What certificates do I need to export to Tanzania?

Every regulated shipment to Tanzania needs a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) before it can clear customs. The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) checks regulated goods before they leave the country of origin, not after they land — a process it calls Pre-export Verification of Conformity (PVoC). TBS sets out three routes — A, B and C. Which one you use depends on whether the product is unregistered, registered with the PVoC contractor, or made in a factory that contractor has licensed; in practice that choice follows from how often you ship the same product. In all three the exporter applies and holds the CoC before the goods are loaded; how much testing that involves is what the three routes differ in, according to TBS's own PVoC Harmonised Procedure (opened 28 October 2026).

What is the short answer?

• TBS runs PVoC in the country you ship from; the Certificate of Conformity (CoC) must exist before the goods leave and is checked again at Tanzanian customs clearance, per TBS's PVoC Harmonised Procedure.
• There are three routes: Route A for occasional shipments, Route B for regular shipments of a registered product, and Route C for high-volume manufacturers with a licensed factory.
• The exporter applies and pays; the importer's job is to make sure the supplier knows the requirement and that the shipment travels with a valid CoC.
• Toys, electrical and electronic goods, vehicle parts, chemical and household products, food, protective equipment and used goods are on the regulated list; the section below gives the full groups.

Which route applies to my shipment?

Route	Who it suits	What it requires	When and cost
Route A — occasional exports	A one-off or infrequent shipment	No product registration; TBS tests or inspects the consignment itself before each shipment	Before the goods are loaded; a share of the FOB value, with a minimum per consignment — see the rates below
Route B — frequent exports	Regular shipments of the same product	Product registration with the PVoC contractor, annually renewable, followed by consignment inspection and random testing on each shipment	Before each shipment; a share of the FOB value, with a minimum per consignment — see the rates below
Route C — frequent exports from a licensed factory	High-volume manufacturers	A factory licence with type testing of the product and periodic factory surveillance (ISO Guide 28), renewed every year; after that, random inspection of consignments and no consignment testing	Before each shipment; a share of the FOB value, with a minimum per consignment — see the rates below

TBS sets the PVoC fee as a share of the FOB value of the consignment: 0.53% on Route A, 0.45% on Route B and 0.25% on Route C, each with a minimum of $250 and a cap of $5,000 per consignment, as published in TBS's PVoC Harmonised Procedure (opened 28 October 2026). The CoC is checked again at clearance in Tanzania. Inspections are carried out on TBS's behalf by appointed inspection firms, each covering a set of country zones, some of them shared between firms and some exclusive. SGS holds its fourth consecutive PVoC contract with TBS, signed on 21 February 2025, running 36 months from 1 March 2025 and covering nine zones — among them the UK and Ireland, the Indian subcontinent and the UAE (SGS, Tanzania renews PVoC service contract); Intertek's renewed contract, with new and partly exclusive zones, took effect the same day, 1 March 2025 (Intertek, extended coverage under Tanzania's PVoC programme). Ask your inspection partner which firm covers the country you ship from before you book testing.

What products are regulated?

TBS's regulated list covers toys, electrical and electronic goods, automotive products, cosmetics and chemical products, mechanical material and gas appliances, paper and stationery, furniture in wood and metal, textiles, leather, plastic and rubber, tableware, cookware and kitchenware, personal protective equipment, food products, hospital and medical equipment, arts and crafts, and used products — the published list is explicitly "not limited to" these. If you are not sure whether your product is on it, ask your inspection partner before you ship rather than after.

Raw materials, machinery and spare parts for industrial use, capital goods, goods for government projects, donated goods, temporary imports and diplomatic goods are listed as exempt, and an exporter whose shipment is assessed by the Tanzania Revenue Authority at under $5,000 can apply for an exemption from PVoC, per Intertek's published Tanzania PVoC guidance (Intertek, Tanzania PVoC FAQs) — there is no automatic minimum FOB threshold below which the requirement simply does not apply.

Who applies for the Certificate of Conformity?

The exporter applies. TBS's PVoC Harmonised Procedure makes the exporter responsible for arranging testing and for obtaining the CoC before the shipment leaves. The importer in Tanzania does not apply for the CoC, but should confirm with the supplier that a valid certificate will travel with the shipment: goods without one are refused entry, and a destination inspection carries a penalty of 15% of the CIF value on top of inspection and certification fees (Intertek, Tanzania PVoC FAQs) — with re-export or destruction at the importer's cost if the goods then fail.

How much import duty will I pay?

Tanzania charges import duty under the East African Community's Common External Tariff (EAC CET), which groups goods into four bands — 0%, 10%, 25% and 35% — the 35% band having been added from 1 July 2022 for goods the Community wants to protect, among them dairy and meat products, cereals, cotton and textiles, iron and steel, edible oils and beverages (East Africa Grain Council, EAC publishes the new Common External Tariff schedule with a new 35% tariff band). Separately from these bands, the EAC keeps a Sensitive Items list with higher rates — the same schedule puts maize at 50% and rice at 75%. The CoC does not change which band or list your product falls into. Check the exact rate for your tariff heading with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) before you price a shipment, since bands are reviewed periodically.

Where do I go next?

A Market Scan is a shortlist of organizations matching your target market, with a source for each — see the pricing page for the current price and what is included. If you want distributors that have already answered four qualifying questions about their business and agreed to a call or to samples, that is our Africa Distributor Shortlist. Our data is deepest in South Africa, so for Tanzania tell us the country first: we confirm whether we can deliver a Shortlist there before you pay.

What are the limits of this guide?

This is a general orientation, not legal or customs advice. It is based on TBS's own PVoC Harmonised Procedure document and the public pages of SGS, Intertek and the East Africa Grain Council, opened on 28 October 2026. Rules, routes and fees change; confirm the current requirement and cost for your tariff heading with TBS, your inspection partner or a licensed Tanzanian customs agent before you ship.