East Africa · Import guide
🇹🇿 Importing machinery into Tanzania
Tanzania does not impose a hard age cap on used machinery, but units older than about 10 years are taxed more heavily. A pre-shipment inspection (PSI) is mandatory. Dar es Salaam is the main gateway, also serving landlocked neighbours.
- Used age limit
- No hard cap, but machines over ~10 years attract higher tax
- Emission requirement
- No specific off-road tier surfaced
- Inspection / conformity
- Mandatory pre-shipment inspection (PSI)
- Main ports
- Dar es Salaam
Reviewed 2026-06. Rules change — always reconfirm before committing a shipment.
Good to know
- PSI must be completed before the machine ships — we arrange it.
- Dar es Salaam also serves transit cargo to Zambia, DRC, Rwanda and Burundi.
Typical export documents
We prepare and coordinate these for every shipment:
- Commercial invoice & packing list
- Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) & bill of lading
- Inspection / conformity certificate (Mandatory pre-shipment inspection (PSI))
- Certificate of origin & insurance
Tanzania — questions
Answers, straight up
Can you import used heavy machinery into Tanzania?
Tanzania does not impose a hard age cap on used machinery, but units older than about 10 years are taxed more heavily. A pre-shipment inspection (PSI) is mandatory. Dar es Salaam is the main gateway, also serving landlocked neighbours.
What is the used-equipment age limit for Tanzania?
As of 2026-06: No hard cap, but machines over ~10 years attract higher tax. Age is counted from the year of manufacture. Confirm the live figure for your machine type before committing.
What inspection or certificate does Tanzania require?
Mandatory pre-shipment inspection (PSI). We arrange the required inspection or conformity certificate as part of the export process.