KEBS Announces New Rules for Importing Used Cars from January 2026

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has introduced new rules for importing used motor vehicles into the country.

In a notice issued on November 12, 2025, KEBS informed all importers of used/second-hand motor vehicles, including returning residents, diplomatic staff, and the public, that only Right-Hand Drive (RHD) vehicles first registered from January 1, 2019, and later, will be allowed into Kenya starting January 1, 2026.

This follows the eight-year age limit requirement under KS 1515:2000 – Kenya Standard Code of Practice for Inspection of Road Vehicles, and Legal Notice No.78 of 28th April 2020- The Verification of Conformity to Kenya Standards of Imports Order.

According to KEBS, vehicles imported must comply with KS 1515:2000 standards. Cars from countries where KEBS has an inspection agency, including Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Singapore, and South Africa, must be accompanied by a Certificate of Roadworthiness (CoR) issued by Quality Inspection Services Inc. Japan (QISJ), a company contracted by KEBS.

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KEBS announces new rules for importing used cars from January 2026

Further, the bureau said that Certificates of Roadworthiness for vehicles first registered in 2018 will no longer be valid after December 31, 2025. Any vehicle manufactured in 2018 or earlier that arrives in Kenya after this date will be considered non-compliant and rejected at the importer’s expense.

KEBS had, on July 8, 2025, announced new requirements for importing used motor vehicles into Kenya. The bureau emphasised that all used cars must be “not more than eight years old from the Year of First Registration (YoR),” in line with KS 1515:2000 – Code of Practice for Inspection of Road Vehicles.

The standards body requires importers, traders, or sellers bringing in vehicles without a CoR to validate key documents, including logbooks, export certificates, and deregistration certificates.

“To ensure that all vehicles imported into Kenya without a Certificate of Roadworthiness (CoR) meet this requirement at destination,” the notice stated. “It is important for the importers, traders or sellers to validate the import document with a reliable and authorised database,” KEBS added.

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The guidelines aim to curb fraud in the importation process. To enforce the directive, KEBS said that it engaged Japanese company QISJ to verify import documents at the destination and confirm compliance with the eight-year age limit.

Importers must pay a validation fee of Ksh12,000 per vehicle at local QISJ offices, with a service timeline of four working days.

KRA announces new CRSP schedule

The notice by KEBS follows the Kenya Revenue Authority’s (KRA) announcement that, as of July 1, 2025, a new Current Retail Selling Price (CRSP) schedule will be applied in computing customs value for used vehicles.

However, the High Court temporarily suspended the implementation pending a case challenging the process. The petitioner argued that “the new CRSP list was introduced without meaningful public participation, in violation of constitutional requirements under Article 10 and Article 201,” claiming consultations excluded consumers and the general public, focusing narrowly on car dealers.

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