Overview 

The Illasit/Tarakea border crossing is the land checkpoint for goods and travellers passing between Kenya and Tanzania. Illasit is a settlement in Kenya's Rift Valley Province near the Kenya-Tanzanian border. It basks in the face and foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is approximately 270 km by road southeast of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. 

Individuals crossing the Kenyan-Tanzania border are required to have certain documents to do so, including the following: 1.     Passport (or national ID for East Africans).2. Visa (if applicable). 3. Yellow fever vaccination certificate. Nationals of East African Community (EAC) member states do not need a visa to enter Kenya or Tanzania and may also enter using a national ID card in place of their passport. International visitors who meet the Kenyan eVisa requirements can take the convenient option of applying for their visa online, which skips any unnecessary trips to an embassy. 

Some of bottlenecks at the border crossing includes; Unilateral bans on products, high fees by Agriculture and Food Authority-Kenya, trade information asymmetry and single lane roads on the Kenya side that stifles cross border business between Kenya and Tanzania via Illasit/Tarakea border crossing. There have also been traffic snarl-ups that have been blamed on poor road network and lack of power and internet connectivity at the border point. 

Daily Capacity 

Illasit/Tarakea has does not have separate lane for private cars. Daily trucks capacity is 50 to 100. 

Customs Clearance 

In a customs clearance process, there are loads of documents to be verified and submitted, either electronically or physically with the consignment. This to help the concerned officials to calculate taxes and duties that are levied on the consignment that is ready to ship. The requirements include; ProForma, Customs packing list, COO (Chief Operating Officer) Certificate (Country of Origin), Customs Invoice, Shipping bill, Export license, Bill of lading, Bill of sight, Letter of credit, Bill of exchange, Export license and Health certificate. Unilateral bans on products, high fees by Agriculture and Food Authority-Kenya, trade information asymmetry and single lane roads on the Kenya side stifle cross border business between Kenya and Tanzania via Namanga One-Stop Border Post. Traffic snarl-ups have also been blamed on poor road network and lack of power and internet connectivity at the border point. 

For more information on customs in Kenya, please see the following links:  

https://www.eac.int/press-releases/142-customs/1276-eac-operationalizes-13-one-stop-border-posts 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2020.1768468 

Other Relevant Information 

Processes or procedures required to complete the crossing and approximate waiting time. 

1. Pre-clearance documentation; Contract a clearing agent. 

2. Obtaining Kenya Service release; requirements;  

• Submission of documents for verification 

• Verification of consignment 

• Paying for import permit 

• Obtaining Kenya Service release 

3. Obtaining Port Health Services release 

• Applying for import health certificate and generate e-slip. 

• Paying for import health certificate 

• Submission of clearance documents for verification 

• Verification of consignment 

• Obtaining import health certificate 

4. Obtaining KEBS (Kenya Bureau of Standards) release 

• Submit documents for verification. 

• Payment of destination inspection fees 

• Verification of consignment 

5. Obtaining KRA (Kenya Revenue Authority) release 

• Obtaining exit note 

• Submission of clearance documents for verification 

• Verification of consignment 

• Obtaining KRA final release 

6. Physical release of consignment 

Time limit; 

Waiting time in queue: Max. 5mn 

Attention at counter: Max. 5mn. 

For more information on processes or procedures required to complete the crossing and approximate waiting time Link;  

https://infotradekenya.go.ke/procedure/502/step/2543?l=en&embed=true&includeSearch=false 

KEBS Rates on IMPORTS FROM COUNTRIES WHERE PVOC (Pre-Export Verification of Conformity) CONTRACTORS ARE NOT PRESENT  

General goods and used motor vehicles being imported from countries where PVOC Contractors are not present (see clause 5.3 and 7.1) shall be subject to destination inspection upon payment of destination inspection fee equivalent to 0.6% of the approved Customs Value subject to minimum of USD 265 and maximum of USD 2700 per used motor vehicle unit or consignment submitted for inspection. Testing fee is payable where testing is required to determine conformity.  

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List.