The EAC Customs Union: an overview

What the customs union is

The East African Community (EAC) established a customs union in 2005, governed by the EAC Customs Union Protocol. Its core principles are: elimination of tariffs on trade between partner states, a Common External Tariff (CET) applied to imports from third countries, and common rules of origin to determine which goods qualify for intra-EAC preferential treatment.

The eight partner states

The EAC has eight partner states: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan. Each in principle applies the same CET and the same rules of origin, subject to transition periods and sensitive product lists specific to newer members.

Check before you act

Exact CET rates, sensitive list products and entry-into-force dates for each state change over time: check with the EAC Secretariat and the relevant national revenue authority before any operation.