Importing phones and consumer electronics from China to Egypt: HS chapters, Egyptian rules and where they are made

Telephones (HS 8517.11, 8517.12) are on the Decree 43 list; phones, wireless earbuds, wireless chargers and routers need NTRA type approval, and IMEI files are part of the shipment documents.

HS chapters involved

• Chapter 85 · Electrical machinery and equipment; sound and TV equipment

Egyptian rules that may apply

• Factory / trademark-owner registration (Decree 43/2016): Ministerial Decree 43 of 2016, with additions in Decree 44 of 2019, lists products that may be released only if they come from a manufacturer or trademark owner registered with GOEIC. Confirm the Chinese factory or brand owner is registered before you order.
• NTRA type approval for telecom equipment: Type approval from NTRA is compulsory when importing, manufacturing or assembling any equipment with a communication element, such as phones, wireless earbuds, wireless chargers and routers. The NTRA guide notes that a type approval certificate is not an import permit; the importer also needs an NTRA import permit.
• Advance Cargo Information (ACI) and ACID via Nafeza: Before sea shipment, the Egyptian importer registers the shipment on Nafeza to obtain an ACID number, and the Chinese exporter must hold a verified CargoX account to send the invoice, packing list, bill of lading copy and certificate of origin electronically. The customs FAQ states that from 1 October 2021, sea cargo whose bills of lading carry no ACID is not unloaded in Egyptian ports.
• Egyptian standards (EOS): The Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) issues Egyptian standards. Imported goods are generally checked against the applicable standard and inspected at the border by GOEIC, so tell the factory which standard applies and check that its test reports cover it.

Related items on the Decree 43 list

• Telephones (HS 8517.11, 8517.12)

Related Chinese clusters

• Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen (Guangdong) · electronic components, phone accessories and consumer electronics
• Dongguan (Guangdong) · electronics, communications equipment and contract manufacturing

Related documents

• ACI pre-registration and ACID number
• Commercial invoice
• Decree 43 factory registration
• Product approvals (NTRA, EDA, NFSA)

Sources

• WCO · HS Nomenclature 2022 edition · wcoomd.org
• GOEIC · Ministerial Decree 43/2016 (factory registration list) · goeic.gov.eg
• GOEIC · Decree 44/2019 (additions to the list) · goeic.gov.eg
• MCIT · Type Approval · mcit.gov.eg
• NTRA · type approval guide for telecom equipment (Arabic PDF) · digital.tra.gov.eg
• NTRA · digital type approval service · digital.tra.gov.eg
• Nafeza · ACI pre-registration steps (Arabic) · nafeza.gov.eg
• Egyptian Customs Authority · ACI frequently asked questions (PDF) · customs.gov.eg
• CargoX help · documents required for Egypt ACI · cargox.help
• EOS · Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality · eos.org.eg
• GOEIC · General Organization for Export and Import Control · goeic.gov.eg
• Wikipedia · Huaqiangbei · en.wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia · Dongguan · en.wikipedia.org

Note

This is an overview, not legal advice; the latest rules of the Egyptian authorities prevail.

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