Samples without commercial value may be imported duty free. Others may be imported temporarily duty free under deposit or bond for the amount of the duty, the usual time limit being one year. There are no Free Export Zones. Imports of all permitted goods require prior authorisation. The Congo uses the Harmonised System of Tariff Nomenclature for classifying its products.
Warehouses are available in the Congo.
Imports of cement and sugar are prohibited. Ad valorem duties are assessed on the wholesale market value of the goods in the country of origin, plus all costs and expenses incurred up to the time of the goods arrival in a Congolese port. Goods may be declared to the customs for consumption as goods in transit, or as goods intended for temporary admission only. Goods imported for consumption in the Congo may be stored free of storage charges for a maximum period of five days. There are no Foreign Trade Zones in the Congo.