.
• A licensed clearing and forwarding agent files the declaration in TANCIS at least seven days before the cargo arrives. Since 28 July 2025 foreigners may not obtain clearing and forwarding or parcel delivery licences.
• Two border checks catch unprepared importers: a PVoC certificate of conformity for regulated goods, and since 1 December 2025 a Fair Competition Commission recordation for every trademark on imported goods.
• Taxes: EAC tariff duty, VAT 18%, railway levy 2% of CIF and processing fee 0.6% of FOB. With 25% duty that is about 50% of CIF value.
• Since 26 September 2025 consignments up to USD 50 pay no duty. Rules as checked on 6 October 2026.

Step 1. Register and choose an agent

The importer needs a TIN and a business licence. Under Government Notice 487A of 28 July 2025, non-citizens may no longer obtain licences for 15 activities, including wholesale and retail trade, clearing and forwarding, parcel delivery and mobile money; existing licences run until they expire.

Every import goes through a licensed clearing and forwarding agent. TRA’s list for 2026 has 1,529 agents. To be licensed, an agent needs a TIN, an office with TANCIS access, two staff with a customs diploma, a bond of TZS 100 million and a licence fee of USD 400.

Step 2. Documents and the pre-arrival declaration

The agent files the declaration in TANCIS no later than seven days before arrival. TRA processes pre-arrival declarations within 24 hours, then routes them to a green, yellow or red channel. The intelligent system rejects incomplete goods descriptions automatically.

Step 3. PVoC and trademarks

Regulated goods need a certificate of conformity under the TBS pre-export verification programme for each consignment. The list covers toys, electrical and electronic goods, automotive products, cosmetics and chemicals, gas appliances, paper and stationery, furniture, textiles, leather, plastics, rubber, protective equipment, food, used goods and more. Without a certificate, TBS charges a penalty of 15% of CIF value, announced on 7 May 2025, plus inspection and testing fees, and non-compliant goods are destroyed or re-exported at the importer’s cost.

Since 1 December 2025 every trademark on goods imported into mainland Tanzania must be recorded with the Fair Competition Commission. Goods with unrecorded marks are held at the border, even when they are genuine. Recordation costs TZS 200,000 per class plus TZS 50,000 a year, and from 2026 only national BRELA registrations are accepted. The rule does not apply to Zanzibar.

Step 4. Duty and taxes

Tanzania has no trade agreement with China. Chinese goods pay the EAC common external tariff: 0% for raw materials and capital goods, 10% for intermediate goods, 25% for finished consumer goods, 35% for selected finished goods, and more for sensitive items.

Our calculation without excise or the industrial development levy: about 50% of CIF value at 25% duty and about 62% at 35%. VAT is recoverable only for VAT-registered businesses.

Step 5. Consolidated cargo and parcels

Small traders at Kariakoo and the new East African Commercial and Logistics Centre in Ubungo import through consolidators. Since the Finance Act 2024 a consolidator must split consolidated cargo by owner on entry, or pay a penalty of 30% of customs value, and in June 2024 the government told TRA and TBS to release such cargo under each owner’s TIN. Since 26 September 2025 the maximum penalty for a false declaration is USD 20,000 or 50% of the dutiable value, whichever is higher.

For parcels, since 26 September 2025 no duty is charged on consignments with a customs value up to USD 50. Above that, normal duty, VAT and levies apply.

Step 6. Port and payments

Dar es Salaam handled 33.71 million tonnes in the 2025/26 financial year, 21.5% more than a year earlier, and ships now spend about three days at berth against ten in 2020/21. Since March 2025 domestic prices and payments must be in Tanzanian shillings under the Bank of Tanzania’s foreign currency regulations, so budget for conversion when you sell.

How Cargix handles Tanzania

We consolidate in Guangzhou and Yiwu and ship by sea from 0.1 m³ or by air to Dar es Salaam in about 12 days. Clearance is done by a licensed Tanzanian agent, and each quote states what is included. We check trademarks and PVoC before the cargo leaves China. Details are on our China to Tanzania page.