Poultry and poultry products

I-INTRODUCTION

In accordance with Decree n˚93-312 of March 11, 1993, establishing the conditions for the exercise of professions related to the trade of animals, animal foodstuffs and animal origin (DAOA) intended for human consumption, the exercise of the profession of importer of eggs and day-old chicks is subject to obtaining a Poultry Importer’s Practice Permit. In accordance with the provisions contained in Annex I of the aforementioned decree, this definition refers to the activity of importing poultry for the purpose of reselling them live, wholesale or semi-wholesale.

Authorization is issued to individuals and companies by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MIRAH) / Direction des Services Vétérinaires (DSV) / Sous-Direction de l’Hygiène et de la Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments (SDHSSA).

This prior authorization should not be confused with the Preliminary Import Authorization, which is also issued by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MIRAH) for each import operation of animal product or animal origin.

It is also reminded that the import or export of any goods requires the prior obtaining of an importer/exporter code (professional or occasional) – Cf. Legal Regimes for Imports – (Cf. General Import Procedures tab of the site)

The list of concerned products is at the end of the page.

Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources (MIRAH)

Abidjan – Plateau

CAISTAB Building, 11th floor

BP V 84 – Côte d’Ivoire

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

Website: www.ressourcesanimales.gouv.ci

Directorate of Veterinary Services (DSV)

Sub-Directorate of Food Hygiene and Safety (SDHSSA)

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

Tel: (+225) 20 21 89 72

Directorate of Veterinary Services

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

II-AUTHORIZATION TO IMPORT

The importation of poultry and derived products is reserved only for natural or legal persons having a Permit to practice the profession of Importer of poultry and derived products issued by the Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources (MIRAH) – Cf. Decree n˚93-312 of March 11, 1993.

1. Procedure for issuing the Authorization

In accordance with Decree No. 93-312 of March 11, 1993, establishing the conditions for the exercise of professions related to the trade of animals and animal products and of animal origin (DAOA) and Order No. 35 /minagra/mic/int of April 08, 1993 [A93. 35], the issuance of the Authorization to practice professions related to the trade of animals, animal products and animal origin (DAOA) intended for human consumption is carried out after submission and examination of a file to the attention of the Direction of Veterinary Services / Sub-Directorate of Hygiene and Food Safety (SDHSSA) of the Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources.

The approval is issued by an interministerial commission chaired by the Ministry of Trade. The list of authorized companies is published annually by Inter-ministerial Order.

2. Documents to be provided

For a first application

The list of required documents is as follows :

• Handwritten application (to the attention of the President of the Accreditation Commission, Decree n°93-312 of March 11, 1993 – District of Abidjan) (Applicant).
• Valid identity card (ID card or residence permit).
• Extract from the criminal record dating 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 commune concerned).
• Certificate of visit and counter visit with chest X-ray of the manager (Public Hospitals).
• 4 passport 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 person in charge/manager of the Company including all the above mentioned documents (Applicant).
• Tax Declaration of Existence (Taxes).
• Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (Veterinary Inspection Service of the Direction of Veterinary Services, DSV).
• Receipt of payment of the application fees to the Direction des Services Vétérinaires (DSV).

The deadline for issuing the authorization is : 2 commissions per year are organized

The period of validity of the authorization is : 1 year

For an authorization renewal

The list of documents is as follows:

• Handwritten application (to the attention of the President of the Approval Commission, Decree n°93-312 of March 11, 1993 – District of Abidjan) (Applicant).
• Certificate of Identity (Identity Card or Residence Permit) in the course of validity.
• Certificate of location of the place of practice (Town Hall of the concerned Commune).
• Certificate of visit and counter visit with chest X-ray of the manager (Public Hospitals).
• Certified copy of the Patent of the previous year.
• Copy of the Professional Card (Applicant).
• 4 passport photos of the manager (Applicant).
• List of employees (Applicant).
• Certificate of visit and counter visit and chest x-ray of employees (Public Hospitals).
• File of the person in charge / 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 Center of your Municipality).
• Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (Veterinary Inspection Service, at the Direction des Services Vétérinaires, (DSV).
• Receipt of payment of the application fees (at the Direction des Services Vétérinaires, DSV).

The amount of the fees is : 100.000 FCFA/file.

The deadline for issuing the authorization is : 2 commissions per year are organized.

The validity period of the authorization is : 1 year.

III-DOCUMENTS

1. Import Declaration Form (IDF)

The Import Declaration Form (FDI) – see Example of FDI – is mandatory if the value of the goods exceeds Five hundred thousand (500,000) FCFA.

The FDI 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 the following:

• Importer Code (or Occasional Importer Code).
• Pro-forma or Final Invoice.
• Mode of transport.
• Name of the bank (in Ivory Coast) of the importer (for the direct debit and obtaining the Exchange Authorization).
• HS Codes of the products to be imported.

For the importation of products listed below, the FDI application will be validated only after receipt of the Preliminary Import Authorization (API) (see tab General Import Procedures of the site) in the online file, validated, endorsed and signed by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries.

2. Prior Authorization for Importation (API)

Pending a fully dematerialized procedure, this procedure is done today, initially online, then continued manually.

The Preliminary Import Authorization (API) is necessary to obtain the Import Form (FDI). The API is valid for 6 months and is linked to the operation for which the request was made.

Online procedure

The Preliminary Import Authorizations are submitted and obtained online on the electronic platform of the Single Window for Foreign Trade (GUCE), by economic operators or their forwarders. However, it will be necessary to present the physical file to the concerned Ministry in order to pay for the issuance of the API.

Start the procedure of the Import Declaration Form (FDI) on the GUCE website

The system automatically generates an application for a Preliminary Import Authorization (API) 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 agents of the Sub-Directorate of Food Hygiene and Safety (SDHSSA) will validate the API online after payment and physical reception of the file.

Manual procedure

The importer then goes to the Sub-Directorate of Food Hygiene and Safety (SDHSSA) of the Veterinary Services Department (DSV) of the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries to submit the file (FDI number, copy of the invoice and copy of the professional license) and pay the API.

The transaction cost of the API is : 5,000 FCFA / 25 Tons or per container

The agents of the Sub-Directorate of Food Hygiene and Sanitary Safety (SDHSSA) under the Directorate of Veterinary Services examine the file and validate the API online (Validation between 2h and 72h after the physical submission of the file to the Ministry).

3. Procedure Cargo Tracking Form (CTS)

For any import by sea, the exporter, the forwarder abroad and the importer must register the Cargo Tracking Form (CTF) via the website of the Ivorian Shippers’ Office (OIC).

At embarkation

Registration of the BSC – (See General Import Procedures tab of the website. The required documents are the following:

• Final Invoice.
• Bill of Lading (B/L).
• Packing List.
• Customs Export Declaration of the country of shipment.
• Certificate of local insurance in Côte d’Ivoire.
• The Import Declaration Form (FDI) or its number.
• In addition, for imports from countries outside the European Union, are required:
• The Freight Invoice.
• The Certificate of Origin.

4. Certificate of Value

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

All goods whose FOB value is greater than or equal to One (1) million FCFA 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 No. 2007 of 29 March 2019.

The authorized forwarder downloads and fills in the Notice of Deposit (AD).

He attaches the documents accompanying the goods (see list above) to the Notice of Deposit and uploads the whole file online on the GUCE platform.

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

The freight forwarder fills out Form D41 (Sampling Permit: this is an authorization given by the importer or freight forwarder to Customs to take a sample of the goods for the purpose of qualitative verification or to visually assess the apparent condition of the goods) and physically submits it with the shipping documents (see list above) to the Risk Analysis, Intelligence and Value Division (DARRV) of Customs for verification.

After examining the file, the DARRV issues the Certificate of Verification (AV).

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

IV-AUTHORIZATIONS AND CERTIFICATES TO REMOVE THE GOODS

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

The authorizations and certificates mentioned below are issued by the MIRAH Border Sanitary Inspection and Control Service (which depends on the Veterinary Services Directorate), which is hosted by the Phytosanitary Service of the Customs Office concerned.

Before the import declaration is submitted to the customs authorities, the forwarder must submit the file to the office of the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Plant Health Service of the customs office to obtain a Sanitary Pass.

The Health Certificate and the Inspection Attestation are also documents to be presented to the 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 the authorization to the animal commodities and of animal origin to penetrate in Côte d’Ivoire subject to the delivery of a Certificate of Healthiness. The necessary documents are the following:

• Customs declaration.
•  
• Certificate of Origin of the country of origin (photocopy).
• Sanitary Certificate of the country of origin (original).
• API (Prior Authorization for Importation).
• FDI (Import Declaration Form).
• Bill of Lading: Ocean Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB) or Consignment note.
• Cargo Tracking Form (if by sea).
• Insurance of the goods.

The cost[1] is :

• If poultry is frozen: 8 FCFA / Kg
• If the poultry is live : xxx FCFA / Kg

2. Health certificate

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

If there is a problem, the Service of Inspection and Sanitary Veterinary Control in Borders asks for analyses to be done at the importer’s expense.

The Health Certificate authorizes the 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.

Its cost is free of charge.

The documents to be presented for the issuance of a health certificate are :

• Customs declaration.
•  
• Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB) or Consignment note.
• Certificate of Health of the country of origin.
• Additional certificates (non ECB – non dioxin – non radioactivity).
• Certificate of Origin (photocopy).
• Preliminary Import Authorization (API).
• Results of Analysis (if analysis has been requested).
• Inspection Report (Inspection Report of the physical control of the goods).

3. Veterinary inspection certificate

If the examination of the file and the physical inspection of the merchandise demonstrate that the merchandise meets the quality criteria of the Ivorian standards, the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Phytosanitary Service issues a Veterinary Inspection Certificate.

The Veterinary Inspection Certificate authorizes the entry of the products on the territory.

Cost: 5,000 FCFA per certificate

The documents to be presented 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.
• Certificate of Health of the Ivory Coast.
• Additional certificates (non ECB – non dioxin – non radioactivity).
• Certificate of Origin (photocopy).
• Preliminary Importation Authorization (API).
• Results of Analysis (if analysis has been requested).
• Inspection Report (Inspection Report of the physical control of the goods).

4. Customs Declaration

Upon arrival of the goods

The Customs Declaration is made by a forwarder mandated by the importer and approved by the Customs (see List of forwarders approved by the Customs).

The forwarder submits the declaration in the computer system of the Customs – SYDAM (Sydonia World). The documents to be given to the 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 invoice from the supplier.
  • Certificate of Insurance.
  • Import Form (FDI) – via the GUCE website.
  • Freight Invoice
  • Final Classification and Value Report (FCVR) if the FOB value is at least one (1) million CFA francs (or the Certificate of Value (CV) if the FOB value is less than one (1) million CFA francs, or if the products are excluded from the FCVR – see the list of goods not subject to the FCVR on the websites www.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 (BSC) issued by the Ivorian Shippers’ Office (OIC) for sea transport.
  • The UEMOA or ECOWAS Certificate of Origin if necessary.
  • The Certificate of Origin of the exporting country.
  • A Quality Certificate issued by a recognized International Organization, before shipment of the products.
  • A Sanitary Certificate from the country of shipment.

              Before the import declaration is submitted to customs, the forwarder submits the file to the Phytosanitary Service (Veterinary Services Directorate / Veterinary Inspection and Control Service at the Borders) of the Customs office concerned, which issues the Sanitary Pass after examination of the file.

              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 Attestation signed by the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Phytosanitary Service (Direction of Veterinary Services / Service of Inspection and Sanitary Veterinary Control at the Frontiers of the MIRAH) of the concerned Customs office as well as the Sanitary Pass and the Certificate of Healthiness 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 Direction of Veterinary Services / Service of Inspection and Sanitary Veterinary Control at the Borders and allows to prove 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).

2. Certificate of Consignment

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

Cost: Free

List of documents required for the issuance of the document :

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

3. Certificate of Release on Consignment

The Certificate of Clearance is issued by the Border Veterinary Inspection and Control Service. Once a doubtful product has been consigned and found to be safe, the Inspection Service agent lifts the consignment in order to make the product available to the operator.

The cost of this procedure is free of charge.

List of documents required for the issuance of the document: Laboratory analysis results.

4. 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.

Its cost is free.

       List of documents required for the issuance of the document: The report of the structure in charge of      the destruction

5. Report of Destruction

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

Its cost is free.

         List of documents required for the delivery of the document: Report of the structure in charge of the destruction.

IV-LIST OF PRODUCTS