Regional rules
The DRC in the EAC Customs Union
Short answer
- Admitted to the EAC
- 29 March 2022 2
- Treaty of Accession signed
- 8 April 2022 2
- Partner State from
- 11 July 2022, on deposit of ratification 1
- Customs body
- Direction Générale des Douanes et Accises (DGDA) 6
- Customs IT tools listed
- SYDONIA, CVTFS/SYSEC cargo tracking, SICPA 6
- Transit through Tanzania
- 7,239,741 tonnes in 2025, as reported 7 July 2026 9
How the DRC joined
The EAC's questions and answers page on the admission of the DRC sets out these dates 2.
- June 2019: the DRC President wrote to the EAC Chairperson asking to join 2
- 27 February 2021: the Summit directed a verification mission, which visited the DRC in July 2021 2
- 22 December 2021: the Summit directed negotiations, held in Nairobi from 15 to 24 January 2022 2
- 29 March 2022: the DRC was admitted 2
- 8 April 2022: the Treaty of Accession was signed 2
- 11 July 2022: the DRC deposited its instrument of ratification and became the seventh Partner State 1
What membership means for customs
The EAC press release of 11 July 2022 says the accession entered into force on the day of deposit, under Article 11 of the Treaty of Accession 1. It says the Secretariat drafted a proposed roadmap for the integration of the DRC, to be finalised with the DRC's input. It gives no timeline 1.
The EAC questions and answers page says the roadmap will detail how the DRC will implement EAC commitments such as the Customs Union, the Common Market, the Monetary Union and Political Federation 2. It says the DRC will benefit from the Common External Tariff framework and access to the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam 2.
TradeMark Africa wrote on 28 March 2024 that the Customs Union sets zero duty on trade within the region and one tariff on imports from outside the bloc. It says goods moving freely within the EAC must meet the EAC Rules of Origin 3.
Status of the common tariff
EAC Gazette No. 19 of 30 June 2025 publishes stays of application of the Common External Tariff and duty remission for the year. It names Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. It does not mention the DRC 5.
No EAC Council decision, gazette notice or DRC government text giving a date for the DRC to apply the Common External Tariff was found for this page. This page will add one when an official text can be opened.
Preparing DRC officials
TradeMark Africa says the EAC Secretariat held a five-day workshop from 18 to 22 March 2024, supported by USAID-ERRA, to bring the DRC into the Customs Union 4. Officials from the trade, EAC affairs and agriculture ministries, the bureau of standards, immigration and customs took part and visited the Mutukula one stop border post 4.
The TradeMark Africa article of 28 March 2024 says 32 DRC border officials were trained at the Mahagi and Goli border post between the DRC and Uganda. It lists the EAC Treaty, the Customs Union Protocol, the Customs Management Act and the One Stop Border Posts Act among the texts reviewed 3. It quotes the EAC Secretariat as saying the aim was to sensitise DRC officials on regional integration 3.
DRC customs systems
The DGDA home page lists three IT tools: SICPA, the electronic tracking system for goods in transit CVTFS/SYSEC, and SYDONIA 6. A notice dated 9 October 2026 on the same page warned of disrupted access to SYDONIA servers on 10 and 11 October 2026 for maintenance 6. The home page does not mention the EAC 6.
Corridors and border posts
The DRC is one of seven members of the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agreement, signed on 2 September 2006 and amended on 1 December 2023 8. The Guardian (IPP Media), in a report by a Guardian correspondent of 7 July 2026, said DRC transit cargo through Tanzanian ports rose from 4,180,902 tonnes in 2024 to 7,239,741 tonnes in 2025, citing the port authorities 9.
TradeMark Africa said on 26 June 2020 that the DRC government and TradeMark Africa signed a contract on 16 April 2020 for a one stop border post at Mahagi in Ituri, on the Uganda border 7. It said the nine-month project was co-financed by the Netherlands and the UK Department for International Development 7. No opening date was found for this page.
The EastAfrican reported on 13 February 2025, in an article by Patrick Ilunga, that the North Kivu governor appointed by M23/AFC leader Corneille Nangaa extended opening hours at the Rubavu and Goma border to 6am to 10pm after the capture of Goma 10. How customs are collected at that border since then was not stated in any source read for this page.
Common questions
When did the DRC join the EAC?
It was admitted on 29 March 2022, signed the Treaty of Accession on 8 April 2022 and became a Partner State on 11 July 2022 1,2.
Does the DRC apply the EAC Common External Tariff?
The EAC said a roadmap would set out how the DRC implements the Customs Union 2. No dated official text on a start date was found for this page. The June 2025 gazette of CET stays does not mention the DRC 5.
What customs system does the DRC use?
The DGDA lists SYDONIA as one of its IT tools 6.
Which corridors serve the DRC?
The DRC is a member of the Central Corridor agreement through Dar es Salaam 8.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].
Sources
- East African Community: The Democratic Republic of the Congo finally becomes the 7th EAC Partner State (11 July 2022)
- East African Community: Admission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into the EAC, Frequently Asked Questions (undated, accessed 24 October 2026)
- TradeMark Africa, no author named: Way cleared for full integration of DRC into East African Community (28 March 2024)
- TradeMark Africa, USAID-ERRA page: Bridging Borders, Facilitating DRC's Integration into the EAC Customs Union (7 May 2024)
- East African Community, copy hosted by RRA: East African Community Gazette Vol. AT 1 No. 19 (30 June 2025)
- Direction Générale des Douanes et Accises (DRC): home page (accessed 24 October 2026)
- TradeMark Africa: DRC and TMA to begin construction of the One-Stop Border Post (OSPB) at Mahagi, Ituri (26 June 2020)
- Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency: Overview (10 October 2024)
- The Guardian (IPP Media), Guardian Correspondent: DRC top transit cargo market after 73pc increase in tonnage (7 July 2026)
- The EastAfrican, Patrick Ilunga: Relief as Congo-Rwanda border reopens with extended service hours (13 February 2025)
Related
- EAC Common External Tariff (CET)
The four EAC Common External Tariff bands of 0, 10, 25 and 35 percent, the 2022 review, stays of application and duty remission explained from EAC sources.
- Central Corridor: Dar es Salaam to the Great Lakes
The Central Corridor links Dar es Salaam port to Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, eastern DRC, Malawi and Zambia. Agreement, routes, border posts and volumes.
- Northern Corridor: Mombasa to the Great Lakes
The Northern Corridor links Mombasa port to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and eastern DRC. Agreement, routes, rail, port and tracking facts.
- Customs management systems compared across East Africa
iCMS in Kenya, TANCIS in Tanzania, ASYCUDA World in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, SYDONIA in the DRC. Who runs each system and its status with dates.
- Rwanda customs and trade systems
Rwanda's ASYCUDA World customs system, the ReSW single window, Irembo payments, RECTS cargo tracking, agents, border posts and a reported audit finding.
- Uganda customs and trade systems
Uganda's ASYCUDA World customs system, the Uganda Electronic Single Window, URA payment slips, RECTS cargo tracking, agent licences and border posts.