UK Car Shipping to Tanzania

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to Tanzania (Dar es Salaam)

The total cost of shipping depends on the vehicle make, model and most importantly size. We work directly with all shipping lines in the UK to arrange regular and reliable vehicle exports from the UK to Tanzania (Dar es Salaam).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table for Dar es Salaam. They move with the market and with the vehicle, and a full export quote covers the UK-side work listed below as well, so treat them as a guide rather than a final price. See the full rate table or ask us for an itemised quote.

What a full export quote covers

• Loading and lashing vehicle into ship
• UK customs export and clearance
• UK port handling charges
• DVLA documentation and export certification
• Export documentation (e.g. Bill of Lading)
• Posting of the Export Documents from UK by UPS/DHL
• Shipping of the vehicle from the UK to Destination Port

Not covered

• Pre-Export Inspection (if required)
• Marine Insurance (container only)
• Collection and/or delivery of the vehicle
• All destination country's import fees

Apart from import duty, taxes, port storage and demurrage at the destination, which the importer always pays, we can add any of these to your quotation, priced separately, along with customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent.

Shipping to Tanzania

Cars for Tanzania are discharged at Dar es Salaam, the country's principal port, owned by the Tanzania Ports Authority. DP World operates berths 0 to 7 of its first terminal, with berth 0 set aside for pure car carriers. On the current schedule a RoRo crossing takes 3-5 weeks, and a container 9-11 weeks, as containers change ship on the way. The port is also the sea gateway for Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo, so transit cargo shares the quays with Tanzania's own imports. The Dar es Salaam port guide has the terminal details.

Tanzania keeps left: its Road Traffic Act tells drivers to stay near the left edge of the carriageway, so a right-hand-drive UK car is at home there. Before a used one is registered, though, the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) inspects it for roadworthiness against Tanzania Standard TZS 698. TBS's notices to importers of used vehicles from the United Kingdom put UK cars under its pre-shipment verification (PVoC) programme, so the check is done here before the ship is loaded. A car that turns up without a certificate is inspected on arrival instead; TBS has done that at its own centre in the port's RoRo yard.

Customs and registration both sit with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA). The importer's licensed clearing agent lodges the entry in TRA's TANCIS system, ideally a week before the vessel docks, and once duty is paid TRA registers the car in its central motor vehicle registry. The Registrar has to be satisfied that the car was lawfully exported from the country where it was last registered, so keep the V5C log book. TRA also levies an extra excise duty on used vehicles eight years old or more, which the Finance Act 2026 increased from 1 July 2026, with the highest rate for vehicles over twenty years old.

Our part starts in the UK: sourcing the car, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where it qualifies, collection, UK export clearance and loading, and arranging the TBS inspection, quoted separately. Sailings leave from Liverpool, Southampton, Felixstowe, London Gateway and Sheerness. We can arrange customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door in Tanzania through a local agent, quoted separately, or work with an agent of your choice.

Documentation Required for Booking

• Car Registration Document (V5 or Logbook) and Vehicle Invoice (or value).
• ID (one government-issued photo ID and one utility bill showing address).

Payment Terms / Modes

• A £1,000 deposit secures a vehicle we source or buy for you. It is part of the price, not an extra fee. If you cancel, our terms and conditions say what is refunded.
• The balance is due in full, in cleared funds, before the vehicle is loaded, unless your quotation sets out different terms.
• Bank transfer preferred. Card payments up to £5,000, with no fee on personal debit or credit cards.
• Letters of credit, cheques, money orders and cash are not accepted.

Our Other Services

Car Sourcing and Buying on your behalf

Buying and exporting a car to Tanzania doesn't need to be stressful. UK Vehicle Exporters specialises in sourcing and exporting vehicles from the UK, with trusted shipping partners and support at every stage, from choosing the vehicle through to loading it onto the ship.

Tax-Free Vehicle Supply and UK VAT

UK Preferential Origin (Reduced Import Duty)

Some UK-built vehicles may qualify for reduced or zero import duty. That depends on the UK having a trade agreement with the destination country and on the car meeting that agreement's rules of origin. During your quote, we'll confirm whether the vehicle you're interested in qualifies.

VAT-free Supply of VAT-Qualifying (VATQ) Cars

A VAT-registered dealer can sell a new car, or a used car that carries VAT on its full price, free of UK VAT when it is exported and HMRC's conditions are met. Used cars of that kind are known in the trade as VAT-qualifying: typically ex-rental or ex-lease cars, where the hire or leasing company reclaimed the VAT when it bought them. On a VAT-inclusive price, the VAT is one-sixth. A used car sold under the second-hand margin scheme is different: VAT is due only on the dealer's margin, and HMRC does not let a dealer zero-rate it as an ordinary export. We are not VAT registered, so the saving comes off the dealer's price, not as a refund from us. We arrange the export to Tanzania and give the dealer the proof of export it needs.

HMRC's Personal Export Scheme (PES)

The Personal Export Scheme lets overseas visitors and UK residents who are leaving the UK, and will stay outside it with the car for at least six months, buy a car free of VAT and use it here before it is exported. Only VAT-registered businesses can operate the scheme, so you buy from a dealer that runs it. The car must leave within 12 months of delivery for an overseas visitor, or 6 months for a UK resident, or the VAT becomes payable. It can suit anyone relocating to Tanzania: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.