WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/LIC/N/3/BRB/3/Add.1 
14 September 2006 
 (06-4390) 
Committee on Import Licensing Original:   English 
  
 
REPLIES TO QUESTIONNAIRE ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES
1 
 
Notification under Article 7.3 of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures  
 
BARBADOS 
 
Addendum  
 
 The following communication, dated 20 June 2006,  is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Barbados. 
 
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Outline of system  
 
1. The Government of Barbados employs and import licensing system to regulate the 
importation of goods, which are subject to the licensing regime.  The arrangement is overseen by the 
Ministry of Commerce, Consumer Affairs a nd Business Development under the Miscellaneous 
Controls Act, Chapter 329 of the Laws of Barbados. 
Purposes and coverage of licensing  
2. Products which are subject to import licence under the Miscellaneous Controls (General Open 
Import Licence) Regulations are listed in Annex I, Annex II and Annex III.2 
These products are allowed to be imported unde r licence, which is considered on a case-by-
case basis. 
3. The system applies to goods originating outside CARICOM (First Schedule of Annex I) and 
goods originating within CARICOM (Third Schedule of Annex I). 
4. The import licensing system is applied for: 
(i) Regulating and monitoring purposes; 
(ii) Security purposes; 
(iii) Protection of Public Morals; 
(iv) Health purposes; and 
its objective is not to protect domestic production. 
                                                      
1 See document G/LIC/3, Annex, for the Questionnaire. 
2 The Annexes referred to in this document are av ailable for consultation in the Secretariat (Market 
Access Division) (English only). G/LIC/N/3/BRB/3/Add.1 
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  Legislative Basis
 
5. The import licensing scheme is a statutory requi rement maintained under the Miscellaneous 
Controls Act, Chapter 329, of the Laws of Barbados 
The legislation does not leave designation of prod ucts to be subjected to automatic licensing 
to administrative discretion.  However, in the inst ance of licences to be issued for products which give 
rise to issues such as public morals, public safet y and public health these licences are not issued 
automatically and are therefore subjected to admi nistrative discretion.  The respective statutory 
instruments are made available to the public by pub lication in the Official Gazette.  Any changes such 
as subjecting new products to import licensing or re moval of existing products therefrom require 
legislative approval. 
Procedures  
6. No quantitative restrictions. 
7. (a) Import authorization for applications must be  made in advance of importation.  Licences are 
processed within three to five wo rking days but can be granted within a shorter time limit.  
Applications for goods, which arrive owing to inadvertency, may be facilitated depending on 
the particular circumstance. 
(b) A licence can be granted immediately on request depending on the circumstance and/or the 
type of good. 
(c) There are no time limits for the submission of import licence applications 
(d) In some cases, the consideration of import licence applications is effected by a number of 
administrative bodies, which are competent to  give advice on the issuance of a licence 
according to the type of imported good(s).  Applic ations for meat and meat products must be 
reviewed by the Veterinary Services of the Mi nistry of Agriculture and Rural Development 
before issuance by the Ministry of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development.  In addition, applications for motorized vessels for pleasure or sports are considered by a 
Committee, which makes recommendations to the Minister responsible for Commerce.  The 
representatives of the Committee comprise the Ba rbados Port Authority, the Customs and 
Excise Department, the Ministry of Tourism a nd International Transport and the Department 
of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. 
8. All licences are issued automatically except goods falling under the following categories: 
• Health and Safety 
• Public Morals 
• Security 
An application for an import licence is normally granted if it meets the ordinary criteria.  In 
the event of refusal to issue a li cence the applicant will be informed of the reasons for any refusal.  
Applicants have the right to appeal  to any of the following persons. 
• Director 
• Permanent Secretary 
• Minister  G/LIC/N/3/BRB/3/Add.1 
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  An applicant may approach the Barbados Ch amber of Commerce and Industry and or the 
Barbados Manufacturers Association to mediate on their behalf or seek redress in Civil Court. 
Eligibility of Importers to apply for licence  
9. All importers may apply for an import li cence under the Miscellaneous Controls Act, 
Chapter 329. 
Documentational and other require ments for application for licence  
10. Applicants are required to state their personal or business name;  address;  the country from 
which the goods are sourced and the country from whic h they are being consigned;  the expected date 
and time of arrival;  the relevant tariff heading;  the description of the good(s);  the quantity and the 
quoted C.I.F. value in Barbados dolla rs.  No other document is required. 
11. For the importation of goods from CARICOM countri es, a certificate of origin is required as 
well as the commercial invoice.  For the importa tion of goods from non-CARICOM sources only the 
commercial invoice is required. 
12. There is no licensing fee or administrative charge. 
13. There is no deposit or advanced payment associ ated with the issuance of import licence. 
Conditions of licensing  
14. A licence is valid for a period up to three mont hs and can be extended by renewal upon expiry 
of that period by issuance of a new licence under the same procedure. 
15. There are no penalties for the non-utilization of an import licence or a portion thereof. 
16. Import licences are not transferable between importers. 
17. There are no other conditions attached to the issuance of an import licence. 
Other procedural requirements  
18. Imports are not subject to any other administrative procedures. 
19. There are no hindrances to obtaining foreign exchange from the banking authorities for goods 
to be imported.  Licences are not required as a condition to obtaining foreign exchange.  Foreign 
exchange is readily available to cover licences issued and can be obtained from commercial banks 
once the importer is in possession of Original Invoices  for the importation of goods.  Those without 
invoices are required to complete a Foreign Currency Import Form (FCI) from the Central Bank after which authorization is given to obtain the currency. 
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