Simplification of inspection procedures for imported products

The Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry recently issued Decisions No. 283 and 284 of 2023. These decisions aim to develop a risk management system for imported goods at a national level and to simplify inspection procedures for non-food industrial products. The two decisions encompass several critical measures, as follows:

• A new article, 94 bis, has been added to the Import and Export Regulation No. 770 of 2005. This article mandates the establishment of a selective risk management system for inspecting and testing imported non-food industrial goods, grounded in risk factor analysis.
• A committee will be formed, charged with defining the standards and conditions for the integrated risk management system. The Board Chairman of the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) will chair this committee, and it will feature representatives from various sectors, including the Foreign Trade and Agreements Sector and the Customs Authority.
• Once the standards and conditions of the integrated risk management system for examining imported industrial commodities are in effect, the documentary examination will be deemed sufficient for products imported by producers registered with the GOEIC. However, this is contingent on these producers meeting the stipulations of Article 94 of the Executive Regulation of the Import and Export Law No. 118 of 1975. Additionally, they must be enrolled in the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program and satisfy the green path requirements for customs release concerning their consignments, as dictated by the Executive Regulation of the Customs Law No. 207 of 2020.

The GOEIC Board Chairman holds the authority to command a random inspection of any consignment. If a consignment, or consignments, under random inspection is found to deviate from the standards, the producing company will receive a strike-off warning notice. In the event of repeated non-compliance, the company will be stricken off. Such producers can petition for re-entry only one year post the strike-off date, contingent upon their adherence to the rules specified in this decision.