5 August 2026

In a welcome development, brand owners with trade mark registrations outside Tanzania (Mainland) now have a new avenue to strengthen their anti-counterfeiting efforts.

Previously, there was some uncertainty concerning the supporting trade mark registration for customs recordation in Tanzania (Mainland). The Fair Competition Commission (FCC) has now clarified that foreign trade mark registrations may also be relied upon for customs recordation purposes.

This means that brand owners can now rely on their trade mark registrations outside Tanzania (Mainland) supported by a copy of the trade mark registration certificate certified by the relevant authority, when applying for customs recordation. This should enable authorities to monitor imports for suspected counterfeit goods, even before a local Tanzanian (Mainland) trade mark registration has been secured.

The important distinction to note is that customs recordation is a purely administrative monitoring tool and does not automatically create enforceable trade mark rights in Tanzania (Mainland). To facilitate active border enforcement, including the seizure of infringing goods, trade mark rights should still be protected under Tanzanian (Mainland) trade mark law.

The FCC has also confirmed that the renewal of existing customs recordations are still being processed administratively, whilst formal amended renewal procedures are being finalised.

Overall, this clarification from the FCC removes a significant practical hurdle for international brand owners seeking to strengthen border monitoring against counterfeit goods in Tanzania (Mainland) and reinforces the importance of securing local trade mark protection for effective enforcement.

If you would like to discuss how this may impact your trade mark portfolio or anti-counterfeiting strategy in Tanzania (Mainland), our Africa team is well placed to assist with the customs recordation process and keep you posted as these procedures continue to unfold on the ground.