Ship Car To Lira

One of the larger cities in Uganda, Lira is situated about 200 miles from Kampala, the capital of the country. As the center of the Lira district, the city of Lira is the administrative cultural, commercial hub of the region.

There may be many reasons to move to Lira but the fact remains that if you are moving from USA, it is good to know about the driving conditions and requirements in Uganda, before you import your vehicle here. With constant development in the country over the last few years, more people look forward to owning vehicles, but find it easier to buy imported cars than buying it in Uganda. To keep up with the demand, the import regulations are easy so if you hire A1 Auto Transport service, the pioneers in international shipping industry, you can have your vehicle with you in a few weeks.

However, even though the rules are lax, there are many procedures and documents that you need to consider. We will help you at every step to ensure that there are no logistics issue that arises as Uganda is a landlocked country and the closest ports are in Kenya and Tanzania. Irrespective of the location of the port you pick, we will not only take the delivery but transport it across the border to Lira with the assistance of our local shipping agents.   

Requirements and documentation

With easy going rules, most of the cars for commercial purposes are imported from Japan but the rules for personal import remain the same. You are allowed to import both left hand driven vehicle and right hand driven as both are in use on the roads. Additionally, Uganda laws allow both new and old vehicles to be imported and there are no age restrictions to adhere to. However, used vehicles have to clear the pre-shipping inspections from the country of origination i.e. USA in your case. The two essential certifications accompanying the rest of the documents include:

• Emission certificate
• Roadworthiness certificate

These tests ensure that the vehicle adheres to the environment regulations of Uganda and the odometer readings are accurate. It is a guarantee that the vehicle is operable and in good condition.

Taxes and duties

As per the method of tax evaluation on the imported vehicles, it comes under the purview of General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT). That is why the cost of the vehicle, insurance and freight charges are considered. Depending on these variables, the taxes include:

• 15%import duty
• 17% VAT
• 2% import commission
• 6% Withholding tax
• Additional 10% excise duty (in some cases only)

However, before the vehicle can reach Uganda, there are plenty of documents that have to be submitted to ensure the complete process is legal. Some of the documents that have to be submitted to U.S Customs, at least 72 hours before the vehicle leave the U.S port and minimum of 10 days before it reaches Lira; the Uganda Revenue Authority needs these:

• Bill of Lading
• Insurance certificate
• Proof  of ownership- passport/license
• Purchase invoice of the vehicle
• Logbook of the vehicle 

To know more about the process, import regulations and current updates on the custom duties, contact the Embassy of Uganda.