Import rules and regulations on Japanese used vehicles in Burundi

Japan is the pioneer of automobile industry. The country is known for producing reliable, efficient and quality vehicles. Not only new vehicles, used vehicles from Japan are also popular among people. Almost every country across the world import vehicles from Japan and Burundi is one such nation. Located in East Africa, Burundi shares its borders with Tanzania, Rwanda and Congo. The used cars industry in Burundi has shown a consistent progress in past few years, but still it is not very stable. Therefore Japanese used cars exporters and dealers are showing interest in this market in order to facilitate the Burundians with quality, low cost and durable Japan used cars.

Used vehicles of any age are allowed to be imported in Burundi as there is no age restriction on used vehicles imported. One can import older cars to Burundi without any import problems from the trusted used cars exporters from Japan. Burundi allows the importation of left-hand drive vehicles, but right-hand drive vehicles are also permitted. To attain the permission to drive in Burundi, one just requires a valid driving license. In addition to the age relaxation on importing Japan used cars, the Burundians are also exempted from any sort of inspection restriction. This facilitates the people to import cars without the requirement of getting any inspection certificate from authorities like JEVIC, JAAI, Intertek.

The main documents required while importing used cars in Burundi are as follows:-

• Original Registration Card.
• Original Bill of Lading showing chassis number, engine number, cubic capacity, year of manufacture, brand and model.
• Copy of Passport.
• Original Purchase Invoice.

Duty rates applicable on cars in Burundi are as follows:-

• Diplomat 1% handling charge.
• Vehicle more than 10 passengers- 15% CIF.
• Tourism vehicle- between 40% and 100% CIF.
• Handling 4% CIF value.
• Transactional tax 17% of (CIF + duties + handling).

With the relaxation in the import duties, exemption of age restrictions and no requirement of inspection, more Japan used car importers are looking forward to import quality Japan used cars for export and re-export purposes. The demand for used vehicles in Burundi is increasing at a faster pace and there are assumptions that the demand of the Japanese used cars will increase significantly in Burundi in years to come.

Shipping Ports:-
Being a landlocked country, Burundi depends mainly on the Dar Es Salaam port in Tanzania and Mombasa port in Kenya for the import of used cars from Japan. Generally, RoRo (Roll-on Roll-off) shipping method is used for shipment of vehicles. However, on request of customers more expensive yet safe method of shipping, container method is used.