Includes customs regulations and contact information for this country's customs office.
Last Published: 8/9/2019
Current importing regulations require that every component of a product be inspected, regardless of the compliance history of the product, country of origin, exporter, shipper or importer. No import can be sold in Egypt without first proving that it conforms to Egyptian standards if it is on the mandatory list of products requiring inspection. If there are no Egyptian standards that suit the imported product, then it must confirm to the standards of one of the international organizations that Egypt is affiliated with e.g. ISO, IEC and Codex Alimentarius.

In 2008, USAID assisted the Egyptian Customs in establishing a risk management system where commodities would be channeled into green (no inspection) or red (inspection) channels.  Since January 2011, fewer commodities are being channeled through the green channel due to security concerns.

When a shipment arrives in Egypt, the Customs and Security Office conducts a security check for illegal products, and the importer presents Customs with the documentation required to clear the shipment.  As described elsewhere in this report, certain categories of goods may not be imported into Egypt.  Specific regulations apply to additional categories of goods, which may require registration of foreign factories and the products that they produce.  After reviewing these documents, Customs either clears the shipments for release to the importer directly or directs the consignment to other government entities for testing and inspection, coordinated by the General Organization for Export and Import Controls (GOEIC).  In certain cases, the Egyptian military or security services may require additional laboratory tests of commodities beyond any testing previously required or performed in compliance with other laws and regulations.  Custom duties are then assigned and paid in Egyptian pounds.

Please see Standards Organizations and Conformity Assessment section, for further inspection and standards issues affecting imported goods.
 
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More Information

Egypt Foreign Trade Regulations