G/LIC/Q/EGY/5  
 
23 April 2021  
(21-3466) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Import Licensing  Original: English  
 
IMPORT LICENSING SYSTEM OF EGYPT  
REPLIES OF EGYPT TO THE QUESTIONS FROM THE UNITED STATES  
The following communication , dated 20 April 2021, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Egypt.  
 
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Egypt  would like to thank the United States for the questions raised in G/LIC/Q/EGY/3. 
Egypt  recognizes that having not submitted its notifications unde r the Agreement on Import licensing 
procedures induces a legitimate number of questions.  
To this end, the following constitute preliminary answers to the questions submitted by the 
United  states, in light of the current coordination efforts among the diff erent Egyptian authorities.   
US Follow -up Questions:  
1. Could Egypt please specify which regulations and procedures govern the 
administration of licensing procedures of each of these Ministries?  
Reply:  
The following list illustrates the regulations governing the licensing procedures of the different 
authoritie s and the products falling under their auspices. Worth mentioning, this list is not exclusive:  
Authority  Products  Regulation  
Ministry of 
Agricultural and 
Land Reclamation  Plant and Plant 
Products  Ministerial Decree No. 562 for the year 2019 issued by the 
Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation covering the 
regulatory rules governing the work of the Plant Quarantine.  
The decree specifies the requirements for importing plant 
and plant products including import permits to ensure 
against the introduct ion of pests or diseases.  
Live animals and 
products of animal 
origin, animal feed, 
veterinary vaccines, 
veterinary drugs 
insecticides and 
disinfectants as well 
veterinary 
equipment.  Ministerial Decree No. 77 for the year 2012, Ministerial 
Decree No. 47 for the year 1967 on the veterinary 
quarantine regulations, Prime Minister Decree No. 222/2018 
for the imports of poultry, Prime Minster Decree 
No. 2080/2018 for the imports of live animals and meat.  
 
The decrees provide for the regulatory measures to ensure 
that imports of live animals and their products do not result 
in the introduction of diseases based on the disease situation 
of the exporting country. In addition, to ensuring that 
imports meet the required standards stipulated by the General 
Organization for Veterinary Services (GOVS).  G/LIC/Q/EGY/5  
 
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  Authority  Products  Regulation  
Ministry of 
Communication 
and Technology  Telecommunication 
equipment  The Teleco mmunication  Regulation Law No. 10/2003 
stipulates that importation of telecommunication equipment 
can only be done through a license from the National 
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority according to the 
standards and specifications approved by it.  
 
Type Approval is a compu lsory step applied when importing 
or manufacturing or assembly of any equipment having a 
communication element. Through this step, compliance of 
the equipment to the global Radio Frequency (RF), 
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Safety and Health 
standa rds approved in Egypt is ensured.  
Ministry of 
Environment – 
Egyptian 
Environmental 
Affairs Agency  Ozone Depleting 
Substances  Environmental Law No. 4/1994 and its executive regulation 
issued by Prime Minster Decree No. 338/1995 and their 
amendments.  
 
Ministerial Decree No. 77/2000 issued by the Minister of 
Environmental Affairs whereby imports of hydrofluorocarbons 
are subject to import licensing to cover Egypt 's obligations 
under of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete 
the Ozone Layer for ozone depleting substances and 
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).  
Hazardous 
Substances and 
wastes  Environmental Law No. 4/1994 and its executive regulation 
issued by Prime Minster Decree No. 338/1995 and their 
amendments by Law Nos. 9/2009, 105/2015 and 202/2020.  
 
Regulated by the Environmental Affairs Agency in 
cooperation with different Ministries whereby each ministry is  
responsible for import licensing its list of products of 
hazardous substances and wastes.   
Coal  Environmental Law No. 4/1994 and its executive regulation 
issued by Prime Minster Decree No. 338/1995 and their 
amendments.  
Egyptian Drug 
Authority  1. Drugs (Human &  
Veterinary)  
2. Cosmetics  
3. Insecticides 
(Home &  Public 
Health Pesticides)  
4. Laboratory & 
Diagnostic 
Chemicals (kits)  
5. Medical Devices 
or Supplies 
(Sterile & non -
sterile).  
6. Medical 
Equipment and 
supplies  Law No. 51/2019 on the establishment of the Egyptian 
Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and the 
Department of Medical Technology and the Egyptian Drug 
Authority and its Executive regulation issued by Prime 
Minister Decree No. 777 for the year 202 0 whereby imports 
of those products are regulated through the registration of 
importers and the products to be imported.  
 
Worth mentioning is that the Egyptian drug authority has 
taken over all the functions that were formerly performed by 
the Ministry of  Health and Population with respect to the 
implementation of regulations governing these products.  
National Food 
Safety Authority  
(NFSA)  Food products  Decision No. 6/2020 on the rules organizing imports of food 
issued by the board of directors of NFSA. The decision 
stipulates that importers of food products should be 
registered in the registry of licensed food importers. Food 
importers shall not import food produc ts until they have 
obtained the licence.  
Ministry of 
Interior and 
Ministry of 
Defence  Weapons  Law No. 394/1954 and its amendment by Law No. 129/2014 
governing the circulation of weapons and firearms.  
 G/LIC/Q/EGY/5  
 
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  2.  Could Egypt please provide copies of and/or descriptions of these regulations, 
indicating for each product subject to licensing, the eligibility to make an application 
for an import license , the administrative body for submission of the application, the 
documents required in an application for an import license?  
Reply:  
A brief description of the regulations together with the required information stipulated in Article 4(a) 
and Article 5 of the Agreement on import licensing procedures will be notified.  
3. Could Egypt please submit a list of products currently suspended along with the 
relevant information and specific reasons with explanations justifying the import 
suspensions.  
Reply:  
The list of products stated in Annex  1 of Decree No. 770/2005 and its am endments have not been 
changed since Egypt 's last Trade Policy Review in 2018.  
4. Under what conditions will imports be allowed to resume and will these products 
require import licenses?  
Reply:  
As explained, imports of these products are suspended for legi timate reasons including health, 
safety, religiou s, environmental and national security reasons. Hence, the list of products will only 
be revised in light of any changes to these reasons.  
Additional U.S. Questions : 
5. When does Egypt plan to submit its not ification, copies of its licensing legislation, 
and its response to the import licensing questionnaire to the WTO Committee on 
Import Licensing Procedures?  
6. Could Egypt forecast how much more time it needs to submit notifications to the 
committee?   
7. The ILA recognizes that "non-automatic licensing procedures should be no more 
administratively burdensome than absolutely necessary to administer the relevant 
measure. " Could Egypt please clarify for which products it maintains an import 
licensing regime, a nd, for each product, what is the administrative purpose and the 
underlying measure through which the licensing procedure is implemented?  
8. Could Egypt clarify whether or not poultry products are subject to "prior approval " 
in the form of quality control  before importation. If so, could Egypt please explain 
the prior approval?     
9. How does the quality control in Egypt 's Decree No. 770/2005, Article 102 differ from 
"import licensing? "  
10. Are imports of chicken offal and limbs subject to a "prior approval, " import licensing, 
or both?  
Reply:  
On the notification requirements under the agreement, the coordination process with the relevant 
authorities is currently in progress noting that a number of recently established authorities have 
overtaken the functions of other entities and have adopted relevant measures that need to be 
compiled into the notifications.   G/LIC/Q/EGY/5  
 
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  For poultry imports, a prior approval request is submitted to the General Organization of Veterinary 
Services.  
The requests are then presented  to a committee established by the Prime Minister's Decree 
No. 222/2018 in order to regulate the imports of poultry and its products  to ensure that such 
products do not lead to the introduction of disease s to the Egyptian territories and that they meet 
the required standards stipulated by the General Organization for Veterinary Services (GOVS)  
including halal requirements . Approvals are given based on meeting the set standards and 
requirements and the disease situation of the exporting country.  
As for impor ts of poultry offal and limbs, they are suspended as per Annex1 of Ministerial Decree 
No. 770/2005.  
As regards to Article 102 of Ministerial Decree No. 770/2005, it concerns labelling requirements not 
licensing requirements.  
11. Given their 2005 response  to Brazil, could Egypt please explain their refusal to 
import  chicken offal and limbs from the United States from 2013 -2019 even though 
22 U.S. poultry slaughtering establishments were certified by GOVS for slaughtering 
processes and food safety measures in accordance with Islamic halal practices?  
12. How many poultry processing facilities worldwide do Egyptian authorities certify as 
compliant with Islamic halal practices? Are imports of chicken offal and limbs 
accepted from any of these plants?   
a. If so, we request that Egypt disclose its import trade statistics from the 
countries where poultry facilities are located.  
b.   If not, what would be an acceptable basis for imports of chicken offal and limbs 
into Egypt?   
Reply:  
Import statistics for frozen poultry in tons for the period 2018 -2019 based on GOVS statistics:  
2018  2019  2020  
57,614 69,166 52,727 
 
As for imports chicken offal and limbs as explained before they are currently suspended as  per 
Annex  1 of Ministerial Decree No. 770/2005 and any changes in this respect will be duly published.  
 
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