Animal seed or genetic material

Import Procedure

I-INTRODUCTION

In accordance with Decree n˚83-744 of 28 July 1983 laying down the conditions for the exercise of professions relating to trade in animals, animal products and animal origin intended for human consumption, the exercise of the profession of animal feed importer is subject to obtaining an Approval issued by a joint Order of the Minister in charge of Trade and the Minister of Animal and Fishery Resources (MIRAH)/Directorate of Livestock Production/Sub-Directorate of Genetic Resources (SDRG) & Sub-Directorate of Animal Health (SDSA).

This prior authorisation should not be confused with the Preliminary Import Authorisation, which is also issued by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MIRAH) for each import operation.

It is also recalled that the import or export of any goods whatsoever requires the prior obtaining of an importer/exporter code (professional or occasional) – see Legal Regimes for Imports and Exports

 

Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MIRAH)

Abidjan – Plateau

Immeuble CAISTAB, 11th floor

BP V 84 – Ivory Coast

Tel: (+225) 20 22 99 30 / (+225) 20 21 34 23

Website: www.ressourcesanimales.gouv.ci

 

Direction des Productions d’Élevage (DPE)

Sous-Direction des Ressources Génétiques (SDRG) & Sous-Direction de la Santé Animale (SDSA)

Abidjan – Plateau, Cité Administrative, Tower A, 2nd floor

Tel:(+225) 20 22 69 77 / (+225) 20 21 40 16

 

Directorate of Veterinary Services (DSV)

Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaires Vétérinaires en Frontières (in the customs offices at the borders including the port and airport)

Abidjan – Plateau, Cité Administrative Tour C, 11th floor

Tel: (+225) 20 21 89 72

 

II-AUTHORISATION TO IMPORT

The importation of animal seeds or genetic material is reserved for natural or legal persons who have a license to practice the profession. This authorisation is issued by a joint order of the Minister in charge of Trade and the Minister of Animal and Fishery Resources (MIRAH) – see Decree n°93.312 of 11 March 1993 and Decree n°83-744 of 28 July 1983.

  1. Procedure for issuing the authorization

In accordance with Decree n°93-312 of 11 March 1993 setting the conditions for the exercise of professions related to the Trade of Animals and Animal Products and of Animal Origin (DAOA), and Order n° 19/MIPHRA/CAB of 09 April 2009, the issuance of the Authorisation to Exercise professions related to the trade of animal products is carried out for companies based in Abidjan, after submission and examination of a file to the attention of the Direction des Productions d’Élevage (DPE)/ Sous-Direction des Ressources Génétiques (SDRG) & Sous-Direction de la Santé Animale (SDSA) of the Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources.

 

For facilities located in other parts of the country, the application must be submitted to the Prefecture concerned.

Approval is issued by an inter-ministerial commission chaired by the Ministry of Trade. The list of authorised companies is published annually by Inter-ministerial Order.

  1. Documents to be provided

For a first application

The list of documents is as follows:

  • Handwritten application (to the attention of the President of the Approval Commission, Decree n°93-312 of 11 March 1993 – District of Abidjan).
  • Valid identity certificate (identity card or residence permit).
  • Extract from the Criminal Record dated less than three months.
  • Extract from the Trade Register bearing a mention relating to the profession applied for.
  • Certificate of location of the place of work (by the Town Hall of the commune concerned).
  • Certificate of visit and counter visit with chest X-ray of the manager.
  • 4 passport photos of the manager.
  • List of employees.
  • Certificate of visit and counter-visit and chest x-ray of the employees.
  • Certified copy of diploma (optional).
  • File of the company director/manager including all the above mentioned documents.
  • Declaration of Tax Existence (see general sheet on imports).
  • Certificate of Veterinary Inspection of the company’s premises.
  • Receipt of payment of the fees relating to the application file to the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries.
  •  

For a renewal of authorization

The list of documents is as follows:

  • Handwritten application (to the attention of the President of the Approval Commission, Decree n°93-312 of 11 March 1993 – Abidjan District).
  • Certificate of identity (Identity Card or Residence Card) valid for the time being.
  • Certificate of location of the place of practice (by the Town Hall of the Commune concerned).
  • Certificate of visit and counter visit with chest X-ray of the manager.
  • Certified copy of the previous year’s license.
  • Copy of the Professional Card that is issued by the MIRAH at the time of the first application.
  • 4 passport photos of the manager.
  • List of employees.
  • Certificate of visit and counter visit and chest X-ray of the employees.
  • File of the person in charge/manager of the company including all the documents mentioned above.
  • Certificate of Non-bankruptcy (Commercial Court of the place of residence).
  • Certificate of Tax Regularity (Tax Department of your Municipality).
  • Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (Veterinary Inspection Service).
  • Receipt of payment of the fees relating to the application file to the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries.

 

III-DOCUMENTS

  1. Import Declaration Form (IDF)

The Import Declaration Form (IDF) – see Example of IDF – is compulsory if the value of the goods exceeds five hundred thousand (500,000) F CFA.

 

The IDF is established online via the transactional site of the Guichet Unique du Commerce Extérieur (GUCE). Access to the site 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 import of products listed below, the IDF application will only be validated after receipt of the Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA) – see API procedure below – in the online file, validated, endorsed and signed by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries.

 

  1. Prior Authorisation for Importation (API)

Pending a fully dematerialised procedure, this procedure is currently carried out, initially online, and then continued manually.

The Preliminary Import Authorisation (API) is necessary to obtain the Import Declaration Form (IDF) – see Import Declaration Form procedure above.

The validity period of an API is 6 months and is renewable.

Online procedure

The procedure for requesting an API 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 issued 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 API.

  • 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 (API) on the GUCE platform, which is intended for the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries, which will validate it online, after physical examination of the file and payment of the API fee to the Ministry.
  • The documents to be downloaded are:
    • The Invoice (Pro-forma or final).
    • The International Veterinary Certificate issued by the official veterinary services of the exporting country.

The agents of the Directorate of Livestock Production (DPE) and the Sub-Directorate of Supply and Market Regulation will validate the API online after payment and physical reception of the file.

 

Manual procedure

The importer goes to the Direction des Productions d’Élevage/ Sous-Direction des Ressources Génétiques (SDRG) & Sous-Direction de la Santé Animale (SDSA) of the Ministère des Ressources Animales et Halieutiques to submit the file (IDF number, copy of the Invoice and copy of the Authorisation to practice the profession, form to be filled in).

 

He also pays the transaction cost of the API which is  20.000 F CFA / seed.

The agents of the Direction des Productions d’Élevage (DPE) and the Direction des Productions d’Élevage/ Sous-Direction des Ressources Génétiques (SDRG) & Sous-Direction de la Santé Animale (SDSA) examine the file and validate the IPA online (Validation: between 2h and 72h after physical submission of the file).

 

  1. Cargo Tracking Form (CTS)

For all imports by sea, the exporter, the foreign forwarder and the importer must register the Cargo Tracking Form (CTF) via the website of the Office Ivoirien des Chargeurs (OIC).

Upon shipment

Registration of the CTF (see Common Import Procedure). The following documents are required:

  • The Final Invoice.
  • Bill of Lading (B/L).
  • Packing List.
  • Customs Export Declaration of the country of shipment of the goods;
  • Certificate of local insurance in Côte d’Ivoire.
  • 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.

  1. Certificate of Value

As soon as the goods are shipped and all the transport documents for the goods are available (Final Commercial Invoice, Ocean Bill of Lading or Air Waybill, Packing List, Freight Invoice, copy of the IDF and all other available certificates), the freight forwarder must initiate a request for a Certificate of Value.

All goods with an FOB value greater than or equal to one (1) million CFA francs must obtain a Final Classification and Value Report (FCVR) from the Directorate of Risk Analysis, Intelligence and Value (DARRV) of the Customs via the electronic platform of the GUCE – Cf. Customs Circular n°2007 of 29 March 2019.

The authorised forwarder downloads and fills in the Notice of Deposit (ND). 

He attaches the documents accompanying the goods (see list above) to the deposit notice and uploads the entire file online on the GUCE platform.

The Customs Directorate of Risk Analysis, Intelligence and Value (DARRV) checks the shipping documents and delivers the Final Classification and Value Report by e-mail to the consignee or freight forwarder within 5 working days of the submission of the documents.

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 quality control or to visually assess the apparent condition of the goods) and physically deposits 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 Attestation of Verification (AV).

Goods with an FOB value of less than one (1) million CFA francs and certain other products are exempt from the FCVR procedure – see the list of goods not subject to FCVR on the website www.douane.ci – see the General Import Procedure tab on the website.

IV- AUTHORISATIONS AND CERTIFICATES TO TAKE DELIVERY OF THE GOODS

The Customs declaration must first be filled in online on the GUCE platform (SYDAM declaration system). Once this document has been drawn up, it should be printed in order to present it to the MIRAH Border Veterinary Inspection and Control Service to obtain the Sanitary Pass and other related documents.

Before the final submission of the Import Declaration to Customs, the freight forwarder must present the file to the Direction des Services Vétérinaires / Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaire Vétérinaire en Frontières of the Customs office concerned, which issues the Health Certificate and the Sanitary Pass.

The Veterinary Inspection Certificate must also be presented to Customs in order to take delivery of the imported goods.

These documents are necessary to receive the Bon à Enlever (BAE) from Customs and take delivery of the imported goods.

  1. Sanitary Pass

The Sanitary Pass gives permission for animal and animal products to enter Côte d’Ivoire subject to the issuance of the Health Certificate.

The necessary documents are the following:

  • Customs declaration.
  •  
  • Certificate of Origin from the country of origin (photocopy).
  • International Veterinary Certificate issued by the official veterinary services of the exporting country.
  • API (Preliminary Import Authorisation).
  • IDF (Import Declaration Form).
  • Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB) or Consignment note.
  • Cargo Tracking Form.
  • Certificate of insurance of the goods.

  1. Certificate of Healthiness

The Health Certificate is issued after physical examination of the goods by an inspector of the MIRAH Border Veterinary Inspection and Control Service.

 

If a problem is found, the Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaires Vétérinaires en Frontières requests analyses, which will be carried out at the importers’ expense.

 

The Health Certificate authorises the release for sale or consumption of a product declared fit for human consumption or a product that complies with the quality standards required for import.

 

It is coupled with the issuance of the Sanitary Pass. 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.
  • Certificate of Health of the country of origin.
  • International Veterinary Certificate issued by the official veterinary services of the exporting country.
  • Certificate of Origin (photocopy).
  • Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA).
  • Test results (if tests have been requested).
  • Inspection Report (Inspection Report of the physical control of the goods).

 Cost: Free of charge

 

 

  1. Certificate of Veterinary Inspection

 

If the examination of the file and the physical inspection of the goods demonstrate that the goods meet the quality criteria of the Ivorian standards, the Chief Veterinary Officer of the “Service Phytosanitaire” issues a Veterinary Inspection Certificate.

 

The Veterinary Inspection Certificate authorises the entry of the products into the country.

Cost: CFA F 5,000 per certificate

The documents to be presented are the following:

 

  • Customs declaration
  • Invoice
  • Transport title: Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB) or Consignment note
  • Certificate of Health of the country of origin
  • Côte d’Ivoire Health Certificate
  • International Veterinary Certificate issued by the official veterinary services of the exporting country
  • Certificate of Origin (photocopy)
  • Preliminary Import Authorisation (PIA)
  • Results of Analysis (if analysis has been requested)
  • Inspection Report (Inspection Report of the physical control of the goods)

 

 

  1. Customs declaration

 

 

On arrival

 

 

The Customs declaration is made by a forwarding agent appointed by the importer and approved by Customs – see list of forwarding agents 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:

 

 

  • The Original Bill of Lading (B/L) for sea shipments, or the Air Waybill (AWB) for air shipments or the Consignment note for road shipments.
  • Original supplier’s invoice.
  • Certificate of Insurance.
  • Import Form (IDF) – via the GUCE website.
  • Freight Invoice.
  • International Veterinary Certificate issued by the official veterinary services of the exporting country.
  • Final Classification and Value Report (FCVR) if the FOB value is at least one (1) million F CFA (or the Attestation of Value (AV) if the FOB value is less than one (1) million F CFA, or if the products are excluded from the FCVR – see the list of goods not subject to the FCVR on the websites douane.ci and www.webbfontaine.ci.
  • The Packing List.
  • The Customs receipt if the method of payment of duties and taxes is cash.
  • The Cargo Tracking Form (CTF) issued by the Ivorian Shippers’ Office (OIC) for transport by sea.
  • The 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 (see General Import Procedures).
  • A Health Certificate from the country of shipment.

 

  • The Bon à Enlever (BAE) from the Customs will 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 Service (Direction des Services Vétérinaires / Service d’Inspection et de Contrôle Sanitaires Vétérinaires en Frontières du MIRAH) of the Customs office concerned,
  • the Sanitary Pass, and
  • the Health Certificate issued after a possible physical control of the imported goods.

 

 

V-OTHER CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY MIRAH

 

These documents may be required in addition to the usual documentation, depending on the case.

 

  1. Sampling report

 

The Sampling Report is issued by the Directorate of Veterinary Services / Veterinary Border Inspection and Control Service and provides proof that a product has been sampled 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).

 

 

 

  1. Certificate of Consignment

 

The Certificate of Consignment is issued by the Border Veterinary Inspection and Control Service and serves as proof that a product is consigned and should not be sold pending a verdict of release or destruction.

Cost: Free of charge.

 

List of documents required for the issuance of the Certificate of Consignment:

 

 

  • Packing list.
  • Customs declaration.
  • Laboratory analysis results.
  • Sampling report.

 

 

  1. Certificate of release from detention

 

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 safe, the Inspection Service officer lifts the consignment in order to make the product available to the operator.

List of documents required for the issuance of the Certificate of Release: Results of laboratory analysis

 

 

  1. Certificate of Seizure

 

The Certificate of Seizure attests that the product has been effectively seized and is useful to the importer in asserting his rights against the supplier.

List of documents required for the issuance of the Certificate of Seizure: Report of the structure in charge of the destruction.

 

  1. Report of Destruction

 

The Report of Destruction concerns all Animal and Animal Products (AAP) and attests that the product has been effectively destroyed. It is useful for the importer to assert his rights with the supplier.

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[1] 80% of the amount is paid to MIRAH and 20% to the Abidjan District Pay Office