Egypt’s Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait emphasized that there is no intention to once again postpone making the new advance cargo information (ACI) system, scheduled for 1st of October, mandatory for all importers.

In a press conference earlier today, Maait stressed on the country’s commitment to facilitating Egypt’s customs clearance procedures in a bid to transform Egypt into an international logistics destination.

Businesses once again lobbied for a new deadline extension earlier this week, requesting for more time to get acclimated to the system and understand it requirements.

The system’s official compulsory deadline was previously scheduled to be July 1 2021, but was delayed due to requests by Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce’s (FEDCOC) exporters and importers division and businesses shared concerns.

Once the ACI system goes live, it is currently still in its trial phase, unregistered cargo will be denied entry to the country through maritime ports, states Maait.

The previous extension gives importers, customs brokers, and companies exporting to Egypt a final opportunity to register and experiment with the system, he added.

A total of 2,500 companies have recorded about 18,000 customs transactions under the trial operation of the ACI system, which was launched in April, with the customs portal, also known as Nafeza, already covering around 95% of Egypt's exports and imports and is expected to extend to all ports by the end of 2021. 

The government is eager to provide all possible facilities and find solutions to overcome barriers that importers and their agents may have, said Maait, highlighting the several incentives offered by the government.

These include a 50% discount from subscription fees to the unified electronic platform for those who register before the end of August, and 30% for those who register by the first half of September, and 20% for those who register before the end of September 2021.

Under new amendments to the upcoming Custom Authority’s new Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system, importers and their agents will be able to postpone paying 70% of importing taxes and fees until their cargo’s arrival.

The ACI system will help identify high-risk cargo prior to their arrival so that goods will be stored in the customs warehouses for a limited period of time which will help facilitate the trade movement and encourage the entry of new investments.