Egypt import changes
Date published:
Below is an updated statement from the Central Bank of Egypt from 13th February on changes to import to Egypt.
As one of the governance procedures to regulate the importation process of goods into Egypt; The decision was made to stop all import transactions through collection of documents and use bank to bank transactions instead.
The only approved way of importing is through letters of credit from importers. This was followed by announcements of exemptions of sectors to the above regulation. The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) excluded imports of medicines, serums, relevant chemical substances, and some food commodities from the recent decision.
The food items that were excluded include: tea, meat, chicken, fish, wheat, table oil, baby formula, powder milk, bean, lentils, butter, and maize.
The exclusion decision also applies to express mail shipments and shipments that are worth up to $5,000 or an equivalent amount in other currencies.
The CBE has also directed all banks to reduce their commission for opening documentary credits to be equal to the commission paid for collection documents, as not to add financial burdens for the trader.
Please click below to learn more about the new export regulations and the Advanced Cargo Information System.
The Egyptian Consulate has raised its fees for commercial and non-commercial documents. You can find out more here.
We would also like to highlight that the new Advanced Cargo Information System (ACI) will have effect only on Sea shipment transactions, effective from 1st October 2021, NOT on exports by Airfreight and all other modes of shipment; they will be outside the scope of the new measures until new announcements by the Egyptian Government.
The below is taken direct from Egyptian British Chamber of Commerce:
On 5 December 2020, the UK & Egypt signed a new bilateral Trade Agreement. The UK-Egypt Association Agreement provides continued preferential access to both markets and replaces the EU-Egypt Association Agreement from 1 January 2021.
The Chamber promotes trade with Egypt by providing export documentation services for UK exporters to the Egyptian market.
We work closely with all Regional Chambers of Commerce across the UK, as well as the Egyptian Consulate in London to provide a quick and efficient export documentation service.
If you are a UK exporter, you will need to get in touch with your local Chamber of Commerce. The International Trade Department of your Chamber will prepare your export documents and deliver them to us. Once these export documents are fully legalised, we return them to your local Chamber.
The process takes an average of 5 business days. We further offer free express service & amendments for exporters as part of our corporate membership, see Membership
Legal Requirement
Export documentation satisfies the requirements of Customs authorities in Egypt as well as Egypt’s Ministry of Trade & Industry. Ultimately you will not be able to export without the right paperwork; incorrect paperwork can prove costly both in time, money and resource.
Your legalised documents will satisfy your clients in Egypt that the products exported are wholly obtained, produced and/or manufactured in the UK. This verification helps determine the applicable customs tariff.
Furthermore, legalised documents provide assurance to protect you and your product in case of legal disputes.
New Trade Regulations – ACI Pre-Shipment Procedures, binding implementation starts on 1 October 2021
The Egyptian Government has recently issued a new decree aimed at simplifying shipping procedures for export to the Egyptian market. Nafeza – or the National Single Window – uses the CargoX platform which can be used by exporters to submit their shipping documents digitally.
We would like to highlight that these new measures will have effect only on Sea shipment transactions, effective from 1st October 2021, NOT on exports by Airfreight and all other modes of shipment; they will be outside the scope of the new measures until new announcements by the Egyptian Government.
New ACI Pre-Shipment Procedures Explained
Official Decree 328 for the year 2021: trial implementation period of ACI system is extended until 30/09/21. Binding implementation starts from 01/10/21.
Other Trade Regulations
Since December 2015 it is mandatory for all UK exporters to legalise their Certificate of Origin and have their local Chamber certify the corresponding invoices. The new decrees and regulations are issued by the Egyptian Government, below are the recent changes to regulations for trade with Egypt:
Ministerial Decree 202: Regarding the legally required documents for export to Egypt
Ministerial Decree 991: Special conditions regarding the exportation of certain commodities
Ministerial Decree 43: Regarding the registration of qualified factories for export into Egypt
Customs Codes: For products requiring registration in Egypt