Benin: Customs tighten clearance rules for vehicles imported via land borders –

In a service memo signed on August 20, 2026, Director General Raouf Malèhossou Aboudou officially announced the temporary suspension of direct declaration processing at land border posts.

The measure does not amount to a blockage of import flows but imposes a fundamental change in method. Vehicles and heavy equipment arriving via land border posts from neighbouring countries will no longer be able to complete their customs clearance formalities on site.

From now on, according to information from Africaho, a transit permit will be issued to them at the border. The vehicles will then be routed, under the geolocation and tracking system of the company Bénin Control SA, to the relevant regional customs directorates.

Mandatory physical inspection and verification of actual value

At the regional level, files and vehicles will be subject to strict screening. Officers from the Anti-Fraud Service will carry out a mandatory physical inspection to authenticate the technical characteristics of the vehicles and verify compliance with the latest reference Argus valuation guide.

Only after this dual technical and documentary verification will the files be forwarded to the Motor Vehicle Revenue Office for the actual settlement of duties and taxes.

Safeguarding state revenue and economic sovereignty

This reform aims to put an end to practices of undervaluation, false declarations and identification errors that cause significant financial losses for the public treasury.

By shifting oversight from border posts to specialised regional structures, the customs administration intends to lock down the system and ensure that the amount of taxes collected rigorously matches the actual value of imported goods.

Installed in his post in June 2026, Director General Raouf Malèhossou Aboudou is thus giving concrete form to his vision of a modernised customs administration, conceived as a sovereign tool for security and economic development.