Most time lost at a border is lost before the truck ever leaves Dar es Salaam: a missing invoice copy, a permit that expired last month, a manifest that does not match the cargo. This checklist is the set requested most often on the corridors we cover. Requirements change, so confirm the details for your cargo with your clearing agent before loading.
From the cargo owner
- Commercial invoice and packing list, with weights and descriptions that match what is on the truck.
- Bill of lading or release documents, for cargo collected from the port.
- Customs transit declaration, lodged by your clearing agent for goods passing through Tanzania to a neighbouring country.
- Certificate of origin, where the goods qualify for preferential duty within the EAC or SADC.
- Permits for controlled goods such as food, agricultural produce, chemicals or fuel, from the relevant authority.
From the transporter
- Vehicle registration card and a valid road licence.
- Cross-border motor insurance, such as a COMESA Yellow Card, covering every country on the route.
- The driver's passport and driving licence, valid for the whole trip.
- Any transit or carrier permit the destination country requires for foreign-registered trucks.
Keep one set, not three
The most common failure is not a missing document but mismatched copies: the trader has one version, the driver another, the clearing agent a third. On Green Moves Partners, documents can be attached to the booking itself, so everyone works from the same file and the same booking reference.
