Philippines - Prohibited & Restricted Imports Philippines - Prohibited Imports
Philippine law restricts the importation of certain goods for reasons of national security, environmental and public health protection, and order and morality, in addition to complying with international treaties and obligations. Prohibited goods include:
- Used clothing and rags;
- Toy guns;
- Right-hand drive vehicles;
- Hazardous waste, even in transit into Philippine territory;
- Laundry and industrial detergents containing hard surfactants;
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs);
- Used motorcycle parts, except engine; and
- Live piranha, shrimp, and prawns.
- The Philippine Tariff and Customs Code also prohibit the importation of the following goods:
- Dynamite, gunpowder, ammunition, and other explosives, firearms, weapons of war, and parts thereof, except when authorized by law;
- Written or printed articles containing information that advocates or incites: treason, rebellion, insurrection, sedition, subversion against the government, forcible resistance to laws, threats to life, or inflicting bodily harm upon any person in the Philippines;
- Written or printed articles, negatives or cinematographic film, photographs, engravings, lithographs, objects, paintings, drawings, or other representation of an obscene or immoral character;
- Articles, instruments, drugs, and substances designed, intended or adapted for producing unlawful abortion;
- Roulette wheels, gambling outfits, loaded dice, marked cards, machines, apparatus or mechanical devices used in gambling or the distribution of money, cigars, cigarettes, or other when such distribution is dependent on chance, including jackpot and pinball machines or similar contrivances, or parts thereof;
- Lottery and sweepstakes tickets except those authorized by Philippine government, advertisements thereof, and list of drawings therein;
- Any article manufactured in whole or in part of gold, silver or other precious metals or alloys thereof, the stamps, brands or marks of which do not indicate the actual fineness of quality of metals or alloys;
- Weapons of mass destruction and goods included in the National Strategic Goods List (NSGL) as provided under the Strategic Trade Management Act;
- Any adulterated or misbranded articles of food or any adulterated or misbranded drug in violation of the provisions of the Food and Drugs Act;
- Marijuana, opium, poppies, coca leaves, heroin or any other narcotics or synthetic drugs, which are or may hereafter be declared habit forming by the President of the Philippines, or any compound, manufactured salt, derivative, or preparation thereof, except when imported by the government or any person duly authorized by the Dangerous Drugs Board, for medical purposes only;
- Opium pipes and parts thereof, or whatever material; and,
- All other articles and parts thereof, the importation of which is prohibited by law or rules and regulations issued by competent Philippine authority.
A broad range of commodities require import clearance/licenses from appropriate government agencies prior to importation into the Philippines. Discretionary licensing arrangements are in place for rice imports. The National Food Authority (NFA) is the sole importer of rice and continues to be involved in the importation of corn. Private grain dealers with import clearance are allowed to import rice.
Furniture manufacturers and agents, as well as log and lumber contractors and lumber dealers, may import wood materials under several different licensing regimes. Importers must submit a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the country of origin to the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI). The Department of Agriculture also issues biosafety permits for the use of genetically modified (GM) plant and plant products for field trials, commercial propagation, and/or direct use as food, feed, or processing.
The table below lists other commodities with required import clearances issued by concerned Philippine government agencies:
| Commodity Description/Commodity Group | Government Agencies Issuing Permits/Clearance |
| Essential Chemicals & Controlled Precursors; and Dangerous Drugs (Ketamine, Pseudoephedrine, Oripavine, Ameneptine, etc.) | Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) |
| Chemicals under the Philippine Priority Chemical List (PCL) | Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Energy Resource Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) |
| Cyanide, Mercury, Asbestos, Polychlorinated Biphenyl, Chlorofluorocarbon and other ozone depleting substances Recyclable materials containing hazardous substances, i.e. scrap metals, solid plastic materials, electronic assemblies and scrap, used oil, fly ash, and used lead acid batteries | Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Energy Resource Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) |
| Coal, Anthracite | Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Energy Resource Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) |
| Wildlife | Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) |
| Live animals Animal products and byproducts | Department of Agriculture (DA) – Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) |
| Fishery and aquatic products | Department of Agriculture (DA) – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) |
| Plants, planting materials, and plant products | Department of Agriculture (DA) – Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) |
| Cane or beet sugar, and other artificial sweeteners | Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) |
| Chainsaws Wood products | Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Forest Management Bureau (FMB) |
| Semi-synthetic antibiotics (all form and salts of ampicillin, amoxicillin, and cloxacillin) wheat flour; iodized salt; and all health products | Department of Health (DOH) - Food and Drug Administration (FDA) |
| Color reproduction machines with 2,400 dots per inch (dpi) or higher | National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Central Bank |
| Explosives, blasting agents, and detonators Chemicals used as ingredients in the manufacture of explosives (e.g. chlorates, nitrates and nitric acid, etc.) | Philippine National Police (PNP) - Firearms and Explosive Office |
| All fertilizers, pesticides and other such chemicalsproducts intended for agricultural use | Department of Agriculture (DA)-Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) |
| Used motor vehicles, trucks, and buses – including used parts and components | Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - Bureau of Import Services (BIS) |
| Used vehicles for the use of foreign diplomatic corps and accredited international organizations | Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) |
| Aircrafts, engines, propellers | Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) |
| All types of ships not wooden hulled, including fishing vessels/boats | Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) |
| All commodities originating from the following socialist and centrally-planned economy countries: Albania, Angola, Ethiopia, Laos, Libya, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, and North Korea | Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) |
| Nuclear and radioactive materials; Nuclear-related dual-use equipment and materials | Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) |
| Household appliances and lamp/lighting products; Wiring devices, wires and cables, mechanical/construction materials | Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) |
| Selected medical devices; toys; water and medical waste treatment devices | Department of Health (DOH) - Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) |
| Radio transmitters/transceivers | National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) |
| Optical and magnetic media products | Optical Media Board |
| Electronic gaming machines and products | Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) |
| Legal tender Philippine notes and coins, checks, money order, and other bills of exchange drawn in pesos against banks operating in the Philippines in amount exceeding PhP10,000 | Central Bank |
For a comprehensive list of import commodities and details of regulating agencies, visit the DTI website and Philippine National Trade Repository (PNTR, http://pntr.gov.ph/).
Contact Information:
Atty. Luis M. Catibayan
Director
Bureau of Import Services
Department of Trade and Industry
3F Tara Building, 389 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, Makati City
Telephone No.: (+632) 403-1420
Email: LuisCatibayan@dti.gov.ph