Free import guide
A free 6-page checklist for importers: the 8 steps, the shipping documents, a page for each market and questions for your clearing agent. We can also introduce a clearing agent in your port.
Your import checklist for East Africa.
A 6-page checklist for importers and contractors in Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya and Madagascar who buy building materials from India.
- The 8 steps from specification to delivery, with what to ask for at each one.
- The shipping documents to check before the originals are released.
- A page for each market: port, standards body and the certificate or cargo note.
- FOB, CFR and CIF explained in one minute.
- Questions for your clearing agent and red flags to watch for.
Need a clearing agent?
Tick the box on the form and we will introduce one in Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Zanzibar or Toamasina. You choose the agent and agree terms with them directly.
Get the free guide
We email it to you straight away.
We use your details only to send the guide and to reply to you. See our privacy policy.
Questions about the free guide
Is the guide really free?
Yes. Fill in the form and we email it to you. There is nothing to pay and no obligation to buy from us.
Do I have to buy from Sterling Exports to get a clearing agent introduction?
No. Tick the box and we will arrange an introduction in your port. You choose the agent and agree terms with them directly.
Which countries does the guide cover?
Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya and Madagascar. Each has a page with its port, its standards body and the certificate or cargo note it needs.
Is the guide legal or customs advice?
No. It is general information. Rules and rates change, so confirm them with the standards body and your clearing agent before you order.
A free import guide for East Africa
Our free import guide is a 6-page checklist for importers and contractors in Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya and Madagascar who buy building materials from India. It puts the steps, the documents and the certificate rules for each country in one place, so you know what to ask for before you pay a deposit.
What the free import guide covers
The guide walks through eight steps, from writing the specification to taking delivery at your port. For each step it lists what to ask the supplier for and what to check. It then lists the shipping documents to review before the original bill of lading is released: the commercial invoice, the packing list, the bill of lading and the certificate your country requires.
It also explains FOB, CIF and CNF in plain words, so you can compare quotes from different suppliers on the same basis. A separate page covers each market, with the port, the standards body and the certificate or cargo note. For Tanzania the standards body is the Tanzania Bureau of Standards, and for Kenya it is the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Need a clearing agent?
Tick the box on the form and we will introduce a clearing agent at your port, such as Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Zanzibar or Toamasina. You choose the agent and agree terms with them directly. The guide also lists the questions to ask any agent before you hire them, and the red flags to watch for.
After the guide
Once you have read it, our import guides go deeper on tiles, sanitaryware and other products for Tanzania and the other markets. You can also see how an order works on the how to order page, look at photos from our own loadings on the our work page, or request a quote when you are ready.
The guide is general information, not legal or customs advice. Rules and rates change, so confirm them with the standards body and your clearing agent before you order.