Home / Customs
Customs Clearance
The regulatory core of what we do — declarations prepared, lodged and defended through TANCIS, with duty settled and release obtained before your cargo starts accruing storage.
What customs clearance actually involves
A customs entry is a legal declaration made on your behalf. It states what the goods are, what they are worth, where they came from and what should be paid on them — and the importer of record carries the liability if any of that is wrong. That is why clearance is a licensed profession, and why the quality of the agent matters more than the fee.
- Declaration capture and lodgement. The entry is built in TANCIS, the Tanzania Customs Integrated System, from the verified document set and submitted for assessment.
- HS classification. Every product line is assigned a tariff code under the EAC Common External Tariff. Classification decides the duty rate, so it is argued from the technical description, not guessed from the invoice wording.
- Customs valuation. The customs value is built up correctly — transaction value plus the additions the law requires — and supported by evidence when queried.
- Duty and tax coordination. Import duty, VAT, excise where applicable and statutory levies are computed, the assessment is raised, and payment is effected and receipted.
- Inspection management. Where the entry is selected for scan or physical examination, we attend, present the cargo and resolve findings on the spot.
- Release and post-clearance file. Release is obtained, the delivery order secured, and the complete file — declaration, receipts, release records — is retained and issued to you.
Why we pre-lodge
Seven days before the vessel berths
Entries can be captured and lodged before arrival. We use that window deliberately: the assessment is raised, valuation questions are argued and duty is paid while the container is still at sea.
The effect is that discharge is followed by release rather than by the start of a queue. Storage and demurrage clocks that would otherwise run during document chasing simply never start.
It only works if we have the documents. That is the one thing we need from the client, and it is why we ask for them at shipment.
The clearance sequence
01Instruction and appointmentClearing instruction received and the agency appointment recorded, authorising us to declare on your behalf.
02Document verificationThe full set is reconciled — invoice against packing list against transport document against purchase order.
03Classification and valuationHS codes assigned per line and the customs value built up, with the supporting rationale recorded on file.
04Entry lodgementDeclaration captured and submitted in TANCIS; assessment notice raised and reviewed for accuracy.
05Query resolutionValuation, classification or documentary queries argued with the assessing officer, with evidence supplied.
06Duty settlementPayment effected against the assessment and the TRA receipt obtained and filed.
07Verification and releaseScan or physical examination attended where selected; release order and delivery order obtained.
08File close-outDeclaration, receipts, release records and proof of delivery compiled and issued to the client.
What can hold an entry, and how we prevent it
Valuation query
Declared value questioned
Customs may test a declared value against reference data. We prepare the valuation with supporting evidence — purchase records, payment proof, freight and insurance breakdown — so a query is answered in hours, not days.
Classification dispute
Wrong or contested HS code
A code that is convenient rather than correct creates post-clearance exposure. We classify from technical specifications and keep the reasoning on file, so the position is defensible then and on audit later.
Missing approval
Sector permit not in place
Regulated goods cannot be released without their approval, whatever the duty position. The regulatory check identifies them at review stage and the application starts immediately.
Document mismatch
Invoice and packing list disagree
Quantity, weight or description mismatches trigger examination. Reconciling the set before lodgement removes the most common trigger for physical inspection.
Manifest error
Consignee or container details wrong
Errors originating with the shipping line require formal amendment. We identify them at pre-alert and raise the amendment before arrival rather than discovering it at release.
Payment timing
Duty settled late
Assessment without payment is not release. We confirm the funding position with the client at assessment so the payment step never becomes the constraint.
Our authority to act
TASAC Licensed Agent
Clearing & ForwardingReg. No. 109172829
TRA Customs Agent
General & TransitLicence No. 101357
Customs Security Bond
CB11 in forceTZS 100,000,000
TRA Tax Compliant
Tax clearance heldTIN 177-900-443
A note on fees. A compliant clearing quotation separates statutory charges — duty, VAT, levies, port, terminal and shipping line charges paid to third parties — from the agency service fee, and every line is receipted. Charges regulated by TASAC are published. If a charge cannot be named and evidenced, it does not belong on your invoice, from us or from anybody else.
Appoint us for your next entry.
Send the bill of lading, commercial invoice and packing list. We will confirm classification, compute duty exposure and lodge before arrival.