How to import eyewear from India into Kenya

Short answer: To import eyewear from India into Kenya, you order from an Indian manufacturer, receive a commercial invoice and packing list with the shipment, and clear the goods through the Kenya Revenue Authority, normally with a licensed clearing agent. Check the current duty and tax rates for your product code before you place the order.

Last updated: 5 November 2026. By Prakaash Eyewear Pvt. Ltd., an eyewear manufacturer and exporter in Mumbai, India, in business since 1978.

Step by step

1. Choose the products and quantity. Optical frames and sunglasses can be ordered in small mixed quantities from ready stock, or made to your own design in larger quantities.
2. Get a quotation and the delivery terms. Ask which delivery terms apply (who pays freight and who clears the goods), so there is no surprise on arrival.
3. Find the tariff code. Spectacle frames are normally classified under HS code 9003 and sunglasses and other spectacles under 9004. Your clearing agent confirms the exact code and the current rates.
4. Arrange payment and shipment. Small orders usually travel by air courier or air cargo; larger orders by sea.
5. Clear the goods. The shipment arrives with a commercial invoice and a packing list. Your clearing agent presents them to customs and pays any duty and tax due.

Where the shipment arrives in Kenya

Air shipments arrive at Nairobi (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport). Sea shipments arrive at the Port of Mombasa, the main gateway for Kenya and much of East Africa, and continue to Nairobi by road or rail.

Customs in Kenya

Imports into Kenya are cleared with the Kenya Revenue Authority, normally through a clearing agent in Mombasa or Nairobi. The agent tells you the current duty and tax for your tariff code.

What to check before you order

• The current import duty and VAT or sales tax on HS 9003 / 9004 in Kenya (ask your clearing agent; rates change).
• Whether any import licence, registration or product standard applies to eyewear.
• The delivery terms in the quotation.
• The minimum order, and whether ready stock can be mixed across models and colours.

Buying from Salvador Eyewear

Salvador Eyewear is the wholesale brand of Prakaash Eyewear Pvt. Ltd. For ready stock the minimum order is 1 piece per model, in any colour. We prepare the commercial invoice and packing list for every export shipment. See our wholesale eyewear page for Kenya, which covers Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.

Opticians in Nairobi, Mombasa and across Kenya can order ready stock from 1 piece per model and reorder what sells.