Egypt

Cargo Restrictions:

1. Tobacco and cigarettes are considered high-risk cargo by Egyptian customs and shipping lines due to issues with contraband. This means they are subject to stricter scrutiny and regulations.
2. Dangerous goods require terminal approval on case-by-case bases. This ensures that all safety and regulatory measures are met before the cargo is allowed entry.
3. Importing industrial and nuclear waste is strictly prohibited in Egypt
4. Scrap cargo can be imported only after obtaining approval from POD before booking acceptance.
5. Personal Effects: If the goods are personal effects, the cargo weight for each consignee must be specified in each Bill of Lading.
6. Used Factory Machines: Used factory machines are acceptable cargo on the condition that the consignee has a license to import them.
7. Vehicles Import:
   1. The import of tuk-tuks and motorcycles as complete commodities is permanently banned.
   2. The Egyptian government allows the import of vehicles from abroad. The Bill of Lading must include the following details:
      • Car model
      • Year model
      • Chassis number
      • Car colour
   3. Import Alcohol:
      • Import and enter the free zone under the approval and supervision of the Ministry of Tourism to the tourist companies.
      • Merchants should have an import license including alcoholic drinks to import it.
      • Merchants can import alcoholic drinks only if they are a trademark agent.
      • According to above complications and for the sake of ESL benefits in Egypt, it is recommended not to accept such high-risk cargo to Egypt.

Weight Restrictions:

All cargo must adhere to the container payload limits. Any special equipment with high weights requires case-by-case approval.

Deadline for Manifest Submission to Customs:

• The manifest must be submitted to customs no later than 48 hours prior to the vessel’s arrival.

Mandatory Advance Cargo Information (ACI) on Bill of Lading:

1. ACID Number: A 19-digit number uniquely identifying the ACI shipment.
2. Egyptian Importer Tax Number: A 9-digit number issued by the Egyptian Tax Authority.
3. Exporter Identification Number: Comprising three elements:

1. Two-letter code (ISO-3166-1) representing the country where the shipper is registered.
2. The type of identification number, which represents either VAT or Registration number.
3. Exporter VAT or Registration number.

Bill of lading and Cargo Information Submission Requirements:

The mandatory data elements to be included in the transmission are as follows:

1. Shipper’s full style name and address.
2. Consignee’s full style name and address, including VAT registration number and e-mail address.
3. Notify party’s full style name and address, if the consignee is “to order,” including VAT registration number.
4. Container number(s).
5. Seal number(s).
6. Cargo gross weight (goods + tare).
7. Net weight (goods).
8. Number of packages.
9. Package type.
10. HS code.
11. Goods description.
12. UN dangerous goods code for shipments.

To comply with this regulation, we request our customers to provide complete and accurate shipping instructions as per the timelines stipulated above. Additionally, OOG shipments require pre-approvals.