Information About Car Import into Zambia

Regulations, taxes and rules for importing cars into Zambia

When you import a vehicle into Zambia you will need a JEVIC inspection certificate. This is carried out by an independent company and ensures the road-worthiness of the vehicle. For regular cars the charge is $250; it may be a little more expensive for large trucks and buses.
There is no age limit for vehicles being imported into Zambia.

New vehicles are subject to duty of 25% of invoice value + 17.3% VAT.
The OBL must show chassis number, engine number, cubic capacity, year of manufacture, brand and model. Copies of the required documents should be sent to the Destination Agent at least one month prior to arrival of the vehicle to avoid charges for demurrage and storage.

Required Documents:
Certificate of Title and Registration - original
Commercial/Purchase Invoice – showing date & purchase price
Driver's License & International Insurance Policy
OBL & Non Sale Certificate
Letter of Transfer from client's employer
Valuation Certificate

Many Zambians choose to import because they will be getting a better quality vehicle with a lower mileage at a cheaper price. The idea is that when you add everything up you will be saving at least $1000 compared with a similar quality vehicle bought locally.

Car trends in Zambia

Zambia's car market is one of the smallest in the world; the new vehicle market is led by Toyota and the bestselling model is the Toyota Hilux.
Toyota is the market leader thanks to its range of pickups and off roads vehicles. Other brands operating in Zambia are Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Suzuki.
Ford and Chevrolet are imported in very low numbers.

According to the National Center for Statistics, the development of the car industry has not yet really started, due to the lack of adequate infrastructures and the scarcity of fuel.
Paved roads in Zambia cover only 10% of national roadways with just 9000 km.

The car market in Zambia is actually based on imported used vehicles, mainly from South Africa, Japan and UK.

There is not an official source of data and used and new vehicle registrations are still not regulated. The majority of imported vehicles are over 20 years old resulting in a business just for old spare parts distributors.

The annual market for new vehicles is still very low, counting 4124 registered units last year. There are no high growing prospects for the near future.

Tips on importing a car from Japan to Zambia when you buy online

Important tips for a safe purchase

1. The payment beneficiary account should be a bank account based in Japan
2. Be suspicious of really cheap cars
3. Phone the exporter

Quality

One of the most important advantages of buying a car from Japan is quality assurance.

Convenience

With more than ten major Japanese websites that supply vehicles to Zambia at the click of a button, shopping for cars online has become much more convenient.

Purchasing costs

The first step is to choose a car online and request for an invoice that includes freight charges. The breakdown of the total cost of the invoice should be like this:

Car cost
Freight charge up to Dar es Salaam
Freight insurance
JEVIC inspection fee

Additional expenses that must be paid are port facility charges at Dar es Salaam and transportation costs from the port to Zambia. These costs may vary depending on the vehicle size, so it is necessary to ask clearing agents about the specific cost for each imported vehicle. Delivery time from Japan to Dar es Salaam is about one month, and from Dar es Salaam to Zambia is about two weeks.