Customs agent licensing in the East African Community

What the Act says

The East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004 is the shared customs law of the EAC Partner States. Its revised edition of 2009 incorporates amendments up to 8 December 2008 ². Part XI of the Act covers customs agents. Section 145 deals with licensing of agents, section 146 with authority of agents, and sections 147 and 148 with the liability of agents and owners ².

The EAC says customs agents must be licensed by the Commissioner before they can be involved in the clearance of goods through customs ¹. Some Partner States require goods to be cleared through a customs agent ¹. The owner of goods is responsible for the acts of the agent, and both the owner and the agent can be prosecuted for unlawful acts by the agent ¹.

Revenue authorities cite section 145 for their yearly licensing rounds. A Kenya Revenue Authority notice dated 21 September 2026 cites section 145 of the Act and regulations 149 to 152 of the 2010 Regulations ⁴.

What the 2010 Regulations require

The EAC Customs Management Regulations, 2010 set out the licensing procedure in four regulations ³.

• Regulation 149: an application for a customs agent licence under section 145 goes to the Commissioner on Form C.20 with an application fee of fifty dollars ³.
• Regulation 150: the applicant needs an established office with a computer able to connect to the customs computer system, and at least two clearance staff with a relevant diploma or certificate or at least five years of customs experience ³.
• Regulation 150: the applicant submits company, director and tax records, staff identification and photographs, proof of membership of a recognised clearing and forwarding association and proof of office tenancy or ownership ³.
• Regulation 150: the licensee tells the Commissioner of changes in directors, bankers, staff or location within thirty days ³.
• Regulation 151: after approval the applicant pays a US$400 licence fee, charged pro rata for a licence issued during the year, and the licence is issued on Form C21 ³.
• Regulation 152: operating as, or claiming to be, a customs agent without a valid licence is an offence ³.

Fees and forms where sources differ

The EAC customs agent page and the 2010 Regulations give different figures for the application ^1,3. Neither page shows a date. The Kenya and Tanzania revenue authorities publish the Regulations figure of US$50 ^9,5.

The practising certificate (EACFFPC)

The East Africa Customs and Freight Forwarding Practising Certificate, known as the EACFFPC, is a course and certification for practising and aspiring clearing agents and freight forwarders in the EAC ⁷. FEAFFA describes it as the mandatory training programme for customs clearing agents in East Africa ⁶.

The Uganda Revenue Authority describes it as a joint regional programme of the East African revenue authorities, the national freight forwarding associations, the EAC Directorate of Customs and FEAFFA. The course runs for 10 months in two semesters, with online teaching and physical exams ⁸.

An evaluation for TradeMark East Africa dated 8 May 2015 says the course was funded by USAID and other stakeholders from 2007 and by TradeMark East Africa from 2011 ⁷. It describes a regional policy that makes EACFFPC training or an equivalent an obligatory requirement for revenue authority licensing. It reports that the policy was being applied inconsistently across the region ⁷.

Country practice differs. The Tanzania Revenue Authority requires the director or permanent staff member who sits the licensing interview to hold the practising certificate ⁵. A Uganda Revenue Authority guide accepts the EACFFPC as one route for the two clearing staff who must hold a customs qualification ¹⁰. The Kenya Revenue Authority licensing page does not list the certificate among its requirements ⁹.

FEAFFA's role

The Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) is a private sector apex body of freight forwarders associations. It was founded in 2006, is registered in Tanzania and has its secretariat in Nairobi ⁶. It says it represents over 2,500 clearing and forwarding firms in the EAC ⁶. Its member associations are listed below ⁶.

The 2015 evaluation names FEAFFA as the lead regional coordinator of the EACFFPC project, with duties in curriculum development, regional marketing, policy advocacy and monitoring ⁷. Revenue authority training institutes delivered most of the training and set most exams ⁷. Licences themselves are issued by the Commissioner ¹.

• Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA) ⁶
• Tanzania Freight Forwarders Association (TAFFA) ⁶
• Zanzibar Freight Forwarders Bureau (ZFB) ⁶
• Uganda Freight Forwarders Association (UFFA) ⁶
• Rwanda Freight Forwarders Association (RWAFFA) ⁶
• Association Burundaise des Agences en Douane et Transitaires (ABADT) ⁶
• South Sudan Freight Forwarders Association (SSFFA) ⁶

Country requirements at a glance

Figures are as published by each revenue authority. The Uganda figures come from a URA guide for financial year 2020/21 ¹⁰.