G/LIC/N/3/BFA/5  
18 March 2013  
(13-1466)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Import Licensing  Original: French  
 
  REPLIES TO QUESTIONNAIRE ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES1 
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 7.3 OF THE AGREEMENT ON 
IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES 
BURKINA  FASO 
The following communication, dated 12 March 2013, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Burkina Faso. 
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 Pursuant to Article 7.3 of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures and in response to
 the 
request from the WTO Central Registry of Notifica tions, the Government of Burkina Faso hereby 
informs the Committee on Import Licensing that the import licensing procedures notified in 2011 
were amended in 2012. The amendments have been included in the following replies to the questionnaire on import licensing procedures. 
                                               
1 See document G/LIC/3, An nex, for questionnaire. G/LIC/N/3/BFA/5 
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Outline of systems 
 In Burkina Faso, import formalities are limited to the issuance of a prior import declaration (DPI), 
which is an import document required for all impo rts of goods of an f.o.b.  value of CFAF 500,000 
or more.   
This DPI is issued immediately and free of char ge by the Directorate of the Single Trade and 
Investment Window Centre (DCGU/CI) of the Ministry  of Trade on the basis of a pro forma invoice. 
 For certain products, a DPI can only be issued agai nst an import licence. Products requiring import 
licences include refrigerators, air conditioners and other appliances operating on Freon-12, or any 
other appliances operating on substances subject to the Montreal Protocol, and explosives, arms, 
ammunition and military articles, and sugar. 
 
Purposes and coverage of licensing; do cumentational and other requirements 
 
Licensing procedures are described below for each product: 
 
 Refrigerators, air conditioners an d appliances operating on Freon-12,  or any 
other appliances operating on substanc es subject to the Montreal Protocol 
Automatic licence issued in the form of a Special Import Authorization (ASI) subject to a technical 
opinion from the Ozone Office of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development. 
 
This import licence, which is the subject of Notice to Importers No. 97-005/MCPEA/DGC 
of 11 May 1997, was introduced pursuant to an in ternational commitment by the Government with 
regard to the protection of the ozone layer. 
 
Information on eligibility is available from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts and the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development.  
Applications containing the technical opinion of the Ozone Office are examined by the Director of 
the Single Trade and Investment Window Centre of  the Ministry of Trade, who issues the licence 
within a maximum of 24 hours. 
 
This licence is applicable on a permanent basis, in order to protect the ozone layer.  
 Explosives, arms, ammunition and military articles 
Non-automatic licence issued in the form of a Special Import Authorization (ASI) subject to 
authorization by the Ministry of Security for Arms, Ammunition and Military Articles, and the Ministry of Mining for Explosives. 
 
This licence was introduced to enable the authorities to control imports of civil arms in view of their extreme sensitivity. 
 
The focal points for communication of information on eligibility are the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Security and the Ministry of Mining. 
 
Applications containing all of the required authorizations go to the Director of the Single Trade and Investment Window Centre, who issues the licence within a maximum of 24 hours.  
The need to control arms imports requires that the application of this procedure should be 
of unlimited duration.  
 Sugar 
Non-automatic licence issued in the form of an ASI by the Ministry of Trade. 
 
This licence was introduced by an announcement of 31 September 2004 with a view to improving 
the country's sugar supply. G/LIC/N/3/BFA/5 
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Any information on eligibility is available from the Ministry of Trade.  Applications accompanied by pro forma invoices are received and processed by the Directorate of 
the Single Trade and Investment Window Centre on  behalf of the Minister, who issues the licence 
within a maximum of 48 hours.  
It is not possible to establish how long this licensing procedure will apply, since it could be 
maintained as long as the authorities consider the country's supply to be inadequate.  
 Animal products (meat, live animals, eggs, canned goods, etc.) 
The importation of any animal product is subject to the requirement that a non-automatic licence 
b e  o b t a i n e d  i n  t h e  f o r m  o f  a n  A S I  i s s u e d  b y  the Directorate-General of Veterinary Services 
(Ministry of Animal Resources). 
 
Applications containing pro forma invoices are submitted to the Directorate-General of Veterinary Services which forwards them to a technical committee for its opinion. 
 
The purpose of this procedure is to control heal th risks linked to imports of animal products. 
 
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