Moving from France to Kenya (2026): Complete Guide

Relocating from France to Kenya means managing two separate administrative systems that rarely talk to each other: French export/deregistration rules on the way out, and Kenyan customs, immigration and veterinary rules on the way in. This guide is written for a France-based resident — most commonly someone moving to Nairobi or Mombasa on an employment contract — who needs to understand both halves of the move, from the French customs authority (DGDDI) and tax exit obligations to Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) import clearance, vehicle rules and pet permits. A short final section covers the reverse move, Kenya back to France.

Key takeaways

• Your Kenyan customs treatment is driven by your immigration status: a work permit for a contract of at least two years unlocks duty-free import of household goods and one vehicle under the "First Arrival Privileges," per the Kenya Revenue Authority.
• Household goods generally need to have been owned and used for some time before the move and must be cleared within 90 days of arrival (extendable up to 360 days at the Commissioner’s discretion) to qualify for the exemption — KRA, First Arrival Privileges and KRA, Importing Goods.
• Most personal effects leaving France don’t need a formal export customs declaration, but gold/precious metals, weapons, art over €5,000, and protected species do — Douane (DGDDI).
• If you’ve been a French tax resident for at least 6 of the last 10 years and hold significant securities (≥€800,000 or ≥50% of a company’s profit rights), leaving France can trigger the Exit Tax, with a deferral request due at least 90 days before departure — impots.gouv.fr, Exit Tax.
• Used vehicles imported into Kenya cannot be more than 8 years old from year of first registration and must pass a pre-shipment roadworthiness inspection to KS 1515:2000 — KRA. Additional KEBS requirements are updated periodically, so confirm the current specification before shipping — KEBS Public Notices.
• Dogs and cats need a Kenyan import permit (form VS01) from the Directorate of Veterinary Services, a rabies vaccination certificate and a veterinary health certificate signed no more than 5 days before departure — Kenya High Commission, Pretoria and KenTrade.
• Registering with a French consulate abroad (registre des Français établis hors de France) is free in most cases and valid 5 years, but not compulsory outside a few specific situations — France Diplomatie.
• Once you transfer your tax residence, update your address with your last French tax office as soon as possible; French-source income after departure is then handled by the Service des impôts des particuliers non-résidents (SIP-NR) — impots.gouv.fr.

1. How your Kenyan immigration status determines your customs treatment

Kenya’s customs treatment of an incoming shipment is not generic — it hinges entirely on the legal basis under which you are entering the country. Under the East African Community Customs Management Act 2004 (Fifth Schedule), KRA recognises distinct categories: "First Arrivals" (foreign employees on a new contract of not less than two years), "Returning Residents" (Kenyan citizens or permanent residents who lived abroad and are moving back), and diplomatic personnel. A French national relocating for work falls under First Arrivals. That status is what unlocks duty-free clearance of household goods and one motor vehicle — without a valid work permit sponsored for a contract of at least two years, the same goods are dutiable as ordinary imports (KRA, Diplomatic & First Arrival Privileges).

Practically, this means the sequencing matters: your Kenyan work permit (issued via the Directorate of Immigration Services’ eFNS portal) must exist, or be far enough along, before your goods are shipped, because the exemption application requires proof of the permit and passport endorsement, and the clearance window is only 90 days from arrival, extendable to a maximum of 360 days with the Commissioner’s approval (Directorate of Immigration Services; KRA). If your visa status changes — for example you arrive on a short-term pass and convert to a work permit later — the exemption timeline and eligibility should be reconfirmed with KRA before goods are dispatched. Note also that a vehicle imported duty-free under this scheme becomes liable to duty on resale or disposal, even after the two-year contract period has elapsed.

2. The France export side: customs authority, deregistration, and tax exit

Customs authority. France’s customs administration is the Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects (DGDDI), under the Ministry of the Economy. A move outside the EU is treated by DGDDI as a "transfert de résidence" and, technically, as an export of merchandise. For most personal effects and privately-used vehicles, boats or aircraft, no formal export customs declaration is required. However, a declaration on the single administrative document (DAU) is mandatory for weapons and ammunition, gold and precious metals, dual-use goods and technology, protected wildlife species (CITES), and cultural property. A 10% tax applies to gold, silver and platinum leaving the EU for private purposes, and a 6% flat-rate tax applies to art, jewellery, watches and antiquities individually worth over €5,000 (Douane, Transfert de résidence hors UE).

Documents customs may ask for: proof of the change of residence (passport, property deed or lease in Kenya), a landlord or municipal attestation, and a detailed, dated, signed inventory of the goods being shipped — in duplicate, or triplicate if you’re declaring from an inland customs office rather than a port. Customs will stamp the inventory page by page, so keep it accurate; it becomes your reference document at both ends of the move. Vehicle exports use standard registration documents (the carte grise) (Douane, Transfert de résidence hors UE; Douane, Déposer une déclaration en douane).

Deregistration / leaving process. Notify your mairie so your name comes off the electoral roll, and use the "Je déménage" service on service-public.fr, which forwards your departure to CAF, France Travail and your tax centre in one step. Once settled in Kenya, you can register (free in most cases, and compulsory only in a few specific situations such as certain school-grant or passport procedures) with the registre des Français établis hors de France at the French Embassy in Nairobi — valid five years, renewable, and the channel through which the consulate can reach you for elections, security alerts, or an emergency (France Diplomatie, S’inscrire au registre; France Diplomatie, Déménagement).

Tax residency exit. Once you transfer your tax residence outside France, you’re taxable in France only on French-source income going forward. Update your address with your last French tax office as soon as possible — this can be done online via your impots.gouv.fr account. From then on, French-source income is managed by the Service des impôts des particuliers non-résidents (SIP-NR) (impots.gouv.fr, Je pars à l’étranger ou j’arrive en France; impots.gouv.fr, Non-résident de France). If you’ve been a French tax resident for at least 6 of the preceding 10 years and hold securities worth €800,000 or more, or at least 50% of a company’s profit rights, departure can trigger the Exit Tax on unrealised capital gains; a deferral request must be filed no later than 90 days before you leave (impots.gouv.fr, Exit Tax).

3. Ports & transit (freight-industry estimates, not official figures)

For sea freight, French removals to East Africa are typically consolidated or containerised out of Le Havre (France’s largest container port, best liner coverage) or Marseille-Fos (Mediterranean routing via the Suez Canal, often the shorter option to East Africa). On the Kenyan side, virtually all sea cargo lands at the Port of Mombasa, East Africa’s principal gateway port, before moving inland to Nairobi by the Standard Gauge Railway or road. Air freight typically routes through Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.

Based on typical liner schedules, industry practitioners generally estimate sea freight from Le Havre or Marseille-Fos to Mombasa at roughly 25–35 days port-to-port, plus several additional days for Mombasa customs clearance and inland transport to Nairobi. Air freight from Paris to Nairobi typically takes 3–7 days door-to-door once cleared. These are commercial planning estimates only — actual transit depends on carrier, transshipment, and Mombasa port congestion, and should be confirmed with your freight forwarder for the specific sailing or flight booked.

4. The Kenya import side: KRA process and required documents

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is the customs authority for all goods entering Kenya. In practice, clearance of a household shipment requires a licensed customs clearing agent in Kenya to lodge the import entry, present documents and coordinate the physical inspection (KRA, What you need to know when importing a Motor Vehicle).

To claim the First Arrival duty exemption on household goods and personal effects, you (or your agent) submit: your original passport with the Kenyan work/residence permit endorsement, evidence of a contract of at least two years, your KRA PIN certificate, the bill of lading or airway bill, and a detailed, numbered packing list/inventory signed by the owner. Goods must clear customs within 90 days of your arrival in Kenya, extendable to a maximum of 360 days with the Commissioner’s approval, and cannot be sold or disposed of during your stay without becoming liable to duty (KRA, Diplomatic & First Arrival Privileges; KRA, Importing Goods). Pets require a separate veterinary import permit (see Section 5), and diplomatic-status goods follow their own approved-form process without physical inspection.

5. Pets: official rules on both ends

Leaving France: there is no single EU-wide certificate for exports outside the EU — the required sanitary certificate model depends on what Kenya specifies. Owners should contact a veterinarian authorised to issue international health certificates and consult the French Ministry of Agriculture’s guidance before departure (Agriculture.gouv.fr, Voyager hors de France avec un animal de compagnie).

Entering Kenya: dogs and cats are regulated by Kenya’s Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS), which issues a mandatory import permit (form VS01, plus the international veterinary certificate VS16), typically arranged in advance through a Kenyan clearing agent or the DVS offices at Kabete, and valid for a single consignment. Required documentation includes the DVS import permit, the owner’s passport copy, a rabies vaccination certificate (with vaccine type, batch number and date), and a veterinary health certificate confirming the animal is free of contagious disease, signed no more than five days before departure (Kenya High Commission, Pretoria — Import Permit; KenTrade — Import permit for dogs & cats (VS01)). Apply for the import permit as early as possible and confirm the current vaccination-timing requirements with the DVS or your clearing agent, since these can be adjusted and are not fully detailed on public pages.

6. Vehicles, money, and things people forget

Vehicles. A used car imported under the First Arrival exemption must be no more than 8 years old from its year of first registration, and must pass a pre-shipment roadworthiness inspection against KS 1515:2000 — Kenya’s Code of Practice for Inspection of Road Vehicles. KEBS also validates import documents (Certificate of Roadworthiness, logbook or deregistration certificate) through appointed inspection agents before a vehicle is cleared (KEBS, Public Notice on Validation of Used Motor Vehicle Documents). Kenyan press and industry sources report additional tightening for vehicles arriving from 1 January 2026 (a right-hand-drive requirement and a 2019-or-later first-registration cutoff) — confirm the exact, current specification with KEBS before shipping, as these notices are updated periodically (KEBS Public Notices). Duty/VAT on any vehicle outside the exemption is calculated from KRA’s Current Retail Selling Price (CRSP) depreciation schedule, not the invoice price (KRA). Only one vehicle qualifies for the duty exemption, and reselling it before the conditions lapse makes it liable for duty retroactively.

Money. Confirm your Kenyan work permit category on the eFNS portal before shipping anything — the exemption paperwork explicitly requires it (eFNS Portal). Budget for the clearing agent’s fee, inland transport from Mombasa to Nairobi, and any duty on items that fall outside the exemption (recently purchased new appliances or electronics).

Things people forget: the French "Je déménage" service does not deregister you from the consulate automatically — that consular registration is separate and only needed once you’re settled in Kenya; keep the DGDDI-stamped inventory, since it’s the document Kenyan customs will cross-check your shipment against; and remember that goods shipped before your work permit is confirmed risk missing the 90-day exemption clock entirely.

How Flyto handles your France to Kenya move

Flyto runs its own offices, warehouses, vehicles and moving teams across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, so the French collection, export documentation and consolidation for your shipment are handled in-house rather than outsourced blind. Beyond our own European footprint, we also work with a carefully chosen network of freight partners and subcontractors for the wider ocean and air legs. For Kenyan customs clearance specifically, we rely on trusted local partners on the ground in Kenya who handle KRA clearance, inland transport from Mombasa, and delivery — so you get in-house European reliability paired with genuine local expertise on the Kenyan side.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Kenyan work permit before I can ship my belongings duty-free?
Yes — the First Arrival duty exemption is tied to a work permit for a contract of at least two years, and the application requires proof of that permit (KRA).

How long do I have to get my goods into Kenya after I arrive?
90 days from your arrival, extendable up to 360 days at the discretion of the KRA Commissioner (KRA).

Can I bring a car I bought new in France a few months ago?
It’s unlikely to qualify for the duty exemption, since personal effects and vehicles generally need to have been owned and used for a period before the move, though it can still be imported subject to ordinary duty, the 8-year age rule, and KEBS/KS 1515:2000 inspection (KRA).

Do I have to declare my move to French customs before I leave?
Most personal effects don’t require a declaration, but gold/precious metals, weapons, high-value art, and protected species do, via the DAU export form (Douane).

Will I still owe French tax after I move to Kenya?
Only on French-source income once your tax residence has genuinely transferred; update your address with your last French tax office as soon as possible, after which the SIP-NR manages any remaining French-source filings (impots.gouv.fr).

What about bringing my dog to Kenya?
You need a Directorate of Veterinary Services import permit (form VS01), a rabies vaccination certificate, and a veterinary health certificate signed no more than 5 days before departure (Kenya High Commission, Pretoria).

Sources

• Douane (DGDDI) — Transfert de résidence hors UE
• Douane (DGDDI) — Déposer une déclaration en douane (import-export)
• France Diplomatie — Déménagement (préparer son expatriation)
• France Diplomatie — S’inscrire au registre des Français établis hors de France
• impots.gouv.fr — Exit Tax
• impots.gouv.fr — Je pars à l’étranger ou j’arrive en France
• impots.gouv.fr — Non-résident de France
• Ministère de l’Agriculture — Voyager hors de France avec un animal de compagnie
• KRA — Importing Goods (personal effects & household goods)
• KRA — Diplomatic & First Arrival Privileges
• KRA — What you need to know when importing a Motor Vehicle
• KEBS — Public Notice: Validation of Used Motor Vehicle Importation Documents
• KEBS — Public Notices (current listing)
• Directorate of Immigration Services (Kenya) — Work Permits and Passes
• Kenya Foreign Nationals Service (eFNS) Portal
• Kenya High Commission (Pretoria) — Import Permit (pets)
• KenTrade (Kenya Trade Network Agency) — Import permit for dogs & cats (VS01)