Democratic Republic of Congo - 1 Democratic Republic of Congo Country Profile
Generic Information
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a country in Central Africa and located in sub-Saharan Africa, bordered to the northwest by the Republic of the Congo, to the north by the Central African Republic, to the northeast by South Sudan, to the east by Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, and by Tanzania (across Lake Tanganyika), to the south and southeast by Zambia, to the southwest by Angola, and to the west by the South Atlantic Ocean and the Cabinda exclave of Angola.
By area, it is the second-largest country in Africa and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 108 million, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous officially Francophone country in the world. The capital and largest city is Kinshasa, which is also the world's most populous Francophone city and largest city in Africa. It is the third largest African city in metropolitan area after Lagos and Cairo.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is extremely rich in natural resources but has suffered from political instability, a lack of infrastructure, corruption, and centuries of both commercial and colonial extraction and exploitation with little widespread development” (Source: Wikipedia).
Generic country information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures. For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources:
Democratic Republic of Congo Wikipedia Country Information
Democratic Republic of Congo International Monetary Fund Country Information
Democratic Republic of Congo Economist Intelligence Unit Information*
(*Note: this is a paid service)
Humanitarian Info
Democratic Republic of Congo World Food Programme Information
Democratic Republic of Congo UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Information
Facts and Figures
Democratic Republic of Congo Wolfram Alpha Information
Democratic Republic of Congo - 1.1 The Democratic Republic of Congo Humanitarian Background
Disasters, Conflicts and Migration
|
Natural Disasters |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Occurs |
Comments / Details |
|
Drought |
Yes |
Climate change is affecting the country with drought period in few provinces like Nord Kivu and Haut Katanga |
|
Earthquakes |
Yes |
A 300 km wide strip on the eastern side of the country is exposed to a frequent level of seismic activity |
|
Epidemics |
Yes |
Ongoing degrees of epidemic disease outbursts of various sources. Bacterial and Protozoal diarrhea, Cholera, Hepatitis A, B Typhoid Fever, Cholera, Plague and African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), water contact disease Ebola, Measles, Poliomyelitis, HIV and Covid 19 outbreak |
|
Extreme Temperatures |
No |
However, the country is facing the consequence of climate change and the government has launched the Plan National d'Adaptation aux changements climatiques (PNA). |
|
Flooding |
Yes |
Cities and countryside are often affected by heavy rainfall during the past years with casualties and damaged infrastructure. The population living along the Congo river is particularly impacted |
|
Insect Infestation |
Yes |
Migratory locusts (2020) |
|
Mudslides |
Yes |
Frequent landslides in the Eastern DRC due to heavy rainfalls and seismic activity |
|
Volcanic Eruptions |
Yes |
4 of 5 volcanoes in the country are considered as still active. Nyiragongo volcano erupted last May 2022 for the first time since 2002 with a magnitude 4 on the Richter scale (Source: Worlddata.info) |
|
High Waves / Surges |
No |
n/a |
|
Wildfires |
Yes |
Farmers use an agrarian technique called “culture sur brûlis”, which consists of setting fire to plots of land after harvest to prepare for the next agricultural season. However, this practice is often the cause of vast fires of forests as observed during the past years |
|
High Winds |
No |
n/a |
|
Other Comments |
Because of the presence of trapped pockets of highly explosive gas (methane) at the bottom of Kivu Lake, scientists say that there is likelihood that these could be released, creating a dangerous hazard of explosion in case of contact with flames on the surface. That would necessitate a total evacuation of people from Goma, Gisenyi, the Lake Kivu surrounds, Bukavu, Cyangugu and Kibuye. |
|
|
Man-Made Issues |
||
|
Civil Strife |
Yes |
Ongoing in Eastern DRC for more 25 years (Kivu, Ituri and Kasai regions). In July 2022, protests took place in Goma in front of several bases of the Mission de l’ Organisation des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en Rd. Congo (MONUSCO) as well as in the cities of Beni, Butembo and Uvira |
|
International Conflict |
n/a |
Rebels, armed groups and militias are operating in Eastern DRC with financial and military support from neighbors' countries to create instability inside the country |
|
Internally Displaced Persons |
Yes |
5,7 million internally displacements in DRC’s eastern provinces of Kivu, Ituri and Kasai regions in 2022 (Source: WFP situation report) |
|
Refugees Present |
Yes |
As of March 31, 2022, the DRC hosts 522,121 refugees from Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan (Source: UNHCR) |
|
Landmines / UXO Present |
Yes |
North Kivu, Ituri, South Kivu and Tanganyika (Source: UNMAS) |
|
Other Comments |
n/a |
|
For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters.
Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities
|
Seasonal Effects on Transport |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Transport Type |
Time Frame |
Comments / Details |
|
Primary Road Transport |
Wet season: October to April Dry season: May to September |
The 3,294 km of asphalt primary roads out of the 58,129 km are passable in all seasons despite the presence of potholes. The remaining 54,835 km is hardly passable during rainy season due to ruts and mud. During dry season, roads may become very sandy/muddy thus sometimes impassable, making heavy cargo loads difficult to transport. Trucks are often stranded until piles of sand are cleared. |
|
Secondary Road Transport |
Wet season: October to April Dry season: May to September
|
The 86,871 km secondary road network is not paved and large parts of it are severely affected during rainy season, which makes it often inaccessible. During dry season, roads become sandy, muddy and dirty, thus hardly passable. This network if sometimes composed of what became more bicycle tracks than vehicle paths. |
|
Rail Transport |
n/a |
The 5,000 km network split into four non-interconnected zones remains defective due to poor maintenance and a lack of investment to modernize the railway infrastructure. This situation is causing many deadly derailments |
|
Air Transport |
Depend on the provinces for bad weather. |
The DRC’s domestic air transport services have a worrisome safety record due to aging aircraft, human error and harsh weather including heavy rains and storms during rainy seasons. The Congolese air fleet has been blacklisted by the European Union for decades due to the high number of crashes. Under the Projet Prioritaire de Sécurité Aérienne Phase 2 (PPSA 2), the current government is working to normalize this sector and to comply with the international standards of Civil Aviation |
|
Waterway Transport |
Wet season: October to April Dry season: May to September
|
More sandbars appear during the dry seasons preventing the passage of heavy boats. Moreover, a significant lack of regular dredging operations is affecting traffic among several rivers |
Road transport in general in the DRC is slowed down during the rainy season as the travel time is extended by almost 40% due to the poor state of roads. Waterway transport is reduced or suspended during the dry season due to a lack or slow level to circulate among the rivers. Regarding both air and rail transportation, the main issues are poor maintenance and a lack of modern infrastructure causing accidents.
|
Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Activity Type |
Time Frame |
Comments / Details |
|
Storage |
October to April |
Humidity affecting warehouse walls and floors in the rainy season |
|
Handling |
October to April |
Delay, slipping of workers and goods, muddy waterways ports preventing safe handling and transportation. |
|
Other |
n/a |
n/a |
Transporters must protect and cover their shipments with tarpaulins to avoid any losses and damage by the rain. Refurbishment and maintenance of warehouses to be completed prior to the rainy season to avoid flooding and roof leakage. Due to the poor road condition during this period, buffer and pre-stock to be anticipated especially for humanitarian response in remote areas.
Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response
GOVERNMENT
In 2010, an emergency rescue plan - Organisation de secours en cas de catastrophe (ORSEC) - defining the general framework of constitutional emergency response was developed and will be revised on a yearly basis.
In January 2013, the government created the Cadre National de Concertation Humanitaire (CNCH)
to improve the exchange of humanitarian information enabling more efficient humanitarian responses and to ensure a better transition between humanitarian action and development,
The CNCH, co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the Coordinator humanitarian, is a mechanism that enables advocacy on access issues on a national level. At the provincial level, the CNCH’s mission allows periodic exchanges between humanitarian actors and provincial authorities to facilitate access to populations in need. The discussions will continue directly with the Ministries responsible for raising issues administrative and tax barriers on humanitarian imports as well as the procedures and approaches close to the recognition and legality of NGOs.
Last 2019, the government launched its Plan National Stratégique de Développement 2019-2023 (PNDS), which includes objectives related to humanitarian action in country such as reducing disaster risk and responding to humanitarian crises. (Source: Article A.9 Affaires Humanitaires)
Last 2020, the government responded to the Covid 19 Outbreak with a twelve months dedicated national strategic plan to fight the virus with the support of the humanitarian community in the country.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:
HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY
As of August 2022, more than 350 international and national organizations are operating in the country. In 2022, as per the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the humanitarian situation in the DRC remains critical and complex for millions of Congolese, and the humanitarian organization estimated that 27 million people will need some sort of humanitarian assistance in 2022. This includes food, water, medicine, shelter, protection, etc. Of the 27 million people in need of assistance, 8.8 million people are considered the most vulnerable and will be targeted with aid.
Then, according to the International Security Organization (INSO), the DRC remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers. Between January 2021 and January 2022, 268 security incidents against international non-governmental organizations staff were reported, including 36 kidnappings, 29 injuries and 7 deaths.
For more information on humanitarian response, please the Humanitarian Response Plan 2022 (HRP).
For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link:
Democratic Republic of Congo - 1.2 Democratic Republic of Congo Regulatory Departments
Regional Organizations and Trade Agreements
DRC is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and is one of the 21 Member States forming the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the largest Regional Economic Community (REC) in Africa.
DRC has become the 7th Partner State of the East African Community (EAC) last July 2022 and is also a member of the following regional organizations:
-
African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI)
-
Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (ECGLC)
Regulatory Agencies
DRC has numerous regulatory bodies to set standards of the economy and then to enforce those standards:
Control and Quality Assurance: The Office Congolais de Control (OCC) conducts inspection, certification, testing or analysis and metrology of products (import-export, locally made) with reference to national, regional and/or international standards.
Telecommunication: The Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications (ARPTC) ensures compliance with laws, regulations and conventions in the field of posts and telecommunications.
Civil Aviation Authority: The Autorité de l’Aviation Civile de la République Démocratique du Congo (AAC) guarantees the operations, the safety, security, regularity, economy, and efficiency of the national aeronautical activity.
Energy: The Autorité de Régulation du Secteur de l’Electricité (ARE) monitors and controls the application of the principles and rules of transparency, free competition, standards and norms in the electricity sector.
Pharmaceutical: The Agence Congolaise de Réglementation Pharmaceutique (ACOREP) protects the public health through the establishment of adequate regulation and a control system for pharmaceutical and medical products, request of as well as managing permit requests for importing medicine import in country (Direction de la Pharmacie et du Médicament)
Laboratory and quality testing companies
The Office Congolais de Control (OCC) conducts inspection, certification, testing or analysis and metrology of products (import-export, locally made) with reference to national, regional and/or international standards.
The Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) is a public establishment under to the Ministry of Health with the aim to contribute to the improvement of the health of the population by biomedical analyzes, biomedical research, surveillance of diseases with epidemic potential…
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a non-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. IITA runs a laboratory in Bukavu with the latest technology and equipment.
The Laboratoire National de Contrôle de Qualité des produits de santé (LNCQ) is a new public institution inaugurated last December 2021 with the aim to perform drug quality control and monitoring.
The International Modern laboratory (IML) is providing diagnostic services with a wide range of test (e.g. biochemistry, parasitology, microbiology…) in Lubumbashi.
Inspections Companies & Pre-shipment inspection
Bureau Veritas BIVAC is operating in DRC as an appointed company by OCC and performings pre-export verification of goods imported into the country to enhance the compliance of products to Congolese or international standards (Ministerial decree No. 003/CAB/MIN.COM.EXT/2017 dd. 03/04/2017).
For more information on regulatory departments and quality control laboratories’ contact details, please see the following links:4.1 Government Contact List and 4.3 Laboratory and Quality Testing Company Contact List.
Democratic Republic of Congo - 1.3 Democratic Republic of Congo Customs Information
Customs clearance at the main port of Matadi is hampered by numerous factors such as the lack of quay and adequate equipment.
As a result, the required 10 days to unload a ship can be extended and thus delay the customs clearance procedure.
Duties and Tax Exemption
For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below:
4.1 Democratic Republic of Congo Government Contact List
There was a way of bypassing the normal procedure in order to quickly take control of goods in DRC in case of emergency. But the law changed this year. This new procedure is called ‘Déclaration Provisoire et/ou Incomplète’ (or ‘Uncompleted and/or Temporary Declaration’) and is established by a circular from DGDA dated back in September 2015. Scanned PDF of Custom Authority (in attachment):
Circulaire 008 12 septembre 2015
Instruction DGDA 001 12 octobre 2015
This procedure applies to all donated goods to the UN or NGOs operating in DRC and is the same for all sea, land, and air entry points. The list of goods that fall under the duties and taxes exemption can be found on article 339 of the 2010 DRC Customs code.
At this stage, it is too early to know exactly what the major changes and difficulties aid organizations will face. The DGDA itself is unsure how in practice it will happen. Potential changes include:
- Shipments will still be allowed to get out of custom facilities, but it will no longer be possible to proceed with more than one shipment at a time. This may delay humanitarian operations if relief goods are coming in different shipments.
- Every shipment must be cleared within 14 days, which question the ability of DGDA and the Forwarding Agents to deal with that in such a short period of time.
- An unclear definition of relief items – “emergency shipments in case of disasters” – could be interpreted as not covering all types of goods imported by aid organizations.
Unfortunately, the same month (October 2015), other information was released about the Quality Control procedure. Since 2006, and until October 2015, the national agency for control Office Congolais de Controle (OCC) was assisted by VERITAS (locally known in DRC as BIVAC) for controlling goods abroad departing to DRC. This had considerably helped the controls process at domestic level, as OCC agents had less work to do and could focus only on goods not checked by BIVAC (= where VERITAS had no offices at the departing point and therefore couldn’t check the goods).
It seems that the contract between BIVAC and DRC has not been renewed and, consequently, the OCC will have to do all the controls itself. The economic operators in DRC have serious doubts about their capacity to do it and are afraid of additional delays for releasing goods. Please note that OCC takes samples of almost every types of item entering in the country, and charge for it (for standard checking and lab analysis). The OCC price catalogue is available in Kinshasa.
Emergency Response:
[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to 'crisis' times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government. When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.]
In the following table, state which of the following agreements and conventions apply to the country and if there are any other existing ones
|
Agreements / Conventions Description |
Ratified by Country? (Yes / No) |
|---|---|
|
WCO (World Customs Organization) member |
01.01.1993 (Source: World Customs Organization Membership website) |
|
Annex J-5 Revised Kyoto Convention |
Yes |
|
OCHA Model Agreement |
No information |
|
Tampere Convention (on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations) |
No |
|
Regional Agreements (on emergency/disaster response, but also customs unions, regional integration) |
Yes Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
Having successfully launched its Customs Union in 2009, COMESA is continuing on the road of regional integration by supporting the continual creation of better investment conditions, making it an increasingly internationally competitive economic community. Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (ECGLC)
African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI)
(Source: DR Congo Investment Promotion Agency) |
Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response):
[Note: This section should contain information on the usual duties & taxes exemption regime during non-emergency times, when there is no declared state of emergency and no streamlines process (e.g. regular importations/development/etc.).]
DR Congo’s tax and duties system is based on a three-pillar structure:
- Direction Générale des Impôts: the Directorate General for taxation is responsible for all matters relating to the basis, control, recovery and disputes of taxation in the DR Congo. These competences are exclusive and the DGI has to give account for their actions to the Minister of Finance.
- Direction Générale des Douanes et Accises: the Directorate General for customs and excise taxation is competent in the fields of collection of duties, surveillance of State borders, and finding customs and excise infractions.
- Direction Générale des Recettes Administratives, Judiciaires, Domaniales et de Participations: the Directorate General for fees, dues and royalties is also placed directly under the authority of the Minister of Finance and its mission includes the collection of all fees, dues and royalties due in the DR Congo.
The Decree Law dated February 10, 1969 relating to income tax describes the main income tax requirements (Income Tax Decree). Most income related taxes are governed by this text but there are also other taxes set out in specific regulations.
Customs
Following a modernisation process under impulse of the Directorate General of Customs and Excises, a new Customs Code has been proclaimed by the President by means of Ordinance-Law nr. 10/002 dated 20 August 2010 which entered into force on the 21st of February 2011.
- Declarations: besides the normal regime where a declaration must be done three days after the arrival of the goods, a new regime allowing declarations prior to arrival of the goods has been installed, thus allowing to anticipate and facilitate the release of goods. Moreover, there is also a possibility to make a provisional or incomplete prior declaration and, if necessary, modify the latter.
- Representation: one of the other novelties is the possibility to have a representative take care of the customs formalities.
Important Laws
- Decree n°011/42 of November 22nd, 2011 regarding implementation measures of the Government
- Decree n°10/001 of August 20th, 2010 regarding institution of the Value Added Tax;
- Ministerial Decree n°065/CAB/MIN/FINANCES/2011 of 29th November, 2011 determining the complementary repayment mode of the
- Value Added Tax credit;
- Ministerial Decree n°071/CAB/MIN/FINANCES/2011 of 30th December, 2011 suspending the collection of the Value Added Tax on some vital commodities;
- Interministerial Decree n°019/CAB/MINAFFET/2011 and n°317/CAB/MINFINANCES/2011 of 23rd December, 2011 which institute a commission in charge of examining quotas of goods intended to official usage of consular and diplomatic missions and representations of international organizations to be exempted from the Value Added Tax;
- Ministerial Decree n°072/CAB/MIN/FINANCES/2011 of 30th December, 2011 suspending the collection of the Value Added Tax on import for producing oil companies and mining enterprises depending on conventional regime;
- Ministerial Decree n°067/CAB/MIN/FINANCES/2011 of 29th November, 2011 determining approval conditions of tax representatives of indebted people for Value Added Tax established or domiciled out of the Democratic Republic of Congo;
- Interministerial decree n°016/CAB/MIN/SANTE/2011 and n°328/CAB/MIN/FINANCES/2011 of the 28th December, 2011 determining the list of pharmaceutical inputs exempted from the ValueAdded Tax;
- Ministerial decree n°037/CAB/FINANCES/2011 of 11th August, 2011 regarding change of the liability threshold at Value Added Tax; Memorandum n°01/0197/DGI/DG/CR/TSHI 2011 regarding provision on the mode of statements of stocks by the retailer of imported products.(Source: DR Congo Investment Promotion Agency)
Other national customs legislation lists:
Nouveau code douanier
Les lois
Les décrets lois
Arrêtés ministériels
Instructions et note de service
(Source: Direction Générale des Douanes et Accises)
Customs regimes:
Import customs regime (Refer to the DRC 2010 customs code for more details)
Transit regime (Refer to the DRC 2010 customs code for more details)
Export customs regime (Refer to the DRC 2010 customs code for more details)
Particular customs regime including duties and taxes exemption regime (Refer to the DRC 2010 customs code for more details)
For the customs department organization chart, please go to http://douanes.gouv.cd/
|
Organizational Requirements to obtain Duty Free Status |
|---|
|
United Nations Agencies |
|
A letter of agreement (Lettre d’entente) to be written and submitted to the Ministry of Foreign affairs for registration and 100% duty free status. The letter should include the following:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will reply to the Letter of Agreement by notifying the organization of its duty free status. The process takes less than one month and no cost is involved. The duty free status is recognized to UN agencies in accordance with the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United nations of February 1946. |
|
Non Governmental Organizations |
|
Locals and International NGOs are governed by the law #004/2001 of July 20th 2001 on General provision for Non profit organization and utility institutions in DR Congo. NGOs should have prior registration with their sectorial Ministry and be authorized by the Ministry of Justice. Tax exemptions are granted by the Ministry of Plan. Tax exemption procedure for Local NGOs:
Tax exemption procedure for INGO
Please refer to the Guide pratique pour la constitution des ONG en République Démocratique du Congofor the detailed procedure of the registration of local and International NGOs. |
Exemption Certificate Application Procedure:
|
Duties and Taxes Exemption Application Procedure |
|---|
|
Generalities (include a list of necessary documentation) |
|
|
Process to be followed (step by step or flowchart) |
|
UN agencies First step: At least 7 days before the arrival of the goods in the DRC by air, sea or road, the following documents must be submitted by the UN agency to the clearing agent: Documents of origin
Commercial documents
Transport documents
Administrative documents
To secure the donation certificate, Some UN agencies like, WFP, use to submit a request for gift certificate to their line ministry (the Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and National Solidarity.) The contact person is M. Mathieu Mikobi (see 4.2.1 Democratic Republic of Congo Government Contact List for further details) Second step : The clearing agent will fill in the declaration of duty exemption on importation form (IE) and will submit it together with the commercial, transport, origin and administrative documents to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DGDA) Third step Once the declaration on import duty exemption form (IE) is approved and stamped by DGDA, the clearing agent returns it to the UN agency which submits it along with the shipping documents of the goods to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Note Verbale. The approval period of the Note Verbale varies from two (2) to ten (10) days depending on the applicant organizations. Fourth step Once the approval of the ‘’Note Verbale’’ is obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the entire document comprising of the shipping documents, the ‘’Note Verbale’’ and the approved declaration on import duty exemption form (IE) must be handed over to the clearing agent for starting the clearance process of the goods. In practice, the clearing agent ensures that the documents are sealed at the point of entry by various departments of DGDA.
The goods will be released after completion of all four steps. NGOs First step : At least 7 days before the arrival of the goods in the DRC by air, sea or road, the following documents including the framework agreement and the inter ministerial decree must be submitted by the NGO to the clearing agent: Documents of origin
Commercial documents
Transport documents
Administrative documents
Second step : The clearing agent will fill in the declaration of duty exemption on importation form (IE) and will submit it together with the commercial, transport, origin and administrative documents to the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DGDA) Third step Once the declaration on import duty exemption form (IE) is approved and stamped by DGDA, the clearing agent will submit them to the DGDA at the point of entry of the goods and start the clearing process in the same condition as in the fourth step for the UNs above. For an overview of the Process of the Duties and Taxes Exemption Application Procedure in Flowcharts, please select the following document: Democratic Republic of Congo Customs Information Additional Information |
Exemption Certificate Document Requirements
|
Duties and Taxes Exemption Certificate Document Requirements (by commodity) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Food |
NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education) |
Medicines |
Vehicle & Spare Parts |
Staff & Office Supplies |
Telecoms Equipment |
|
Invoice |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
|
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents |
Yes, 1 Original AWB or BL Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original AWB or BL Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
|
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
|
Packing Lists |
Yes Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes Applies to UN and NGOs |
|
Other Documents |
IE Form (Applies to UN and NGOs Note Verbale(Applies to UN ) Interministerial ordinance(Applies to NGOs) |
IE Form (Applies to UN and NGOs Note Verbale(Applies to UN ) Interministerial ordinance(Applies to NGOs) |
IE Form (Applies to UN and NGOs Note Verbale(Applies to UN ) Interministerial ordinance(Applies to NGOs) |
IE Form (Applies to UN and NGOs Note Verbale(Applies to UN ) Interministerial ordinance(Applies to NGOs) |
IE Form (Applies to UN and NGOs Note Verbale(Applies to UN ) Interministerial ordinance(Applies to NGOs) |
IE Form (Applies to UN and NGOs Note Verbale(Applies to UN ) Interministerial ordinance(Applies to NGOs) |
|
Additional Notes |
||||||
| No difference between UNs and NGOs regarding the shipping documents e.g commercial documents, transport documents, administrative documents and documents of origin. | ||||||
Customs Clearance
General Information
DRC has adopted the SYDONIA software project with the aim of improving its customs clearance efficiency.
The system had yield significant results by reducing the lead time for customs clearance completion as well as strengthening the customs control and increasing revenue collected by customs authorities.(Source:UNCTAD)
|
Customs Information |
|
|---|---|
|
Document Requirements |
Documents of origin
Commercial documents
Transport documents
Administrative documents
Approved Declaration of duty exemption on importation form(IE Form) Note verbale and Letter of Agreement (Applies to UN) Interministerial ordinance(rête interministériel) and framework Agreement (Accord cadre) (NGOs) |
|
Embargoes |
|
|
Prohibited Items |
|
|
General Restrictions |
|
Customs Clearance Document Requirements
|
Customs Clearance Document Requirements (by commodity) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Food |
NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education) |
Medicines |
Vehicles & Spare Parts |
Staff & Office Supplies |
Telecoms Equipment |
|
D&T Exemption Certificate |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGOs |
|
Invoice |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
|
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes, 1 Original 1 Copy Applies to UN and NGO |
|
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates |
Yes Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes Applies to UN and NGO |
Yes Applies to UN and NGO |
|
Packing Lists |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
Yes, 1 Original Applies to UN and NGOs |
|
Phytosanitary Certificate |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes Applies to UN and NGOs |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Other Documents |
Health Certificate |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Certificate of conformity |
|
Additional Notes |
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Import licence for specifics drugs For Telecoms equipment, the certificate of conformity and an authorization from the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) of DR Congo. |
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Transit Regime
There are 4 different transit regimes in DRC.
- Customs Declaration for goods paying duties and taxes
- Customs declaration for goods partially or totally exempted of paying duties and taxes
- Customs Declaration to transfer goods from ports, airports, international borders to bonded yard or warehouse
- Transit Declaration to transfer goods from a border (port/ airport/ border) to another country (i.e.: Matadi Maritime Port – Kinshasa Dry Port – across the Congo River to Brazzaville (Rep. of Congo).
Escorts are compulsory for all bonded goods transferred from borders, ports, airports to destination where goods will finally be customs cleared. Transporters (Trucking Companies/ Air transporters) entrusted to do such transfers, must have a special licence obtained from the Customs authorities called (TRD or Transport sous douane).
Bonded warehouses can be either public (managed by customs authorities) or private (with a compulsory customs presence). In general largest freight forwarding companies own their private bonded warehouses and bonded yards. This is the case for GTM and other clearing agents. Some private companies managed their own bonded warehouses to facilitate the custom clearing procedures for their own business (i.e. Automobile Dealers).
For additional Information on Entry Points please select the following document: Democratic Republic of Congo Customs Information Additional Information