G/LIC/N/3/ZWE/4  
 
31 October 2014  
(14-6326)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Import Licensing  Original: English  
 
REPLIES TO QUESTIONNAIRE ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES1 
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 7.3 OF THE  
AGREEMENT ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES 
ZIMBABWE  
The following communication dated, 28 October 2014, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Zimbabwe. 
 
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 Outline of system 
1.  Zimbabwe's imports are governed by the Open General Import Licence (OGIL) where imports 
and exports are exempted from licences.  For cert ain products where import licences are required, 
the licensing system is administered by the Mini stry of Industry and International Trade through 
the Control of Goods Act. 
 Purpose and coverage of licensing 
2.  Imports of certain agricultural products incl uding live animals and fuel are subject to import 
licensing.  Please refer to Statutory Instrument 350 of 1993.  
Product description 
 - Maize grain and meal - Maize seed 
- Wheat 
- Corn meal - Corn soya meal 
- Flour 
- Barley - Barley malt - Sorghum grain, meal and malt 
- Mhunga, meal and malg 
- Poultry products - Cotton lint, meal, seed and cake 
- Animal oils and fats (lard, tallow, dripping) 
- Animal semen and animal embryo - Apples 
- Baby corn 
- Bananas - Beans - Bean meal 
- Beef, veal 
- Bees - Bones, bone meal 
- Butter, ghee, cream 
                                               
1 See document G/LIC/3, Annex, for the Questionnaire. G/LIC/N/3/ZWE/4 
 
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  - Cattle, meat, hides, horns 
- Cheese - Citrus fruit - Animal feed stuff 
- Coffee beans 
- Fertilizer - Fish-fresh and dried 
- Goats 
- Grapes - Groundnuts - Hides and skins 
- Honey 
- Ice-cream - Manure 
- Meat meal, blood meal, carcass meal 
- Milk, pasteurized milk, sterilized milk, UHT milk, lacto, or any liquid milk - Oil seeds, oil cake, oilcake meal 
- Pigs, live and dead 
- Peaches - Pears - Plums 
- Rice in the grain 
- Potatoes - Rapoko, rapoko meal and rapoko malt 
- Seed for planting (grains) 
- Seed for planting (trees, vegetables) - Skimmed milk powder and full cream milk powder 
- Sunflower 
- Sugar, raw sugar and refined sugar - Tea - Vegetables 
- Vegetable oils, vegetable fats and margarine 
- Fuel  
3.  The system applies to goods originating in and coming from all countries. 
 4.  The purpose of licensing is for sanitary and phyto-sanitary requirements and statistical 
purposes. 
 5.  The licensing system is governed by a Statutory Instrument namely SI 350 of 1993
2.  It is not 
possible for the Government to abolish th e system without legislative approval. 
 
6.  There are no products under quantitative and value restrictions.  
7.(a) Application for a licence must be made  before the goods arrive into the country. 
 (b) A licence may be granted immediately upon request. 
 
(c) There are no limitations as to the period of the year during which application for licence and 
or importation may be made. 
 
(d) For fuel licences, prior recommendation is required from the Ministry of Energy and Power 
Development and the Ministry of Industry and International Trade issues the permits.  For 
agricultural products, the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development 
issue permits. 
 8.  An application for a licence for fuel may be refused if the importer does not have proper 
storage facilities.  For agricultural products, a licence may not be granted if the products are 
coming from disease prone zones.  The reasons for any refusal are given to the applicant.  In the 
                                               
2 Available for consultation in the WTO Secret ariat (Market Access Division) (English only). G/LIC/N/3/ZWE/4 
 
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  event of refusal to issue a licence, the applic ant can appeal to the reconsideration of the 
application.  Eligibility of importers to apply for licence 
9.  All persons, firms and institutions are eligible to apply for licences.  There is no list of 
authorized importers.  
Documentational and other requirements for application for licence 
10.  Applicants are required to include information and documents on quantity of products, value 
of products, Certificate of Incorporation, CR14, Tax Clearance Certificate and application for import licence. 
 
11.  Upon actual importation, the importer is requ ired to submit the approved import licence, the 
Certificate of Origin and other customs related documentation. 
 
12.  A licensing fee of US$ 5 for individuals and US$ 100 for companies is charged.  
13.  There is no deposit or advance payment requirement associated with the issuance. 
 Conditions of Licensing 
14.  A licence is valid for three months from the date of issue.  The validity can be extended 
through a request for extension. 
 15.  There is no penalty for the non-utilization of a licence or a portion of it. 
 
16.  Licences are not transferable between importers.  
17.  There are no other conditions attached to the issuance of a licence. 
 Other procedural requirements 
18.  Apart from import licensing the importer has to comply with normal customs clearance 
procedures. 
 19.  Importers apply for foreign currency from the Central bank. 
 
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