Summary
I-INTRODUCTION
The right to import live animals for the purpose of exploiting them in Côte d’Ivoire is reserved for persons and companies holding an Authorisation to practice the profession of Livestock Merchant/Livestock Broker/Butcher and Slaughtering/Detailing Meatcutter issued by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MIRAH)/Direction of Livestock Production/Sub-Direction of Supply and Market Regulation.
The import itself is subject to a Preliminary Import Authorisation from the Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources (MIRAH) – see Legal regimes for imports – see General Import Procedure tab.
Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MIRAH)
Abidjan – Plateau, Immeuble CAISTAB, 11th floor
BP V 84 – Côte d’Ivoire
Tel:(+225) 20 22 69 77 / (+225) 20 21 40 16
http://www.ressourcesanimales.gouv.ci/
Direction des Productions d’Elevage (DPE)
Sous -Direction de l’Approvisionnement et de la Réglementation des Marchés (SDARM)
Abidjan – Plateau, Cité Administrative, Tower B, 2nd floor
Directorate of Veterinary Services (DSV)
Abidjan – Plateau
Cité Administrative Tower C, 11th floor
Tel: (+225) 20 21 89 72
Direction des Services Vétérinaires
Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaires Vétérinaires en Frontières (in the customs offices at the borders including the port and airport)
The following regulations are applicable to the importation of fair trade meat and meat products.
II-AUTHORISATION TO IMPORT
The importation of these products is reserved for natural or legal persons who hold an authorisation to practice the profession of livestock dealer / livestock broker / butcher and slaughterer-retailer issued by the Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources (MIRAH).
For any actual import, a Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA) is issued by the Direction des Productions d’Elevage (DPE) / Sous -Direction de l’Approvisionnement et de la Réglementation des Marchés.
This procedure is currently carried out online and manually. The validity period of a PIA is 6 months.
In addition, it is recalled that all imports into Côte d’Ivoire are subject to the obligation, for individuals as well as for legal entities, to have a permanent or temporary importer/exporter code. (See General Import Procedure tab).
PROCEDURE FOR ISSUING A LICENSE TO OPERATE
In accordance with Decree No. 93-312 of 11 March 1993 laying down the conditions for the exercise of professions relating to trade in animals and Animal Commodities and Commodities of animal origin (ACAD) [Order No. 35 /MINAGRA/MIC/INT of 08 April 1993]. [A1993.35]
The procedure for issuing the Authorisation to Exercise professions related to trade in animals, animal products and animal origin (DAOA) intended for human consumption – Cf. Decree n°93-312 of 11 March 1993 – is issued after submission of the relevant file to the Direction des Productions d’Elevage (DPE)/Sous -Direction de l’Approvisionnement et de la Réglementation des Marchés of the Ministry of Animal and Halieutic Resources and is issued by an Inter-ministerial Commission (chaired by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and the ¨Promotion of SMEs) which meets at least three (3) times a year.
Documents to be provided for the acquisition of the authorisation to exercise the profession
The following file is to be submitted to the Direction des Productions d’Elevage (DPE) /Sous -Direction de l’Approvisionnement et de la Réglementation des Marchés.
For a first application:
- Handwritten application (to the attention of the President of the Approval Commission, Decree n° 93-312 of 11 March 1993 – Abidjan District).
- Valid identity certificate (identity card or residence permit).
- Extract from the Criminal Record dating back less than three (3) months (Court of the place of residence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for foreign nationals).
- Extract from the Trade Register bearing a mention relating to the profession applied for.
- Certificate of location of the place of practice (Town Hall of the concerned district).
- Certificate of visit and counter-visit with chest X-ray of the manager (Public Hospitals).
- 4 identity photos of the manager (Applicant).
- List of employees (Applicant).
- Certificate of visit and counter-visit and chest x-ray of employees (Public Hospitals).
- Certified copy of diploma (optional).
- File of the Company’s manager/guarantor including all the above mentioned documents (Applicant).
- Declaration of Tax Existence (Tax Centre of your Municipality).
- Receipt of payment of the application fees (Direction des Services Vétérinaires).
For a renewal of authorisation:
- Handwritten request (addressed to the President of the Approval Commission, Decree n°93-312 of 11 March 1993 – District of Abidjan (Applicant).
- Certificate of Identity (Identity Card or Residence Card) currently valid.
- Certificate of location of the place of practice (Town Hall of the District concerned).
- Certificate of visit and counter visit with chest X-ray of the manager (Public Hospitals).
- Certified copy of the Patent for the previous year (TaxesTown Hall (for certification)).
- Copy of the Professional Card (Applicant).
- 4 passport photos of the manager.
- List of employees (Applicant).
- Certificate of visit and counter visit and chest X-ray of employees (Public Hospitals).
- File of the manager/guarantor of the company including all the above mentioned documents (Applicant).
- Certificate of non-bankruptcy (Court of the place of residence).
- Certificate of Tax Regularity (Tax Centre of your municipality).
- Receipt of payment of the application fee (DSV).
Obtaining the Authorisation to practice the profession
An Interministerial Commission (chaired by the Ministry of Trade) meets at least three times a year to examine and issue these authorisations. The list is published by Inter-ministerial Orders listing the annually approved establishments
III-DOCUMENTS
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IMPORT DECLARATION FORM (IDF)
The Import Declaration Form (IDF) is compulsory if the value of the goods exceeds Five Hundred Thousand (500,000) CFA francs – See Example of IDF. The IDF is established online via the transactional site of the Guichet Unique du Commerce Extérieur (GUCE). Access to the GUCE requires prior registration as an importer, exporter or forwarder. The documents and information to be provided are as follows:
- Importer Code (or Occasional Importer Code).
- Pro forma or final invoice.
- Mode of transport.
- Name of the importer’s bank (in Côte d’Ivoire) (for direct debit and exchange authorisation).
- HS codes of the products to be imported.
For the importation of the products listed below, the IDF application will only be validated after receipt of the Preliminary Import Authorisation (PAI) (see PAI procedure below), validated, endorsed and signed by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries.
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PRIOR IMPORT AUTHORIZATION (API)
Pending a fully dematerialised procedure, this procedure is currently carried out, initially online, and then continued manually. The Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA) is necessary to obtain the Import Declaration Form (IDF) – (see General Import Procedure tab). The PAI is valid for 6 months and is linked to the operation for which the request was made.
Online procedure
The procedure for requesting a Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA) is submitted online on the electronic platform of the Guichet Unique pour le Commerce Extérieur (GUCE) by economic operators or their forwarding agents. The PIA will also be allocated online at the end of the procedure. However, it will be necessary to present the physical file to the relevant Ministry in order to pay the fees for the issuance of the PIA.
- Start the Import Declaration Form (IDF) procedure on the GUCE website (see IDF procedure above).
- The system automatically generates an application for a Preliminary Import Authorisation which is sent to the Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources.
The documents to be downloaded are
- The pro forma invoice.
- Copy of the authorisation to practice the profession of importer of meat and meat products (if available).
The agents of the Direction des Productions d’Élevage (DPE) and the Sous-Direction de l’approvisionnement et de la Réglementation des Marchés will validate the PIA online after payment and physical reception of the file.
Manual procedure
The importer goes to Sous-Direction de l’approvisionnement et de la Réglementation des Marchés / Direction des Productions d’Elevage (DPE) of the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries to submit the file (IDF number, copy of the invoice and copy of the professional license).
The transaction cost of the PIA is : 5,000 FCFA / 25 t or per container.
The agents of the the Direction des Productions d’Elevage (DPE) and the Sous-Direction de l’approvisionnement et de la Réglementation des Marchés examine the file and validate the PIA online – Validation between 2 and 72 hours after the file is physically submitted.
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CARGO TRACKING SHEET (CTS)
Import by sea
For all imports by sea, the exporter, the foreign forwarder and the importer must be registered in the CTS via the website of the Office Ivoirien des Chargeurs (OIC).
At embarkation
CTS registration (see General Import and Export Procedure tabs on the website)
Required documents:
- Final Invoice or Valued Inventory for personal effects.
- Bill of Lading (B/L).
- Packing List.
- Customs Export Declaration of the country of shipment.
- Local Insurance Certificate in Ivory Coast.
- The Import Declaration Form (IDF) or its number.
- In addition, for imports from countries outside the European Union, the following are required:
- The Freight Invoice.
- The Certificate of Origin.
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CERTIFICATE OF VALUE
Live animals – see List of goods not subject to RFCV on the Customs website – are exempt from the RFCV procedure.
The freight forwarder completes Form D41 (Sampling Permit: this is an authorisation given by the importer or freight forwarder to Customs to take a sample of the goods for the purposes of a quality check or to visually assess the apparent condition of the goods) and physically lodges it with the transport documents (see List above) at the Customs Risk Analysis, Intelligence and Value Division (DARRV) for verification.
After examining the file, the DARRV issues the Certificate of Verification (AD) – see General Import Procedure tab on the website.)
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AUTHORISATIONS AND CERTIFICATES REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE GOODS
Before the import declaration is submitted to customs for validation, the freight forwarder submits the file to the Phytosanitary Service (Direction des Services Vétérinaires / Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaires Vétérinaires en Frontières du MIRAH) of the Customs office concerned, which issues it after examination of the file. The Sanitary Pass and the Health Certificate are also documents to be presented.
These documents are necessary to receive the Bon à Enlever (BAE) from the Customs and to take delivery of the imported products.
5.1 Sanitary Pass
This document authorises animal products and products of animal origin to enter Côte d’Ivoire providing they issue a health certificate.
- Customs declaration.
- Certificate of Origin from the country of origin (photocopy).
- Sanitary certificate from the country of origin (original).
- PIA (Preliminary Import Authorisation).
- IDF (Import Declaration Form).
- Bill of Lading: Sea Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB) or Consignment note.
- Cargo Tracking Form.
The cost [1] is: 20.000 FCFA per animal
5.2 Health certificate
The Health Certificate is issued after physical examination of the goods by an inspector. The Health Certificate authorises the release for sale or consumption of a product declared fit for human consumption or a product that meets the quality standards required for import. It is coupled with the issuance of the Sanitary Pass. The issuance of this certificate is free of charge. The documents to be presented for the issuance of a Health Certificate are the following:
- Customs declaration.
- Bill of lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB) or Consignment note.
- Import Health Certificate.
- Additional certificates (non ECB – non dioxin – non radioactivity).
- Certificate of Origin (photocopy).
- Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA).
- Results of analyses.
- Inspection report (inspection report of the physical control of the goods).
5.3 Veterinary Inspection Certificate
If the examination of the file and the physical inspection of the commodity demonstrate that the commodity meets the quality criteria of the Ivorian standards, the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Phytosanitary Service issues a Veterinary Inspection Attestation.
The Certificate of Veterinary Inspection authorises the entry of the products into the territory.
Cost of the Attestation: 5,000 FCFA per certificate. The documents to be presented are the following:
- Customs declaration.
- Bill of Lading or Air Waybill or Consignment Note.
- Import Health Certificate.
- Additional certificates (not ECB).
- Certificate of Origin (photocopy).
- Preliminary Import Authorisation.
- Results of analysis.
- Inspection report (inspection report of the physical control of the goods).
5.4 Customs declaration
On arrival
The Customs declaration is made by a forwarder appointed by the importer and approved by Customs. The forwarder submits the declaration in the Customs computer system – SYDAM (Sydonia World). The documents to be submitted to the freight forwarder to make the Customs declaration are the following:
- Original Bill of Lading (B/L) for sea shipments, or Air Waybill (AWB) for air shipments or Consignment note for road shipments.
- Original supplier’s invoice.
- Certificate of Insurance.
- Freight Invoice.
- Attestation of Value (AV).
- Packing List.
- The Customs receipt if the method of payment of duties and taxes is cash.
- WAEMU or ECOWAS Certificate of Origin if required.
- The Certificate of Origin.
- A Quality Certificate issued by a recognised international organisation, before shipment of the products.
- A phytosanitary certificate from the country of shipment of the meat.
Before the import declaration is submitted to customs, the freight forwarder submits the file to the Phytosanitary Service (Direction des Services Vétérinaires / Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaire Vétérinaire en Frontières du MIRAH) of the Customs office concerned, which issues the Sanitary Pass after examining the file.
The Customs’ Bon à Enlever (BAE) will only be issued after examination of the file by the Customs and the obtaining of the Veterinary Inspection Certificate signed by the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Phytosanitary Service (Direction des Services Vétérinaires / Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaires Vétérinaires en Frontières of the MIRAH) of the concerned Customs office, as well as the Sanitary Laissez-Passer and the Certificate of Health issued after a possible physical control of the imported goods.
5.5 Other certificates issued by MIRAH
Sampling report
The Procès-Verbal d’Echantillonnage is issued by the Direction des Services Vétérinaires / Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaires Vétérinaires en Frontières of MIRAH. This document provides proof that a product has been taken for analysis.
Cost: Free of charge
Its application must be accompanied by the following documents:
– Packing list.
– Customs declaration.
– Certificate of Health of the country of origin (original).
– Certificate of Origin (photocopy).
Certificate of Consignment
The Certificate of Consignment is issued by the Border Veterinary Inspection and Control Service. This document serves as proof that a product is consigned and should not be sold pending a verdict to lift the consignment or destroy it.
Cost: Free of charge
The documents required for the issuance of the Certificate are the following:
- Packing list.
- Customs declaration.
- Laboratory analysis results.
- Sampling report.
Certificate of Release on Consignment
The Certificate of Clearance is issued by the Border Veterinary Inspection and Control Service. After having consigned a doubtful product that is found to be sound, the Inspection Service officer lifts the consignment in order to make the product available to the operator. The documents required for the issuance of the document are the Results of laboratory analysis
Certificate of Seizure
The Certificate of Seizure attests that the product has been effectively seized. It is useful for the importer to assert his rights with the supplier. The document required for the delivery of the document is the report of the structure in charge of the destruction.
Destruction report
The Destruction Report concerns all Animal Commodities or Commodities of Animal Origin (ACAD). This document attests that the product has been effectively destroyed. It is useful for the importer to assert his rights with the supplier. The document required for the delivery of the document is the report of the structure in charge of the destruction.
IV- LIST OF PRODUcTS
| SH Code | Designation |
| 02 | 90 Euros |