Algeria
4th April 2011
On 24th March the Directorate General of Foreign Exchange of the Bank of Algeria decided to cancel the notice 16/DGC/2009 16 February 2009. This means the Certificate of Conformity/Quality, Phytosanitary Certificate and Certificate of Origin are no longer a requirement for payment on a Letter of Credit. However, there remains a legislative framework concerning the compliance of imported products within Algeria.
Under the 2004-04 Algerian Law on standardization, conformity of a product with technical regulations and national standards is required. Executive Decree No. 05-465 defines product certification as mandatory, and states that the conformity assessment must be made by a third party. Executive Decree No. 05-467 state that the original of any document required by the regulations in force and relating to the conformity of imported products, must be presented during compliance by the Border Authority Consumer Protection and Fraud.
For further information vist Intertek's Algeria section or email info.government@intertek.com
Egypt
10th January 2011
A number of forged export certificates have recently been received by the Egyptian Authorities. The certificates and schedules attached to them related to vetinary medicinal products which appear to have been exported from the UK. The products concerned, however, were not authorised in the UK and therefore the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) would not have been able to confirm whether or not these products had been manufactured in facilities complying with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). Following a recent review a number of changes have been implemented, which can be viewed in the full MAVIS article.
Eritrea
31st May 2011
The Export Control Organisation (ECO) has introduced three new legislative orders which provide for enforcement of certain provisions of the European Union (EU) sanctions on Eritrea, Iran and Syria.
If you are an exporter of military and dual-use goods and intend to do business with organisations or entities in these countries you should be aware of the current sanctions and export licensing policy towards these countries as well as your own legal responsibilities.
Further information can be found in Notice to Exporters 2011/12
Iran
23rd April 2012
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have issued Customs Information Papers (12) 21, (12) 22, (12) 23, (12) 24 and (12) 25 concerning further restrictive measures against Iran.
29th February 2012
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have issued Customs Information Paper (12) 07 concerning EU Council Regulation (EU) No. 54/2012 of 23 January 2012 on restrictive measures against Iran, Tidewater Ports in Iran.
Articles 16-20 of the Regulation detail asset freezing measures, Annexes VII and VIII contain lists of designated entities who are covered by these asset freezing sanctions. Tidewater a.k.a. Tidewater Middle East Co have been added to this list; any charges or fees paid to Tidewater as part of transport or delivery charges in respect to the loading, unloading of goods may be deemed as making funds available either directly or indirectly to a designated entity.
Further information can be found in the Customs Information Paper.
31st May 2011
The ECO has published a new version of the Iran List. This list is dated 25th May 2011. The new entities added to the list are as follows:
Ardakan Glass - Arya Sasol Polymer Co - IVO Laboratory at Gomakan - Shahrekord Cement Industries - Tabriz Oil Refining Co
The Iran List can be found on the Business Link website.
10th January 2011
HM Revenue & Customs have issued CUSTOMS INFORMATION PAPER (11) 01 covering EU Council Regulation 961/2010 Iran Sanctions, provision of economic resources. This is a Regulation on restrictive measures against Iran, prohibiting the supply of goods which may be deemed to be economic resources to designated entities.
The Export Control Organisation are holding a half day seminar 16th February 2011 aimed at both industry and Non-Governmental Organisations who have an interest in trading with Iran to understand more about the controls. For further information please read Notice to Exporters 2011/03
2nd November 2010
A new Regulation on restrictive measures against Iran, prohibiting the export of dual use and Common Military list goods, together with a prohibition on the supply of key equipment to key sectors of the Iranian oil and gas industry came into force 27th October 2010. Full text of the regulation can be found here
For further information regarding export controls for strategic goods, sanctions & embargoes contact Vivian O’horo Tel. 0207 147 0476 or email vivian.ohoro@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
9th August 2010
The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union adopted a package of further restrictive measures against Iran, effective from of 26th July 2010, including in the areas of trade, financial services, energy and transport. For more information see Notice to Exporters 2010/21
Iraq
14th May 2012
We have been informed by the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq that as from 20th April 2012 all certificates of origin and commercial invoices submitted for legalisation must now be accompanied by either the original or certified true copy of the transport document, insurance policy and certificate of conformity (where applicable). All of which must also be legalised along with the certificate of origin and commercial invoice.
Any goods supplied under contracts awarded by the Iraqi Government will be exempt from the above and documentary requirements will be as before: certificate of origin, commercial invoice and certficate of conformity/indemnity letter.
29th February 2012
We have been informed by the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq that goods entering Iraq will require a Certificate of Conformity (CoC). Such CoC can be obtained from Bureau Veritas, as SGS will no longer be able to issue such CoC as from 5th March 2012.
In the absence of a CoC a letter of indemnity, on company headed paper, will be verified by the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, and this will be required for each shipment requiring legalisation. The wording of such letter will be as follows:
"We the undersigned have undertaken the necessary checks for conformity requirements and we confirm that the shipment covered by our Certificate of Origin No........... and Invoice No............. does not require a Certificate of Conformity as directed by COSQC"
14th June 2011
A programme of Conformity is now in place for certain goods being shipped to Iraq. However, this does not include all goods. For those goods not covered within the inspection programme an official letter will be required to accompany documents prior to either certification only and/or legalisation by the Iraqi Consulate. This letter should state that the goods being shipped to Iraq are not included on the list of regulated products for the ICIGI programme and therefore do not require a certificate of conformity to be issued.
Currently, many shipments are being held up awaiting proof of non-requirement of a certificate of conformity. To resolve this matter the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) has negotiated with the Iraqi Consulate and SGS to formalise a process that will allow documents to be certified or legalised swiftly and with no further delay. A letter issued by SGS and verified by the ABCC will be issued for goods that do not require a certificate of conformity. In order to ascertain the issuance of such letter the exporter must provide the Harmonised System Code for each item shipped.
To obtain this letter please contact our Portsmouth or Southampton offices.
11th May 2011
We have been informed by the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq that as of 1st May 2011 a programme of Standardisation and Quality Control procedures has been implemented. Therefore all exporters intending to export goods into Iraq must provide proof that the goods have undergone the relevant inspection, verification, testing and certification process by either of the following companies:
SGS United Kingdom Ltd www.uk.sgs.com
Bureau Veritas UK & Ireland www.bureauveritas.co.uk
Such certificates must be attached with all documents.
Qatar
15th March 2012
The Government of the State of Qatar, through the Qatar Ministry of Business and Trade - Department of Consumer Protection and the Qatar General Organisation for Standards and Metrology, has expanded the range of products now requiring evidence of conformity before entering into the Qatari market. The additional products are:
- Electric Irons
- Hair Dryers
- Exhaust Fans
All consignments of the above electrical products must have an evidence of conformity in the form of Test Report or Certificate of Conformity.The Test Report should be from an ISO17025 accredited laboratory.
For further information, and how to obtain a Test Report or Certificate of Conformity, visit Interk's Qatar section.
Saudi Arabia
13th July 2011
The Saudi Ministry of Commerce & Industry have notified the Saudi Customs through a circular to enforce mandatory Certificate of Conformity (CoC) requirement for the following additional products:
- Footwear
- Furniture
- Kitchenware
Shipments of above products shall be released by the KSA Customs only on the presentation of a CoC. The date of enforcement of this requirement is 1/1/1433 (Hijri) i.e. 26th November 2011.
For further information please visit the Intertek Product Conformity website.
8th July 2010
With the growing demand for imported goods in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Government has reinforced control of product and quality certification requirements. All shipments of goods arriving in the Kingdom without a Certificate of Conformity will be subject to 100% inspection and testing on arrival. This could result in extensive delays in the clearance of goods from Customs - or even refusal of entry or destruction of non-compliant goods. Shipments which are supported by a valid Certificate of Conformity, issued by an authorised body, such as Intertek, will only be subject to random sampling of goods on arrival to confirm compliance. For further information contact contact Intertek on 01277 223400
19th April 2010
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Customs have currently upped the ante and are requesting Certificates of Compliance for all shipments (minus food, medical and military) for their clearance. MoCI (KSA Ministry of Commerce & Industry) decree 6386 is not clear on the list of products being subjected to certification; if there is any doubt Intertek will get additional information on the products from the Authorities so that a decision can be made whether the product should be Registered/Certified.
Customs in Saudi Arabia have become much more strict and are inspecting many more shipments than usual. If you require more information contact Intertek on 01277 223400
14th November 2011
The above information paper has been released by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). It covers retrospective derogations from the normal preferential rules of origin for preparations of surimi, biscuits, cigarettes, yarn (cotton and synthetic), sewing thread and woven fabrics of certain artificial filament yarn
11th July 2011
The EU Commission has recently provided Member States with some further information which amends certain areas of the guidance given in Customs Information Papers (11) 15 and (11) 50. This further information can be found in Customs Information Paper (11) 62. A guide to the new Reciprocal Preferential Trade Agreement with South Korea can be found here.
13th May 2011
The European Commission announced in February that the long awaited EU-Korea FTA will enter into force on a provisional basis on 1st July 2011. In a departure from the norm, the new reciprocal agreement provides only for origin/invoice declarations to be issued as proof of preferential origin-exporters in the EU and South Korea will not be able to issue EUR1 Movement Certificates as proof of origin. For further information see HMRC Notice JCCC CIP (11) 15
Tanzania
1st January 2012
The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has officially confirmed that a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) will be required to comply with the new Tanzania-PVoC from 1st February 2012. Exporters are advised that shipments of regulated products having a bill of lading date greater or equal to 1st February 2012 will require a CoC for clearance through Tanzanian Customs at all Tanzanian ports and border entry points.
Intertek are one of the PVoC service providers; further information on these new requirements can be found on Intertek's website
Uganda
8th June 2010
To assure Ugandan consumers of the quality and safety of imported goods, the Uganda National Bureau of Standard has implemented a series of guidelines known as Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PvoC) to Standards programme. The programme covers the verification of all 'Regulated Products' to be in compliance with the Uganda/other approved standards on the basis of which a Certificate of Conformity is issued. Further information can be found at www.intertek.com/government/product-conformity/exports-to-uganda or email info.government@intertek.com
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