International convention and customs procedures of Bahrain

International Conventions

Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Party to the Kyoto Protocol
Party to the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Party to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
Party to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer

International Economic Cooperation

Member of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

Member of Arab League.

The country is also part of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), a pact of the Arab League entered into force in January 2005 which aims to form an Arabic free trade area.

Non Tariff Barriers

Products such as live animals, fruits and vegetables, plants, weapons and telecommunication material are regulated. Their entry/import into the Kingdom of Bahrain is only permitted on presenting a valid permit or authorisation from the competent regulatory body.

Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports

4.21%

Customs Classification

Bahrain uses the Harmonised System (HS).

Import Procedures

Anyone who wishes to import goods to Bahrain for the purpose of sale or consumtion must obtain a general licence from the Directorate of Customs and Ports of the Ministry of Finance and National Economy. Importers must fill in the customs declaration and present the following documents:

1. Import Customs Declaration Form (CDF)
2. Delivery note from the exporting agent to the importer (with valid CR)
3. Three copies of the exporter's invoices (originals) to the importer
4. Two copies of the Packing List with details of weight, packaging and commodity classification for each article submitted
5. A certificate of origin (original) of the competent Chamber of Commerce of the country of origin of goods
6. A copy of the insurance policy
7. Original Bill of Lading
8. Import permit / authorization of the competent authority for the import of controlled goods
9. Bank statement / guarantee (if applicable)
10. A statistical declaration if the final destination of the goods is within countries of the Cooperation Council (GCC)

After the Customs Declaration has been submitted using the deCAS system, the clearance procedure for the imported goods is as follows:

1. Pay the duties and taxes due at the customs office where the goods are to be cleared
2. Submit all necessary documents to the customs officer
3. Pay the handling fee and make an appointment at the counter of the port operator for moving cargo
4. The port operator moves the container to the checkpoint
5. Customs assess the risk level of the goods and may decide to carry out an inspection
6. Finally, the goods are cleared and can leave the customs office.

For more information, consult the website of the Customs affairs.

Importing Samples

Trade samples for expositions can sometimes be temporarily admitted, but they must be then reexported or moved to the free-trade zone or handed over to the customs office or warehouse.