Import duty in various African Countries

Question

We are a small charity who export refurbished tools to Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Where can I find a list of the import duties to be paid in the listed countries?

Answer

Dear Alan,

If you already know the tariff codes for the items you are sending, you can use the following link

http://madb.europa.eu/madb/indexPubli.htm and click on taiffs and enter the country of destination and the first 4 digits of the tariff code, it will then show you the import duties. It maybe that as it is a charity shipment to aid development that the normal rates do not apply and some reductions may be applicable. Also some of the destinations you mention have pre-shipment inspection requirements, again it maybe that there are some exemptions in place as you are a charity.
We ship regularly to Africa and would welcome the oppertunity to assist / quote you for any shipments you may have.

Trust in order
Best regards
Darren

Answer

Hi

Duty rates vary dependant on several factors such as type of product, country of origin etc.

You can use the Market Access Database to determine the import duty rates for your products:

http://madb.europa.eu/madb/datasetPreviewFormATpubli.htm?datacat_id=AT&from=publi

You will need to establish the tariff heading for the goods you are planning on exporting. The tariff heading is the first four figures of your products harmonised commodity code which can be found in one of the following ways:

1. Calling the tariff classification helpline – 01702 366077 – More info at

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_001640&propertyType=document

2. Using MADB’s
3. Using the UK Trade Tariff

Market Access Database – Tariff Classification:

http://madb.europa.eu/madb/findProductCodeATIF.htm?cmd=chapters&ahscode1=01&limit=4&show=sections&id=undefined

UK Trade tariff:

https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff

Note that some African and Middle Eastern countries run some from of Product Conformity/Verification Programme meaning you may need a Pre-Shipment inspection and/or a Certificate of Conformity to enable customs clearance. Countries include:

• Algeria
• Botswana
• Cameroon
• Egypt
• Ghana
• Iraq
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Mexico
• Nigeria
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Uzbeckistan
• Zambia

You can establish if your products will fall into the PCP regulations using the tariff/commodity code.

I hope this helps and should you have any questions or require further support please email me.

Kind regards

Gemma Price
[email protected]

Export Action Plan