Egypt Member profile
Status of notification in the reporting periods
2010-2012
2012-2014
2014-2016
2016-2018
2018-2020
2020-2022
2022-2024
2024-2026
Notification information
|
Egypt
|
07/12/2020
|
2018-2020
|
||
|
Egypt
|
22/06/2020
|
2018-2020
|
||
|
Egypt
|
22/04/2020
|
2018-2020
|
Types of restrictions
All biennial periods and all notifications
Top 10 HS chapters notified
All biennial periods and all notifications
Top 10 WTO justifications notified
All biennial periods and all notifications
Top 10 Non-WTO commitments notified
All biennial periods and all notifications
QR details
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade policy review
Latest Trade Policy Review (Report by the WTO Secretariat): WT/TPR/S/367/Rev.1
A. Import prohibitions and restrictions and import licensing
3.67.
Egypt has not submitted any notifications with respect to its import licensing regime to the WTO. The authorities indicated that import prohibitions and restrictions are maintained for economic, environmental, health, religious, safety, sanitary, and phytosanitary reasons.
3.68.
As a general rule, prohibitions and restrictions are maintained according to the Import and Export Law No. 118/1975, as well as the Executive Regulations of the Import and Export Law, Ministerial Decree No. 770/2005 and its amendments. They are applied equally to all trading partners. Ministerial Decree No. 902/2015 modified Law No. 118/1975 to specify that inputs imported for certain specific purposes may not be used for other purposes without approval of the Minister of Foreign Trade.
3.69.
As established by Annex 1 to Decree No. 770/2005, import prohibitions apply to: chicken offal and limbs[87], fowl livers, goods bearing marks considered sensitive to religious beliefs, and various hazardous chemicals and pesticides. In addition, the two-stroke motor bicycle engines, toys in the form of pistols or rifles, bracelets listed as organizing body energy, and some incandescent bulbs and laser pens are subject to import prohibitions (Table 3.14).
3.70.
Apart from the prohibitions contained in Annex 1 to Decree No. 770/2005, Law No. 4/1994 prohibits the importation of hazardous wastes. Furthermore, pursuant to Article 46 of the Telecommunications Law, imports of used telecommunications materials for trading purposes are prohibited. Ministerial Decree No. 232/2015 suspended the importation of products of Egyptian folk-art nature, especially drawings with lines and colours, and carvings or engravings, sculptures, porcelain and clay, products made of wood or with other different formulations, mosaics, jewellery, handmade bags with needle work, carpets, garments and textiles, musical instruments, and architectural forms. Additionally, fabrics with camouflage prints are not allowed to be cleared from customs in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 151/2015. Egypt bans the importation of most used automobiles: pursuant to Decree No. 580/1998 and Annex 2 to Decree No. 770/2005, automobiles can be imported only during the year of their manufacture, except for some vehicles with special features subject to prior approval by the Minister of Trade after obtaining the opinion of the Minister of Interior Affairs. Since 2004 and pursuant to Ministerial Decree No. 161/2004, textile and clothing products are not subject to any import prohibitions.
3.71.
The Ministry of Health prohibits the importation of natural products, vitamins, and food supplements in their finished form. The legal basis for this prohibition is the decision taken by the Technical Committee of the Drug Control Commission on 19 February 2009. However, these items may be marketed in Egypt through local manufacture under licence, or by sending ingredients and premixes to a local pharmaceutical firm to be prepared and packed in accordance with Ministry of Health specifications. Until recently, only local factories were allowed to produce food supplements, and to import raw materials used in the manufacturing process. However, Egypt is currently allowing importation of certain food supplements as bulk-type registered products that are subsequently packed in Egypt according to market needs.
3.72.
The importation of certain products is subject to specific administrative formalities. In accordance with Prime Minister Decree No. 2992/2016 and Ministerial Decree No. 24/2017, some agricultural commodities including wheat grains, corn used for the feed industry, and soya bean seeds for oil extraction, are allowed to be imported only upon approval from the GOEIC, unless the commodities are imported by governmental bodies (see below). Permits from the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority are required for the import of telecommunications equipment, in accordance with the Telecommunications Regulation Law No. 10/2003.
3.73.
Annex 2 to Decree No. 770/2005 contains a list of the goods that are allowed to be imported used and the conditions under which they can be imported (Table 3.15). These include machines, equipment and sport gear, certain equipment and means of transportation, computers, and containers, among others. Importation of some of these products is contingent upon meeting certain conditions.
3.74.
Annex 3 to Decree No. 770/2005 contains the list of goods than can be imported under special conditions. They include passenger cars and parts, apparel, some fabrics, carpets, shoes, some consumer goods and some petroleum products. The importation of these goods is subject to meeting the specific requirements determined in each case (Table 3.16).
3.75.
Annex 8 of the Regulations contains the list of products subject to quality control when imported and the inspection fees imposed on them (Section 3.3.2.3 and Table A3.3). The controls are performed by the GOEIC. During the period under review, Annex 8 was amended by Ministerial Decree No. 169/2009 to add a list of products and change the inspection fees for a number of products already included in Annex 8. Ministerial Decrees No. 305/2010, No. 784/2010, No. 219/2012 and No. 818/2015 also added new HS codes to the list of products subject to GOEIC inspection. Inspection fees are not significant; Table 3.17 contains examples of them.
3.76.
Other changes introduced to import licensing legislation during the review period include those contained in Prime Minister Decree No. 2992/2016 Organizing Imports of Strategic Agricultural Commodities, which set import permit requirements for these products. The strategic agricultural commodities covered by this decree are: wheat grains; corn used for the feed industry; and soya bean seeds. Ministerial Decree No. 24/2017 contains the regulations of Decree No. 2992/2016 and the procedures required for importing strategic agricultural commodities. Under the Decree, the importation of these commodities is prohibited without written approval from the GOEIC; this does not apply to commodities imported by governmental bodies. To obtain this approval, the goods must be subject to inspection prior to shipment by international surveillance and inspection companies registered at the GOEIC after obtaining accreditation from the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC); currently there are 10 such companies. The above inspection does not necessarily replace inspections carried out by the GOEIC upon arrival in Egypt. The importer must bear all the expenses.
3.77.
In accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 43/2016, imports for commercial purposes of a number of products will be allowed into Egypt only if they are produced by manufacturing plants or imported from the companies owning the trademarks or their distribution centres registered in the relevant established Register in the GOEIC.[88] Registration in, or striking off from this Register is decreed by the Minister of Foreign Trade who also has the authority to allow for an exemption from some or all the requirements for registration. To register in the relevant registry in the GOEIC, manufacturing plants must produce evidence of the trademarks and the trademarked products produced under licence from the trademark owners. They must also certify that the producer maintains a quality control system. The certificate must be issued by entities accredited by ILAC or the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) or an Egyptian or foreign governmental entity approved by the Minister of Foreign Trade. In the case of companies owning trademarks, registration requires a certificate stating the registration of the trademark and the trademarked goods produced, as well as a certificate from the trademark owning company containing the distribution centres that are entitled to supply the products bearing the trademark. Likewise, a certificate that the trademark owning company maintains a quality control system issued by entities accredited by ILAC or IAF or an Egyptian or foreign governmental entity approved by the Minister of Foreign Trade must be produced.[89]
B. Export prohibitions and restrictions
3.99.
Pursuant to Article 7 of Law No. 118/1975, the exportation of certain commodities can be prohibited or restricted through Ministerial Decree to meet local demand and for environmental purposes.
3.100.
Exports of rice of any kind (HS10.06), including broken rice, are banned in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 722/2016 issued on 1 August 2016; this measure has unlimited validity and was imposed due to the lack of water resources. In addition, and in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 304/2011 issued on 20 June 2011, Egypt banned the exportation of raw or tanned hides, skins or leather in their wet state including the "wet blue"; this measure has unlimited validity and bans exports of all kinds of raw or tanned hides, skins or leather included in HS codes 41.01, 41.02, 41.03, 41.04.11, 41.04.19, 41.05.10, 4106.21, 4106.31 and 4106.91. Asses' hides and skins are excluded from the scope of this decree in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 692/2012 as amended by Ministerial Decree No. 1036/2012, which allows the exportation of 8,000 asses' hides and skins annually, subject to prior approval of the General Organization for Veterinary Service in the Ministry of Agriculture. Approval is required for each consignment and within the imposed annual quota. Egypt does not impose any export licensing requirements.
WTO's environmental database (EDB)
The EDB contains environment-related measures that may qualify as QRs and therefore should be notified under the QR Decision.