Liberia

Liberia's Ministry of Commmerce and Industry

Telephone: +231 020721 5058, +231 77 08 06 70

Address: Ministry Of Finance, Broad Street, Monrovia, Liberia

Liberia is a country in West Africa. Liberia is a founding member of League of Nations, United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity. Liberia gained observer status with the World Trade Organization in 2010.

Liberia’s major trading partners are China, the European Union, the United States of America and Ivory Coast. Given its trading partners, Liberia intends to boost exports by benefiting from several duty free quota free arrangements.

Duty Free Arrangements

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has a mandate to grow business, facilitate trade and improve the business environment. All trade activities are regulated by the Ministry. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the Designated Authority that facilitates duty free-quota free trade across borders in Liberia. Today, the Ministry has institutionalized duty free stamps for Europe, under the “Everything But Arms” Agreement, and China, under a Preferential Trade Agreement with LDCs.

Exporting

If you are an exporter, you can apply for an export control licence for your goods. All applications will be considered by the government on a case by case basis in line with the provisions of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. For more information read the guide on assessment of export licence applications: criteria and policy.

When applying for a licence, you should be aware of the current licence processing times by destination.

The UN initially imposed an arms embargo on Liberia in November 1992. This ban ended in 2001 and a new embargo was imposed via Resolution 1521 (2003). This resolution has subsequently been renewed and modified. An arms embargo is in force on Liberia. This embargo has been imposed by both the UN and the EU, and the UK has introduced national legislation as a result.

Liberia is also subject to other sanctions including a travel ban and assets freeze. You can view a current list of asset freeze targets designated by the United Nations (UN), European Union and United Kingdom, under legislation relating to Liberia.

Liberia is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It is also subject to the ECOWAS Convention on the Import, Export and Manufacture of Light Weapons. For information, see the guide on the arms export restrictions on West African states.

Exporting goods using EPDs

Please note that the use of the export permit declaration (EPD) is currently under review. the ministry will be issuing an administrative notice notifying of any changes in the near future.

In the meantime, all export of goods from Liberia (whether for commercial purposes or not) are required to be accompanied by an Export Permit Declaration (EPD) issued by the Ministry.

Exports fall into 3 categories:

I. Commercial Export

II. Re-Export/transhipment

III. Non-Commercial Export

Step 1 - The exporter using the pro-forma invoice obtains the Export Permit Declaration (EPD) form from the Ministry’s Division of Finance free of charge.

Step 2 - The completed EPD along with the documents particular to that category of goods (see table overleaf) should be submitted to the Ministry’s Division of Foreign Trade for technical review.

Step 3 - Once the Ministry has completed the technical review, a pre-shipment inspection (PSI) number will be issued to the exporter. The exporter should then pay to the designated bank of the inspector (currently BIVAC) the relevant inspection fee (for FOB above US$16,750, 1.4% of FOB; for FOB between US$500 - 16,750, US$250). Once paid, the EPD, payment receipt and relevant documents should be taken to BIVAC to initiate inspection. An inspection report (the ‘Clean Report of Findings’) verifying that the quantity and the value quoted conform to the commercial invoice will then be issued to the exporter. This report, the EPD and relevant documents should be submitted to the Ministry’s Division of Foreign Trade for verification and endorsement by the relevant personnel at the Ministry.

Importing goods using IPDs

From 1 October 2010, goods that fall into the following categories will need to be accompanied by an IPD issued by the Ministry.

A. Foodstuffs and Water
Fresh or frozen meat and meat products (canned products excluded)
Poultry and poultry products including eggs and bird eggs
Fresh and frozen fish and crustaceans
Fresh and frozen vegetables and tubers (excluding canned, preserved or dried vegetables)
Fresh fruits and nuts (excluding canned, preserved or dried fruits and nuts)
Milk, dairy and cheese products (excluding powder)
Other perishable foodstuffs and foods and beverages requiring refrigeration or other environmental control
Bottled and bulk water (including mineral water)
Products of the milling industry (including flour starches, grain and rice)

B. Plants and related Materials
Plants and plant materials (including cut flowers and medicinal plants)
Tree products (including chain sawn wood, charcoal)

C. Animals and their Products
Live animals (including livestock)
Processed or unprocessed dead animals (including insects)
Animals and animal products (including bush meat and animal semen)
Wild life products, skins, endangered wildlife species and their products (including raw and ivory and goods covered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES)
Human corpses, human organs or body parts, human and animal embryos, or cremated or disinterred human remains

D. Medical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Products
Prescription medicines and pharmaceuticals
Specialized medical or denial or veterinary apparatus and equipment
Biological (Bacterial cultures, culture medium, excretions, fungi, arthropods, mollusks
Tissues of livestock, birds, plants, viruses or vectors for research, biological or pharmaceutical use

E. Chemicals and their Products
Products of the chemical industry, chemical elements, organic and inorganic acids and chemicals
Fertilizers containing nitrates
Specialized ozone depleting substances not otherwise prohibited
Lead, Mercury, Sodium, raw Monosodium Glutamate, Formaldehyde, Sulfuric acid
Bulk petroleum product and mineral fuels

F. Dangerous and Military Goods
Explosives and pyrotechnics, combustible liquids or gas preparations
Military vehicles and tanks
Hazardous waste (including but not limited to, used hypodermic needles or syringes or other medical waste

G. Aircraft
Aircraft, hot air balloons and dirigibles, gliders and helicopters

H. Others
Obscene or indecent books, magazines, pictures, films, DVDs, CDs, tapes, and electronic media that contain pornographic materials
Cultural artifacts and cultural property (including archaeological and ethnological materials)
Building materials (including cement, steel rods, plywood, PVC pipes, sheets of zinc and fittings)

Until 1 October 2010, all import of goods into Liberia are required to be accompanied by an Import Permit Declaration (IPD) issued by the Ministry.

If consumer goods an importer is required to obtain an IPD for are found, after testing or analysis, to be non-compliant with national or internationally accepted quality standards, those goods will be treated as a prohibited import and will be subject to seizure or destruction action by Customs, modified to become compliant or re-exported under Customs supervision. Any action taken shall be at the cost of the importer.

To obtain IPD for all goods other than rice (for rice it should be a separate process):

Step 1 - The importer with the pro-forma invoice obtains the blank Import Permit Declaration (IPD) form from the Ministry’s Division of Finance free of charge.

Step 2 - The completed IPD along with the pro-forma invoice should be submitted to the Ministry’s Division of Foreign Trade for technical review.

Step 3 - Once the Ministry has completed the technical review, it will provide a pre-shipment inspection (PSI) number to the importer. The importer will need to pay to the designated bank of the inspector (currently BIVAC) an inspection fee of 1.2% of FOB (for petroleum products, US$2 per metric tonne). Once paid, the IPD, pro-forma invoice and payment receipt should be taken to BIVAC to initiate inspection (which should be completed within 10 days). An inspection report (the ‘Clean Report of Findings’) verifying that the quantity and the value quoted conform to the commercial invoice will then be issued to the importer. All goods with a FOB value equal to or exceeding US$3,500 are required to be subject to pre-shipment inspections.

Step 4 - The importer will be required to submit the BIVAC inspection report, the documents submitted at step 3 above, the bill of lading, final commercial invoice, approved pro-forma invoice, and all relevant Government clearances (if applicable) to the Ministry’s Division of Foreign Trade for technical review and, if the documentation is found to comply with all requirements, endorsed by the relevant personnel at the Ministry.

Sources:

https://www.delmas.com/static/eCommerce/Attachments/Liberia.pdf

http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/liberia/export-import.html

http://www.moci.gov.lr/2content.php?sub=74&related=18&third=74&pg=sp

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