WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/LIC/N/3/BRB/5 
26 January 2010 
 (10-0374) 
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 
 
  The following notification, dated 16 Octobe r 2009, has been received from the Permanent 
Mission of Barbados.  
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Outline of system
 
 
1.  The Government of Barbados employs an impor t licensing system to regulate the importation 
of goods, which are subject to the licensing regime. The arrangement is managed by the Ministry of 
Economic Affairs, Empowerment, Innovation, Trade, Industry and Commerce, under the 
Miscellaneous Controls Act Chapter 329 of the Laws of Barbados. 
 
Purpose and coverage of licensing  
 
2.  Products which are subject to import license under the Miscellaneous Controls (General Open 
Import Licence) Regulations are listed in Annex I.2 
 
 These products are allowed to be importe d under 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) Monitoring purposes;  (ii) Security purposes;  
(iii)  Protection of Public Morals;  
(iv)  Health purposes; and  (v)  Environmental purposes.  
  Its objective is in no way to restrict the quantity or value of imports. 
 
                                                     
 
1 See document G/LIC/3. 
2 Available for consultation in the Secretariat (Market Access Division in English only). G/LIC/N/3/BRB/5 
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  Legislative Basis
 
 5. The import licensing scheme is a statutory re quirement maintained under the Miscellaneous 
Controls Act Chapter 329 of the Laws of Barbados.   
 Generally, the legislation does not leave designation of products subject to automatic 
licensing to administrative discretion. However, in the instance of licences to be issued for products 
which give rise to issues such as public morals, public safety 
and public health these licences are not 
issued automatically and are therefore subjected to  administrative discretion. The respective statutory 
instruments are made available to the public  by publication in the Official Gazette. Any changes such 
as subjecting new products to import licensing or re moval of existing products there from require 
legislative approval.  
 
Procedures  
  
6.  There are presently n o Quantitative Restrictions.  
 
7. (a)  Import authorization for applications must be granted in advance of importation. Licences are 
processed within three to five working 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 periodic limits with regard to the time of year during which an import licence 
application could be submitte d for authorization or a good could be imported.  
 (d)  In some cases, the consideration of impor t 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). Appli cations 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 Economic  Affairs, Empowerment, Innovation, Trade, 
Industry and Commerce.  In addition; applications  for motorized vessels for pleasure or sports 
are considered by a Committee, which makes recommendations to the Minister responsible 
for Trade. The representatives of  the Committee comprise The Maritime Affairs Division 
(Ministry of Transport International Transpor t and International Business), the Customs and 
Excise Department, the Ministry of Tourism a nd the Department of Commerce and Consumer 
Affairs 
 
8.  All licences are issued automatically exce pt goods falling under th e 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 the refusal. 
Applicants have the right to appeal to any of the following persons:   G/LIC/N/3/BRB/5 
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   -  Director, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs 
 - Permanent Secretary, and  - Minister    An applicant may approach the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry and or the 
Barbados Manufacturers Association to mediate on their behalf or they may seek redress in Civil 
Court. 
 
Eligibility of importers to apply for a license
 
 9.  All persons, firms and institutions may a pply for an import licence under the Miscellaneous 
Controls Act Cap 329. 
 
Documentation and other requireme nts for application for license
 
 10.  Applicants are required to state their pers onal or business name, address, the country from 
which the goods are sourced 
and the country from whence they are being consigned, the expected 
date and time of arrival, the relevant tariff heading,  the description of the good(s), the quantity to be 
imported and the quoted C.I.F. value in Barba dos dollars. No other document is required.  
 
11.  For the importation of goods from CARICOM count ries, a certificate of origin is required as 
well as the commercial invoice. For the importati on 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 associated 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 requirement  
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 Invoice(s) 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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