G/L/1328  
 
14 October 2019 
(19-6664) Page: 1/6 
   
 
REPORT (201 9) OF THE COMMITTEE O N IMPORT LICENSING  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR T RADE IN GOODS  
 
1.  The Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures (hereinafter "the Agreement") which entered 
into force on 1  January  1995, establishes disciplines on users of import licensing systems with the 
principal objective of ensuring that the procedures applied for granting import licences do not in 
themselves restrict trade. It aims to simplify, clarify and minimize the administ rative requirements 
necessary to obtain import licences.  
 
2.  The Committee on Import Licensing was established to afford Members the opportunity of 
consulting on any matter relating to the operation of the Agreement or the furtherance of its 
objectives. T he Committee's Rules of Procedure, which were approved by the Council for Trade in 
Goods, are contained in document  G/L/147.  
 
3.  All Members of the WTO are ipso facto  members of the Committee. Observer governments in the 
General Council of the WTO have Ob server status in the Committee. The International Monetary 
Fund, the World Bank and UNCTAD have regular Observer status in the Committee.  
 
4.  The focus of this report is on the period since the Committee's last annual report (G/L/ 1269), 
namely  23 October  2018 – 4 October  2019 (hereinafter "the review period"). In 201 9, the 
Committee held two  formal meetings on 4 April and 4 October  2019 (G/LIC/M/ 49 and (G/LIC/M/ 50) 
and two  informal meetings on 8  March and 18  September  2019. On 6 June 2019, the Committee 
elected, Ms. Carol Tsang  (Hong Kong, China ) as Chairperson for the Committee  of 201 9.1 Pursuant 
to the Committee's Rules of Procedure, the  officers  shall hold office until the end of the first meeting 
of the following year . 
 
5. Pursuant to Ar ticles 1.4(a) and/or 8.2(b) of the Agreement and procedures agreed by the 
Committee, all Members are required to notify the ir laws, regulations and administrative procedures 
relevant to import licensing  and to submit copies of any relevant publications or laws and regulations 
upon becoming a WTO  Member . Any subsequent changes to these laws, regulations and 
administrative procedures are also required to be published and notified. During the review period, 
the Committee reviewed  two notifications  (Annex  I) from the following two Members:  Myanmar; and 
Tajikistan . These notifications can be found in the document series  G/LIC/N/1/ -. Copies of 
publications and legislation submitted with these notifications a re available for consultation via  the 
Secretariat.  
 
6. The Committee also reviewed , pursuant to paragraphs  5.1-5.4 of Article  5, 18 notifications  
(Annex  II) relating to the institution of new import licensing procedures or changes in these 
procedures from nine Members:  Angola; Costa Rica;  Hong Kong, China; Morocco; Myanmar; the 
Russian Federation; Singapore; Switzerland ; and Ukraine.2 These notifications can be found in 
document series  G/LIC/N/2/ -. Article  5.5 of the Agreement allows Members to submit reverse 
notifications, where a Member considers that another Member has not notified the institution of a 
licensing procedure or changes in the procedures. However, n o such reverse notifications have been 
received  under this provision since the entry into force of this Agreement . 
 
7. Article  7.3 of the Agreement requires all Members to provide replies to the Questionnaire on 
Import Licensing Procedures3 by 30  September each year. During the review p eriod, the Committee 
 
1 Mr Gregory Macdonald (Canada) was elected Vice -Chairperson of the Committee on 8  October  2019.  
2 New notifications under Article  5.1–5.4 have been received from Switzerland -Liechtenstein and 
Chinese Taipei , which would be reviewed at the Committee's next meeting.  
3 Annexed to document  G/LIC/3.  G/L/1328  
 
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  reviewed  23 notifications (Annex  III) from the following 19 Members: Argentina; Australia; Canada ; 
Colombia; Costa Rica; El Salvador; the European  Union;  Georgia; India; Kazakhstan ; Macao, China; 
Mauritius; Mexico; Montenegro;  Nicaragua;  Panama ; Singapore; South Africa;  and Uruguay .4 These 
notifications can be foun d in document series  G/LIC/N/3/ -. 
 
8. During the review period, Myanmar submitted its first  notification to this Committee . The Chair 
urged Members that had not yet notified and those that had not updated their notifications  to do so 
as soon as possible.  
 
9.  The Committee has provided a regular forum for exchanging views on notifications submitted by 
Members. Written comments and questions concerning notifications submitted to the Committee 
and/or on import licensing procedures maintained by Members, and replies thereto, may  be found 
in the document series G/LIC/Q/ -. During the review period: the European Union posed follow -up 
questions  or comments  to Brazil (G/LIC/Q/BRA/2 3 and G/LIC/Q/BRA/ 24); China (G/LIC/Q/ CHN/27 ); 
and Thailand (G/LIC/Q/THA/4 ). The United States posed questions to the Dominican Republic 
(G/LIC/Q/DOM/1); Ghana (G/LIC/Q/GHA/2 and G/LIC/Q/GHA/ 4); and Myanmar (G/LIC/Q/MMR/1). 
The following Members provided written responses to comments and questions: the Russian 
Federation to the European Union (G/LIC/Q/ RUS/5); and Ghana to the United States 
(G/LIC/Q/ GHA/3). 
10. In addition , the following Members requested to include on the Committee's agenda specific 
issues regarding other Members' import licensing regimes  or measures.  At Committee meeting(s) 
held during the review period, the United States made statements on Indonesia's impo rt licensing 
regime for cellphones, handheld computers and tablets;  on India's import licens ing requirements for 
boric acid ; on Myanmar 's import licensing requirements on agricultural products;  on Viet Nam's 
import licensing for cyber security products; on  the Dominican Republic's import permits for 
agricultural products; on China's import licensing on certain recoverable materials ; and on Ghana's 
import licensing requirements for poultry products . Canada made  a statement on India's  quantitative 
restriction s on certain pulses . The European Union made a statement on Tunis ia's import restrictive 
measures , introduced on 28  November  2018. Members whose licensing measures had been 
questioned responded at the meeting s to Members' questions . 
11. Improving transparency in notification procedures and templates has been a standing issue on 
the agenda of the Committee's meetings. At the informal meeting held on 8  March  2019, with a view 
to clarify ing and streamlining notification requirements under different pr ovisions of the Agreement, 
the Secretariat made a presentation (circulated in document  RD/LIC/13)  on a new form for 
notification s under Article s 5.1-5.4, which can also be used for notification under Article  1.4(a) and 
Article  8.2(b) . The template ha d been drafted based on the views expressed by and best practices 
of Members. At its formal meeting held on 4  April 2019, certain Members , including Colombia, Japan, 
Myanmar, and Chinese Taipei , shared their experience in using the new form . The Committee agreed  
that the notification form, circulated in document  G/LIC/W/28, would be used by Members on a 
voluntary basis for notifications under the Agreement's respective provisions.  
12. On the new import licensing website ( https://importlicensing.wto.org ), at the formal meeting on 
4 April 2019, the Secretariat  informed the Committee that all Member Profiles, which h ad been 
prepared for each Member based on its notifications,  had been uploaded on the website  for Members' 
verification . Members appreciated the work carried out by the Secretariat and believed that the 
website  would enhance transparency and facilitate trade upon its official launch . So far, only a few 
Members had compl eted the verification  of their profile and  work was still ongoing for most other 
Members. The website would be launched when the verification work was completed.  
13. Regarding the Committee's future work, the Chairperson tabled a number of issues for discu ssion 
with Members at the informal meeting held on 18  September  2019, including  how to improve the 
level of notification performance  and the functioning of the Committee to facilitate Members' active 
participation  in its work. In response, Members provided  some preliminary feedback and tabled some 
 
4 New notifications under Article  7.3 have been received from  Cameroon;  Cuba;  Hong Kong, China;  
Japan;  the Republic of Korea;  Mauritius;  the Russian Federation;  Sri Lanka;  Switzerland -Liechtenstein ; Chinese 
Taipei ; Turkey;  Ukraine;  and the United States, which are under preparation and will be circulated so on. They 
will be reviewed at the Committee's next meeting . G/L/1328  
 
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  new ideas . The Chairperson propos ed to organize further consultations to follow  up on these 
discussions.  
14. With a view to address ing developing Members'  capacity constraints in fulfilling their notification 
obligations under the Agreement , in particular those of least developed countries (LDCs) , the 
third Workshop on Import Licensing was held from 30 September  to 4 October  2019, in Geneva. 
Thirty  Capital -based officials representing 30 WTO developing Members  (including LDCs)  
participated in this workshop.  All participants were also invited to attend  the Committee 's formal  
meeting of 4 October  2019. The feedback on the workshop was very positive and participants also 
appreciated the opportunity  of attending the Committee meeting as it enabled them to link theory 
with practice . In addition, d uring the review period , upon the request of individual Members, 
Member -specific technical assistance workshops on import licensing  and notifications  were held  in 
the Kingdom of Bahrain , Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar,  Philippines, and Chinese 
Taipei.  Feedback from these Members indicated that t hese tec hnical assistance activities  not only 
improved the overall understanding of the Agreement but also effectively enhanced the capacities  
of government  officials  of the relevant administrative bodies to prepare import licensing notifications. 
At the Committee 's formal meetings, Members encouraged the Secretariat to continue its targeted 
technical assistance in this regard.  
_______________  
 
  G/L/1328  
 
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  ANNEX I: NOTIFICATIONS REVIEWED DURING THE REVIEW PE RIOD PURSUANT  
TO ARTICLES  1.4(A) A ND/OR 8.2(B) OF THE AGREEMENT  
FROM 23 OCTOBER  2018 TO 4 OCTOBER  2019 
 
MEMBER  DOCUMENT  DATE OF ISSUANCE OF THE 
DOCUMENT  
MYANMAR  G/LIC/N/1/MMR/1  25.03.2019  
TAJIKISTAN  G/LIC/N/1/TJK/2  19.12.2018  
 G/L/1328  
 
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  ANNEX II: NOTIFICATIONS REVIEWED DURING THE REVIEW PE RIOD  
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE  5.1-5.4 OF THE AGREEMENT1 
FROM 23 OCTOBER  2018 TO 4 OCTOBER  2019 
 
MEMBER  DOCUMENT  DATE OF ISSUANCE OF 
THE DOCUMENT  
ANGOLA  G/LIC/N/2/AGO/1  
G/LIC/N/2/AGO/2  30.10.2018  
30.10.2018  
COSTA RICA  G/LIC/N/2/CRI/3  12.12.2018  
HONG KONG, CHINA  G/LIC/N/2/HKG/9  
G/LIC/N/2/HKG/10  
G/LIC/N/2/HKG/11  
G/LIC/N/2/HKG/12  
G/LIC/N/2/HKG/13  08.02.2019  
08.02.2019  
08.02.2019  
07.03.2019  
12.09.2019  
MOROCCO  G/LIC/N/2/MAR/2  
G/LIC/N/2/MAR/3  
G/LIC/N/2/MAR/4  12.09.2019  
12.09.2019  
12.09.2019  
MYANMAR  G/LIC/N/2/MMR/1  25.03.2019  
RUSSIAN FEDERATION  G/LIC/N/2/RUS/3  
G/LIC/N/2/RUS/4  09.08.2019  
09.08.2019  
SINGAPORE  G/LIC/N/2/SGP/6  13.09.2019  
SWITZERLAND  G/LIC/N/2/CHE/3  07.03.2019  
UKRAINE  G/LIC/N/2/UKR/8  
G/LIC/N/2/UKR/8/ADD.1  26.03.2019  
02.04.2019  
 
1 New notifications from Switzerland -Lichtenstein and Chinese Taipei have been received , which will be 
reviewed at the Committee 's next  meeting.  G/L/1328  
 
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  ANNEX III: NOTIFICAT IONS REVIEWED DURING THE REVIEW PE RIOD  
PURSUANT TO ARTIC LE 7.3 OF THE AGREEMENT1 
FROM 23 OCTOBER  2018 TO 4 OCTOBER  2019 
MEMBER  DOCUMENT  
(YEAR NOTIFIED FOR)  DATE OF ISSUANCE 
OF THE DOCUMENT  
ARGENTINA  G/LIC/ N/3/ARG/ 15 2019 19.09.2019  
AUSTRALIA  G/LIC/N/3/AUS/11  
G/LIC/N/3/AUS/12  2018 
2019 20.09.2019  
23.09.2019  
CANADA  G/LIC/N/3/CAN/1 8 2018 24.09.2019  
COLOMBIA  G/LIC/N/3 /COL/12  2018 22.03.2019  
COSTA RICA  G/LIC/N/3/CRI/13 
G/LIC/N/3/CRI/14  
G/LIC/N/3/CRI/15  2016 
2017 
2018 12.12.2018  
12.12.2018  
12.12.2018  
EL SALVADOR  G/LIC/N/3/SLV/3  2018 17.12.2018  
EUROPEAN UNION  G/LIC/N/3/EU/ 8 2019 24.09.2019  
GEORGIA  G/LIC/N/3/GEO/8  2018 19.11.2018  
INDIA  G/LIC/N/3/IND/18  2018 17.01.2019  
KAZAK HSTAN  G/LIC/N/3/KAZ/3  2018 26.02.2019  
MACAO, CHINA  G/LIC/N/3/MAC/22  2019 27.05.2019  
MAURITIUS  G/LIC/N/3/MUS/8  
 2018 
 12.10.2018  
MEXICO  G/LIC/N/3/MEX/6  2019 24.09.2019  
MONTENEGRO  G/LIC/N/3/MNE/3  2019 27.05.2019  
NICARAGUA  G/LIC/N/3/NIC/10  2018 14.03.2019  
PANAMA  G/LIC/N/3/PAN/9  
G/LIC/N/3/PAN/10  2018 
2019 20.05.2019  
20.05.2019  
SINGAPORE  G/LIC/N/3/SGP/14  2018 26.11.2018  
SOUTH AFRICA  G/LIC/N/3/ZAF/7  2018 19.12.2018  
URUGUAY  G/LIC/N/3/URY/12  
 2018 25.01.2019  
 
_________  
 
1 New notifications have been received from Cameroon, Cuba, Hong Kong, China, Japan, the Republic of 
Korea, Mauritius, Switzerland -Lichtenstein, Russian Federation, Chinese Taipei, Ukraine, and the  United States,  
which will be rev iewed at the Committee 's next  meeting.