For you to import a car in Rwanda, you must know all the legal and safety processes required.

The car should be in the right condition, from the preferred leading dealers and by the customs duties of the land. The following are the procedures that you must meet for you to import a car in Rwanda, in cities like Kigali, Gicumbi, Karongi, Muhanga or Rubavu.

First and foremost you have to find the car that you are ready to import. Most Rwandan citizens prefer dealing with the dealers and importers who already have rich experience in the market. Some use online market to order the car while some prefer buying second-hand cars within the continent. According to the rule passed in 2009, you must import a left-hand drive car since the right-hand drives can’t be allowed in the country for more than four days.

The moment you have decided on the car to buy, through a shipping company the car is shipped from the importing country go through the Indian Ocean through the seaports of either, Dar es Salaam Tanzania or Mombasa, Kenya where the car is cleared by the customs authorities.

The car will later own be handed over to the buyer after shipping. The buyer has a responsibility of driving the vehicle to confirm if the vehicle is in excellent condition. If the car is in excellent condition, the owner has to register it with the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) and let the car be insured by a local insurance company. Make sure you do registration before using the car because the rules don’t allow the usage of a non-registered vehicle. There are four types of taxes to be paid on the custom 25% customs duty, 18% value-added tax, variable consumption tax, and 5% withholding tax. The registration fees vary depending on the engine model of the vehicle. After payment of registration fee, one will be issued with the number plate and a yellow card.

There are two different types of insurance aluminum and third-party insurance issued by the local insurance companies. You can renew your insurance since it’s flexible depending on your needs as the owner of the vehicle.