Ship Personal Effects to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
Clothes, shoes, bags and bedding, packed in Bunnings 150L boxes from $220 each and delivered to the door in East Africa. Whether you are sending a few boxes to family or moving home for good, we handle the paperwork at both ends.
Personal Effects We Ship From Australia to East Africa
Most personal effects fit neatly in a box. A few things need a second look before they go.
Send Clothes to Uganda, Kenya or Tanzania From Australia
People send personal effects for two main reasons, and we ship both the same way: packed, cleared and delivered to the door.
Boxes for family back home
Clothes for the children, shoes for parents, bedding for a new house. Your family receives the box at their address, including inland in Uganda.
How delivery inland to Uganda worksMoving home for good
Everything you own in Australia, from a few boxes to a full container. Plan the shipment around your flight, because timing can matter for returning-resident concessions.
Moving back to Kenya: a shipping checklistPersonal effects with furniture
Boxes can travel with a fridge, a sofa or a car in the same shipment, so everything arrives together.
Shipping household itemsMoving Back to East Africa With Your Personal Effects
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda each have a concession for people returning to live there, covering personal and household effects they used abroad.
In Kenya and Tanzania, these goods can come in free of import duty when the conditions are met. The conditions include how long you lived abroad and when your goods arrive: in Kenya and Tanzania they generally need to arrive within 90 days of your own arrival, and the tax authority can extend this in some cases. Uganda’s concession for people genuinely changing residence also comes with conditions.
Because sea freight leaves Perth once a month, the timing matters. Tell us your travel date when you ask for a quote, and we confirm the current rules for your shipment before you book.
Personal and household effects in use abroad, free of import duty and taxes for a returning citizen, subject to conditions.
Wearing apparel and personal and household effects in use abroad, duty free for a returning resident aged 18 or over, subject to conditions.
Wearing apparel and personal and household effects in use abroad, for a person genuinely changing residence, subject to conditions.
A summary only. We confirm the current rules for your shipment before you book.
Keep a Contents List for Every Box You Ship
A clear list tells customs what is in each box and what it is worth. It is easiest to write while you pack.
- Number each box. Write the same number on the box and on its list.
- Write down what goes in. “12 shirts, 4 pairs of shoes, 2 blankets” is better than “clothes”.
- Give honest values. A realistic value for each box keeps clearance simple.
- Keep a copy. Send one to the person receiving the boxes too.
Personal effects sent unaccompanied are exempt from the Australian export declaration that applies to most goods worth more than $2,000. Our team prepares the export paperwork either way. For packing tips, see how to pack a Bunnings 150L box.
The Price to Ship Personal Effects to East Africa
Shipping a Bunnings 150L box of clothes, shoes or bedding starts at $220 to Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda. Send one box or twenty: each is priced on its size, weight and contents, and you know the total before you book.
Before You Send Clothes and Personal Things
Yes, your own clothes and shoes are fine. The exception is used underwear, which is not accepted in Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, so leave it out of the box.
It depends on what you send, where it is going and your situation. Returning residents can qualify for concessions on personal and household effects used abroad, subject to conditions. We confirm the current rules for your shipment before you book.
By sea, allow around 8–10 weeks door to door, counted from when the ship leaves Perth. It lands at Mombasa and travels on by road. By air, allow around 7–12 days. Sea freight departs once a month, and clearance, port congestion and holidays can add time. See shipping to Uganda.
Customs needs to know what is in each box and what it is worth. An accurate, honest list helps your boxes clear without unnecessary delays.
Send Your Personal Effects Home
Tell us how many boxes, where they are going and whether you are moving back. We will confirm the price, the next departure and what the rules mean for you.