South Africa - 11th November 2013

Invoice Requirements

South African Customs will no longer accept any "Proforma" invoices for clearance purposes, all invoices must be "commercial" invoices only.

All shipments arriving in South African with a proforma invoice will automatically be detained by Customs and a request for a commercial invoice issued.

Shipments detained due to invoice requirements will experience a minimum delay of 24 hours and release from Customs will be dependent on availability of commercial invoice from origin.

There is also the possibility of penalties being issued on these shipments.

Fiji - 24th April 2013

Customs Paperwork & Tax ID Requirements

Please note below Fiji Customs requirements to facilitate expedite clearance from Fiji Customs.

1. All commercial goods MUST be accompanied with either a typed /computer generated Commercial Invoice or Tax Invoice (other types of invoice / valuation documentation are not acceptable).

- All invoices should be in English language.
- Customs tariff numbers to be shown for each item on the invoice.
- The invoice should be itemised with unit and inclusive (complete) price.

Under Fiji Customs Act 1986, it is an offence if non-genuine documents or under valued invoice are provided to Fiji Customs. Such offences will lead to heavy fines and penalties by the Authorities.

2. All non-biodegradable plastic bags require an Import Permit from Director of Environment.

3. New Fiji Customs Rules require all importers to have a Tax Identification Number (TIN) registered with Fiji Customs. In absence of this, XPS can arrange registration on behalf of the Importer provided the importer submits their TIN letter to XPS.

Angola - 24th April 2013

Customs Import Guidelines

1.Customs clearance must take place before goods can be released for all high value shipments (above USD 400) into Angola. Customs have the right to re-evaluate consignments should they wish, which may result in the consignment becoming a high value shipment, and therefore requiring formal clearance before it is released.

1. All commercial goods MUST be accompanied with either a typed /computer generated Commercial Invoice or Tax Invoice (other types of invoice / valuation documentation are not acceptable).

2.It is recommended that a mobile phone number of the receiver/consignee is indicated on the paperwork.

3.All medicines require authorisation from the Ministry of Health as part of the clearance process.

4.It is a mandatory requirement for the receiver/consignee to obtain an INACOM licence from the Ministry of Telecommunications for all consignments which contain the items listed below. In order to avoid any delays the licence should be obtained prior to the arrival of the consignment into Angola.

-Communications equipment
-Computer components & parts
-Electronic equipment
-Telecommunications equipment

Turkey - 5th April 2013

Restrictions on the Importation of Alcoholic Beverages

Tight restrictions are applied to all alcoholic beverages imported into Turkey as per Turkish Customs Regulations.

If wine or other alcoholic beverage shipments are imported, even if they are sent as gifts or samples, they will be held by Turkish Customs and contents will be destroyed.

Importation of alcoholic beverages can only be undertaken by Alcoholic Beverage Companies, which have special permission from the Turkish Government.

Kenya - Commercial Invoice Requirements

For all non-document shipments, an original commercial invoice must be provided. Pro-forma invoices are not accepted and shipments will be detained / stopped by Customs and processing will be terminated pending compliance.

Original commercial invoices must accompany the actual consignment and contain the following information: -

1. Name and address of the consignor (Shipper) and consignee (Receiver), including contact details

2. Invoice date

3. Complete and meaningful description and origin of the goods

4. HS Code (Harmonised Tariff Code)

5. True value of the goods (individual unit value, total value by type of goods, total invoice value and currency)

6. Statement to confirm accurate and true details provided on invoice - signature and date

7. All freight cost must be stipulated / predetermined on all commercial invoices

8. Only computer generated invoices are accepted. Hand written invoices are not permitted

9. Terms of delivery (Incoterms) - transaction terms between seller and buyer

10. Reason for export

Please ensure all commercial invoices have a true commercial value. Statements such as "value for customs purposes only" should be avoided, as this may lead to re-evaluation and additional fines/delays.

Bangladesh - Non-Document Invoice Requirements

For all non-document consignments arriving in Bangladesh, the following information must be provided on the commercial invoice:

1. Description of contents must be clear (vague descriptions such as fabric, garments, swatches, spare parts, etc. must be avoided)

2. Only computer generated invoices are accepted, and must be in English. Hand written invoices are not permitted

Consignments arriving without the above mentioned information will attract penalties which will be charged back to the sender.

Ukraine - Commercial Invoice Requirements

Please be informed that the Ukraine Customs Authorities have strict requirements related to invoices for import consignments into Ukraine. There must be at least 3 ORIGINAL copies. Furthermore it is mandatory that the following detail be shown on the invoice:

1. Sender's detailed address and phone number

2. Receiver's detailed address and phone number

3. Detailed goods description for each individual item. (General description such as samples and gifts or personal items are not acceptable)

4. Quantity of each commodity, mentioned on the invoice

5. Value per unit (preferably in globally traded currencies such as EUR, USD)

6. HS Code (Harmonised Tariff Code)

7. Total value of goods (preferably in globally traded currency such as EUR, USD). "No commercial value" or "nil" will NOT be accepted by Customs

8. Terms of delivery (Incoterms) - transaction terms between seller and buyer

9. Freight charges, mentioned as a separate item on the Invoice

10. Country of origin

11. Parcel with a value over EUR 100,00 must be accompanied with original Certificate(s) of Origin

Shipments without original invoices cannot be cleared and will be subject to delay until such required documents are received from the Sender.

In case of non-compliance of the above requirements, consignments will be returned back to the origin at the senders cost.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Instructions from the Saudi Food and Drug Department

Please note that the Saudi Arabia Food and Drug Department has implemented new instructions:

1. No medicines can be shipped to a named private individual in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

2. No vitamins or steroids for building muscles will be allowed unless it is under a registered company in the Kingdom and approved by the MOH (Ministry of Health)

3. Any movement of medicines into the Kingdom should be with the prior approval from the MOH (Ministry of Health)

4. Any movement of medicines should be packed in temperature controlled packaging.

Any deviation from this will lead to the consignment being confiscated and destroyed by Customs, and a penalty will be levied to the receiver by the Saudi Arabian authorities.

Australia - Prohibited Items

Australian Customs have released the below information relating to goods that will be seized and destroyed entering Australia.

Australian Customs have stated that the following items are not permitted for importation into Australia.

- Laser pointers

- Flick knives

- Novelty shock devices, such as electric fly swatters and cigarette lighters

These goods will be seized and destroyed by Australian Customs and Border Protection if arriving into Australia. Please ensure no such items are shipped.

Botswana, Mozambique and Swaziland-24th October 2012

Commercial Invoice Requirements

1. Name and address of the consignor (Shipper) and consignee (Receiver), including contact details

2.Invoice date

3.Complete and meaningful description and origin of the goods

4.HS Code (Harmonised Tariff Code)

5.True value of the goods (Price per item, total value per type of goods, total value and currency)

6.Statement to confirm accurate and true details provided on invoice - signature and date

7.All freight cost must be stipulated / predetermined on all commercial invoices

8.Only computer generated invoices are accepted. Hand written invoices are not permitted

9.Incoterms - transaction terms between seller and buyer

10.Receiver VAT number

11Reason for export

Please ensure all commercial invoices have a true commercial value. Statements such as "value for customs purposes only" should be avoided, as this may lead to re-evaluation and additional fines/delays.

Russian Federation-24th October 2012

Classification of Document Shipments

Only printed or written documents on paper can be sent as a "document shipment" to the Russian Federation. Any other type of shipment such as CD’s encoded with documents are regarded as non-document shipments by Russian Customs and must be shipped as such.

Non-document goods shipped as 'documents' (other then actual written or printed papers) identified by Customs will be considered as a violation of Russian Customs legislation and may result in possible delays and fines.

Thailand -24th October 2012

Import Restrictions for Drugs / Pharmaceuticals

An import license is required prior to approval of any drugs / pharmaceutical products shipped to Thailand. Failure to obtain an import license prior to shipping of such commodities may result in a customs fine being levied and potentially lead to the consignment being confiscated and destroyed by Customs.

Further information can be obtained from the Thai Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.moph.go.th/eng/drug/index.stm