Kenya ACD Is Mandatory From 3 August 2026: What Forwarders Must File
Kenya's Advance Cargo Declaration goes live for containerized cargo on 3 August 2026. If you move boxes to Mombasa — or in transit to the landlocked neighbours — here's exactly what to file, when, and how to keep the ACD reference on the Bill of Lading before the vessel loads.
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If you have containers booked to Mombasa this August, one new line item can hold your cargo at the port: the Kenya Advance Cargo Declaration (ACD). From 3 August 2026, the Kenya Revenue Authority requires a validated ACD reference on the Bill of Lading before the vessel loads — for all containerized cargo unloaded at a Kenyan port, including boxes transiting onward to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan or the DRC. Miss it and you’re looking at customs holds, demurrage, or rejection at the port of entry.
What you have to do, in order
- Start at the port of loading — the ACD is obtained where the cargo loads, not on arrival in Kenya.
- Submit the documents (below) as soon as your draft Bill of Lading is ready.
- Get the ACD reference code and make sure it’s stated on the final Bill of Lading before the shipment sails.
- Validate early — the declaration should be validated at least five days before the vessel reaches Mombasa.
Documents to have ready
- Draft Bill of Lading
- Commercial Invoice
- Freight Invoice
- Export Declaration
Details must line up across all four — shipper, consignee, cargo description, weights, values, freight, ports, vessel and container/HS codes. Inconsistencies are the most common reason a declaration bounces back for correction.
Why route it through ITR
A new mandate is where filings go wrong — on day one, every shipper is filing Kenya ACD for the first time, and the errors that cause rejections (a draft BL never reconciled to the final, insurance value missing on CIF cargo, freight mixed into the goods value) are exactly the ones a team that files thousands of declarations catches before submission.
- Handled fast — median processing around 2 hours, and up to 24 hours in the busiest windows, so the reference is on your BL before the cut-off.
- One exact price up front — the total is confirmed before we file. No vague handling charges.
- Penalty cover — if an ITR filing error causes a customs penalty at the destination port, we cover it. Never pay a customs penalty again.
Upload your documents and our compliance specialists pre-check them against the Kenya ACD requirements, then carry the declaration through to a validated reference code on your behalf.
Kenya ACD certificate — documents, process and requirements → · See all countries we cover →
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Published 18 July 2026 by ITR Logistics and Trade DMCC. Regulations are subject to change; confirm the latest Kenya ACD requirements with our team before loading.