MetEx House, 496a Great West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW5 0TE  ·  Shipping since 1998
0800 096 38 39
🗻 & ✈ Shipping to Kenya • UK’s Kenya specialists • Since 1998

Shipping to Kenya from the UK
Luggage, personal effects & household goods — by air or sea

Everything you need to ship to Kenya in one place. We collect from your door anywhere in the UK, handle the customs paperwork, and deliver to Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and beyond. Air freight in 5–8 working days, or economical sea freight in roughly 5–8 weeks, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers. These sea transit times are approximate — the actual time depends on when your LCL container finishes loading and consolidating, the vessel’s sailing date and route, any transhipment hub before the final destination, and customs clearance, so please allow a week or two either side. Shipping to Kenya since 1998.

Get a quote 📞 0800 096 38 39
Sending a barrel or drum to Kenya? See our Barrel & Drum Shipping to Africa page.

Kenya is a major diaspora route, and its returning-resident relief is one of the most valuable in Africa — but only if you meet the conditions and file it correctly. This guide brings together everything that actually matters for a UK–Kenya shipment, drawn from our Heathrow-side operation and 25+ years on this lane.

Every way we ship to Kenya

Not sure which service you need? Start here — each links to full details, transit times and what’s included.

How shipping to Kenya works, step by step

1
Quote & book

Tell us what you’re sending and where. We’ll give you a clear quote up front.

2
Door collection

We collect from your address anywhere in the UK. No depot or airport drop-off needed.

3
Pack & document

Goods are export-packed and we prepare your itemised inventory and the customs declaration.

4
Ship by air or sea

Air freight from Heathrow, or consolidated sea freight to the Port of Mombasa.

5
Customs clearance

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) assess your shipment. Clearance is lodged by a licensed customs agent on the iCMS system.

6
Delivery

Your goods are delivered to your Kenya address, or ready to collect from the arrival depot.

Returning Resident relief — how to ship duty-free

Kenya gives returning residents a valuable exemption on used personal and household effects — covering import duty, VAT, IDF and the railway levy, which together can otherwise reach around 50% of value.

The relief: Kenyan citizens returning after living abroad for 2+ years and changing residence permanently can import used personal and household effects free of import duty, VAT, IDF and RDL.
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Timing & ownership: the goods must have been owned and in personal use for at least 12 months, and imported within 90 days of your arrival (the Commissioner can extend this). You mustn’t have claimed a similar exemption in the last 4 years.
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Proof of permanent return: passport with entry endorsement, visa or work/student permit. Foreign work-permit holders get relief on goods owned/used 12+ months, imported within 3 months of the permit.
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Documents: passport (plus your old one if the current is under 2 years old), KRA PIN certificate, bill of lading, invoices and a detailed inventory. A Licensed Customs Clearing Agent lodges it via iCMS — we handle that.
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New items are dutiable. Anything new or bought for the move doesn’t qualify and is assessed at standard rates.

Moving-to-Kenya shipping guide ›

What you can’t ship — and what slows shipments down

Some items are prohibited in freight and others need clearance. Packing sensibly and declaring honestly keeps things moving.

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Prohibited in freight: aerosols, perfumes and aftershaves (flammable), loose batteries, and tobacco. Leave them out.
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Plants, foodstuffs and agricultural items are restricted and need clearance — best left out of a household shipment.
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List everything clearly. A detailed inventory is the backbone of a smooth Kenyan clearance. Number your boxes to match.
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Use a licensed agent. Kenya requires exemptions to be lodged through a Licensed Customs Clearing Agent — we arrange this.

What we see most often — and how to avoid it

Most UK–Kenya shipments clear without drama. The ones that don’t nearly always come down to the same short list:

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The 90-day window. Ship so the goods arrive within 90 days of you — miss it and the exemption can lapse.
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No KRA PIN. You need a KRA PIN certificate for clearance — sort it early.
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Buying new before the move. New items don’t qualify — only used, previously-owned effects do.
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Thin inventory. KRA want to see genuine used effects; a clear, detailed list makes the exemption straightforward.

What a shipment to Kenya actually looks like

An illustrative example of a common scenario — your quote is always to your exact shipment.

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A Kenyan returning to Nairobi after several years in the UK would typically send a home’s contents by sea freight to Mombasa, with us collecting from their UK door, export-packing, and preparing the returning-resident exemption with a licensed Kenyan agent. Used furniture, appliances and clothing clear duty-free under the relief. Transit is usually 5–8 weeks. Urgent items go ahead by air.

Door-to-door across Kenya

We deliver nationwide. Here are our most popular destinations — each with local delivery detail and transit times:

Which is right for your shipment?

Air freight suits a few boxes or anything urgent — 5–8 working days, priced on weight and size. Sea freight suits volume — a room, a family’s contents or a whole home — at a fraction of the per-kilo cost, over roughly 5–8 weeks door-to-door. Many customers split the two: air for the essentials, sea for the rest.

Shipping to Kenya — your questions answered

Should I ship or pay the airline for extra bags? +
For more than a bag or two, shipping is usually cheaper than airline excess-baggage fees — and you’re not carrying the weight through the airport. We collect from your door and deliver across Kenya.
How long does it take? +
Air freight is typically 5–8 working days. Sea freight is typically around 5–8 weeks door-to-door, plus customs clearance.
Will I pay duty? +
Kenyan citizens returning after 2+ years abroad and changing residence permanently can import used personal and household effects free of duty, VAT, IDF and RDL — if owned/used 12+ months and imported within 90 days. New items are dutiable; without the exemption, duties can reach ~50%.
What paperwork do I need? +
Passport (plus old passport if current is under 2 years), KRA PIN certificate, bill of lading, invoices and a detailed inventory, lodged through a Licensed Customs Clearing Agent on iCMS. We handle the agent side.
Can I send electrical items and furniture? +
Yes — used appliances and electricals you've owned 12+ months qualify for the returning-resident relief. Kenya uses 240V and UK-style plugs, so most UK appliances work.
Is my shipment insured? +
We offer marine transit cover — we’ll explain the options and cost when we quote, and we always recommend cover for a long-haul shipment.
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Lak Kharod, Director
Excess Luggage Co. • overseeing UK–Kenya shipping since 1998 • MetEx House, Hounslow, next to Heathrow

Excess Luggage Co. has shipped personal effects, luggage and household goods from the UK to Kenya for over 28 years — through our own Heathrow-side warehouse and collection fleet. We know this route and exactly what Kenya customs looks for. For a quote or advice on your paperwork, call us on 0800 096 38 39.

Ready to ship to Kenya?

Tell us what you’re sending and where it’s going. We’ll come back with a quote and a realistic transit-time estimate — before you commit to anything.