Convenció internacional i procediments duaners a Afganistan

International Conventions

Party to the Kyoto Protocol

International Economic Cooperation

Member of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

Member of Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC)

Member of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)

Member of the World Trade Organization (since July 2016)

Non Tariff Barriers

Trade with Afghanistan is complicated and cumbersome. Customs regulations and procedures are neither transparent nor consistent (see below). The World Bank 2018 Doing Business Report ranks Afghanistan on the 183th position out of 190 countries in terms of ease in trading across borders.
Government procurement is covered by the Public Procurement Law (October 2005) which stipulates that procuring entities establish a domestic procurement requirement and provides a bid price incentive to entities that have a resident representative and pay Afghan taxes. The Hydrocarbons Law of 2009 and the Minerals Law of 2009 stipulate that if Afghan goods and services are similar and equivalent in quality, quantity, and price to imported foreign goods and services, contractors are obligated to purchase and procure Afghan goods and services.

Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports

Afghanistan Customs and Other Import Duties was at 32.55% in 2016, compared to 31.77% in 2015, according to the Aghanistan customs office.

Customs Classification

Afghanistan is a member of the World Customs organisation and does comply with the harmonised customs system.

Import Procedures

All imported goods and products must submit a customs declaration accompanied by an invoice or other proof of the price actually paid as well as a certificate of origin, and shipment documentation (original bill of lading and packing list).  Transit permission is required for shipments transiting through Pakistan; the Transit Department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MoCI) oversees transit permission. Importers and exporters must consider whether supporting documentation should be sought from “interested” Ministries prior to Customs declaration; armored vehicles require Ministry of Interior (MoI) certification; communication equipment requires the approval of the Ministry of Communications (MoC); and medicines require Ministry of Public Health certification.
You can consult the Afghan Investment Support Agency website to find out more about the process for customs clearance.

Importing Samples

There are no specific procedures for samples shipments. Sample shipments require the same set of documents as a normal shipment. The value of goods should still appear on the commercial invoice indicating "for customs clearance purpose only'' on the invoice. Zero value invoices are not acceptable.

To go further, check out our service Import Controls and Export Controls.

For Further Information

Afghan Customs Department
Afghanistan Export Promotion Agency

Find out more about Sales and Distribution Service Providers in Afghanistan on GlobalTrade.net, the Directory for International Trade Service Providers.