Exporting Coffee from Tanzania
Guide information
Export.tz is a commercial information service, not a government agency, regulator, or law firm. This guide explains published procedures for general orientation. Always confirm current requirements directly with the authorities linked below before you ship.
Zanzibar sourcing gap — this guide is marked “Applies to: Mainland Tanzania & Zanzibar”, but every authority cited below is Mainland-scoped and we have not independently confirmed a Zanzibar-specific process for this commodity. If you are exporting from Zanzibar, confirm requirements directly with the Zanzibar authorities before relying on this guide.
Overview
Tanzania is an established origin for washed and natural Arabica and Robusta coffee. Most Tanzanian coffee is sold through the Moshi Coffee Auction, run by the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB (opens the official site in a new tab)) and defined in law as the central national coffee sales market — the trading floor for all coffee produced in the country. Direct export outside the auction is also permitted under a separate TCB licence.
Who Can Export
Coffee export in Tanzania runs through Tanzania Coffee Board licensing on top of general business registration (BRELA) and TIN registration (TRA (opens the official site in a new tab)). TCB (opens the official site in a new tab) issues three distinct annual licences (financial year, July–June): a Direct Export of Premium Coffee Licence (for growers, cooperative societies, farmer group associations, individual farmers/estates, or companies with farming contracts), a Green Coffee Export Licence, and an Instant Coffee Export Licence.
Quality & Standards
Tanzania grades coffee under its own British-style screen-size/density system: AAA, AA, A, B, PB (peaberry), C, E, F, AF, TT, UG, TEX, plus cup-quality classes. Sample analysis, bulking and catalogue grading for the Moshi Auction are handled by TCB (opens the official site in a new tab)'s own Directorate of Coffee Quality and Promotion.
Phytosanitary & Food-Safety Requirements
A TPHPA (opens the official site in a new tab) phytosanitary certificate applies to coffee as a plant-product export; coffee was specifically named among sectors affected by TPHPA's January 2025 fee increase. A Radioactivity Analysis Certificate is also required for certain destination markets under TCB (opens the official site in a new tab)'s own export licensing.
Certificate of Origin & Rules of Origin
A per-consignment ICO (International Coffee Organization) Certificate of Origin is mandatory for coffee exports, alongside TCB (opens the official site in a new tab)'s own Green Coffee Export Approval (60-day validity per consignment). An ordinary or preferential TNCC Certificate of Origin may also be required depending on the buyer and destination.
Customs & Clearance
Standard TANCIS clearance via a licensed Clearing and Forwarding Agent applies once TCB (opens the official site in a new tab)'s own licensing, auction/direct-sale, and per-consignment export approval steps are complete.
Buyer Document Pack
Commercial Invoice, Packing List, ICO Certificate of Origin, TCB (opens the official site in a new tab) Green Coffee Export Approval, Bill of Lading or Air Waybill, and — for direct-export-licence sales — TCB's pricing determination showing the sale premium against the average of the three preceding Moshi auctions.
Step-by-Step Export Process
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Obtain a TCB licence
Apply to the Tanzania Coffee Board for a Direct Export of Premium Coffee Licence, Green Coffee Export Licence, or Instant Coffee Export Licence, as applicable — annual, running July to June.
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Sell via the Moshi Auction or direct export
Most coffee is sold through the Moshi Coffee Auction. Direct export outside the auction requires the separate TCB (opens the official site in a new tab) direct-export licence, with pricing pegged against the average premium of the three preceding auctions.
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Obtain per-consignment export approval
Apply for TCB (opens the official site in a new tab)'s Green Coffee Export Approval (60-day validity) and the mandatory ICO Certificate of Origin for the specific consignment.
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Obtain a phytosanitary certificate
Apply to TPHPA (opens the official site in a new tab) for a phytosanitary certificate; a Radioactivity Analysis Certificate is also required for certain destination markets.
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Customs clearance and shipment
Appoint a licensed Clearing and Forwarding Agent to lodge the TANCIS declaration and complete port clearance and shipment.
Document Checklist
- Required
- Required
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Required
Phytosanitary Certificate
Plus a Radioactivity Analysis Certificate for certain destination markets.
-
Required
Certificate of Origin
Mandatory ICO Certificate of Origin per consignment, in addition to any TNCC certificate the buyer needs.
- Required
-
Required
Quality / Grading Certificate
TCB grade determination.
- Required in some cases
Authorities Involved
TCB
Tanzania Coffee Board
Licenses exporters, runs the Moshi Coffee Auction, grades coffee, and issues per-consignment export approvals.
TPHPA
Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority
Issues the phytosanitary certificate required for coffee exports.
Official Sources
- Official source The Citizen (Tanzania) — Higher Phytosanitary Fees Hit Agro-Exports, Government Responds (retrieved 29 Sep 2026)
- Official source Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) — TCB Trading Manual for Coffee Auction Market (retrieved 29 Sep 2026)
Official sources above are published by the Government of Tanzania via the Tanzania Trade Portal (TanTrade), content licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Commodities.tz republishes only concise factual citations and links to the original — always confirm current requirements on the official site.
Ready to source from Tanzania?
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