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Trade Regulations, Customs and Standards

Import Tariffs

More than 83 percent of imported goods are subject to duties equal to or below five percent. The Customs website (http://www.customs.gov.lb ) provides a searchable database that displays import duties by tariff number.

Less than one percent of imports and exports of goods are subject to a number of trade measures imposed by ten Lebanese government state bodies. Measures include prohibitions, licenses, technical certificates, veterinary certificates, and phyto-sanitary certificates. All goods subject to import and export prohibitions are also prohibited from transiting through the territory of Lebanon. A limited number of goods (e.g. weapons) are subject to more than one trade measure. To find out whether a specific product is subject to non-tariff barriers, consult the customs website at http://www.customs.gov.lb or Lebanon’s NonTariff Measure Survey published on the Ministry of Economy and Trade’s website-WTO trade section at http://www.economy.gov.lb/MOET/English/Panel/Trade/InternationalTradeAgreements/WTO.html .

Lebanon adheres to the Arab League boycott of Israel. Enforcement is selective as many goods on the boycott list are available in the Lebanese market. The Arab League’s Central Boycott Office maintains a blacklist of U.S. firms that are believed to contribute to Israel’s military or economic development. In accordance with U.S anti-boycott regulations, U.S. companies may not certify that their products do not come from Israel. If there appears to be any request that might be in support of boycotts, companies should contact the Bureau of Industrial Security (BIS) in the U.S. Department of Commerce (http://www.bis.doc.gov ).

Import Requirements and Documentation

Import processing requires the following documents

  • Declaration form based on the Single Administrative Document (SAD)
  • Bill of lading
  • Packing list
  • Commercial invoice (original)
  • Delivery order (to prove ownership of goods)
  • Quietus from the Social Security Office renewed every six months (required only for legal persons and commercial establishments)
  • Contract of sale between importer and seller at the country of exportation (may be requested for value verification only in case customs officers doubt the invoice value)
  • Certificate of origin, issued by Chambers of Commerce in the country of exportation (required in case importer wishes to benefit from preferential treatment)
  • Depending on the type of imported good, a number of other documents may also be required including import license, conformity certificates to mandatory standards, or phyto-sanitary certificates.

Export processing requires the following documents:

  • Declaration form based on the Single Administrative Document (SAD)
  • Packing list
  • Invoice
  • Certificate of origin issued by Chamber of Commerce except for exports to Europe.  The certificate of origin must be certified by the Ministry of Agriculture for all food products of plant origin and by the Ministry of Industry for all industrial products.  Certificate of Origin for exporting industrial products to Europe are issued by the Ministry of Industry according to EUR 1 and FORM A and are certified by Customs.
  • Quietus from the Social Security Office renewed every six months (required only for legal persons and commercial establishments)
  • A number of other documents may also be required depending on the type of exported good. They include licenses, conformity and export certificates for quality verification for all food products of plant origin, agricultural certificates, and agricultural health certificates.

U.S. Export Controls

Lebanon is not subject to special sanctions. In principle, all exports require a license, though in practice the vast majority of U.S. exports fall under a “general license” that allows export without getting permission from the Bureau of Industrial Security (BIS) in the U.S. Department of Commerce (http://www.bis.doc.gov ). When doing business with Lebanon, U.S exporters should consider the following U.S. export regulations:

  • For a number of items, a specific export license is required. These items include products whose high-tech nature implies that export may involve a national security risk. Contacting BIS will enable an exporter to determine whether or not a specific item requires a license. If a specific license is required, one of the considerations will be the reliability of the end-user. Government agencies and companies with a solid business reputation are more likely to be granted a license.
  • U.S companies need to verify whether the U.S. government has blacklisted a particular Lebanese company or individual, as a result of past violations of export regulations or other reasons. U.S. Companies should consult BIS Denied Persons List and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control lists of designated companies and individuals available online at http://www.bis.doc.gov and http://www.treas.gov/offices/eotffc/ofac/index.html .

Temporary Entry

There are two types of permits for the entry of temporary goods. Customs grants a regular temporary entry permit to foreign products that will be manufactured or finished in Lebanon and then re-exported outside Lebanon or displayed in free zones. This permit is valid for six months and may be renewed for up to two years.

The Customs’ Director-General may grant a special temporary entry permit for a range of products intended for temporary use. However, the period of the permit is limited to three months. Goods subject to the special permit include:

  • Equipment and machinery used in public works, archeology, cinema and journalism.
  • Goods or samples to be displayed in trade fairs.
  • Goods intended for maintenance and repair or goods used for maintenance and repair.
  • Empty containers or packages to be filled in Lebanon and re-exported or full containers or packages to be emptied in Lebanon and then re-exported.

Labeling and Marking Requirements

Labels should include the net weight of the product, manufacture and expiry date, ingredients and origin. Labeling language varies among Arabic, English and French. Products with Hebrew labels are not accepted. Should you need further information, please contact the Ministry of Economy and Trade at http://www.economy.gov.lb .

Prohibited and Restricted Imports

Prohibited imports include the following:

  • Cedar seeds and seedling (in conservation of Lebanese cedars species).
  • Chemical improvers used in bread making (health measure).
  • Table salt not containing iodine (health measure).
  • Waste/slag/ash/scrap of many chemical, mineral and metal products (in protection of the environment).
  • Clinker and black cement (in protection of local industry).
  • Vehicles older than eight years and motor vehicles for the transport of goods older than five years (in protection of the environment).
  • Used medical and radiography apparatus (health measure).
  • Gas fueled pocket lighters (to prevent any fire incident).
  • Wireless phone sets of 900 Megahertz.

Lebanon adheres to the Arab League Boycott of Israel.  As a result, Lebanon prohibits the import of goods manufactured in or originating from Israel. For more information, please refer to the Trade Barriers section of this chapter.

Customs Regulations and Contact Information

Lebanon follows the Harmonized System for its tariff regime.  A new and modern Customs Law was implemented in 2001. It simplifies and expedites customs procedures, adopts international standards for the valuation of goods, applies modern and fair dispute settlement procedures, allows for electronic declaration of goods, and fosters the development of industrial and free zones. This new law has reduced delays and administrative burdens in clearing imported products through customs at the airport and ports. However, exporters are advised to contact local customs agents to expedite the clearing process. Customs has been very active in introducing online operations for its automated clearance system whereby traders and custom brokers will be able to enter and track customs declarations. When fully implemented, users will be able to register, as well as assess and pay declarations directly from their bank accounts.

For further information on customs procedures please refer to the following website:

Lebanese Customs: www.customs.gov.lb

Key contacts:

General Directorate of Customs
Beirut
Tel: 961-1-980060/1/2/3/5/6
Fax: 961-1-643826

Higher Council for Customs
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: 961-1-988500/1
Fax: 961-1-988080

Standards

Overview

The Lebanese Standards Institution, known as LIBNOR, is the sole authority in Lebanon charged with issuing, publishing, and amending Lebanese standards. A number of state bodies (including the Ministries of Telecommunications, Energy and Water, Industry, Public Health, Environment, Agriculture, Economy and Trade, and Transport and Public Works) issue technical regulations connected with products in the form of Ministerial Decisions and Council of Ministers Decrees. LIBNOR develops an annual work plan of standards internally.

Standards Organizations

By law, LIBNOR, affiliated with the Ministry of Industry, is designated as the sole authority in Lebanon to issue, publish, and amend Lebanese voluntary standards. LIBNOR is also designated as the sole authority to give the right to use the Conformity Label (kitemark). Programs for drafting standards are set annually. The Board of Directors approves the annual plans, submitted by LIBNOR’s Director General, for preparing new standards or amending existing ones. The annual program for drafting standards is also available through LIBNOR’s website (www.libnor.org ).

NIST Notify U.S. Service
Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to report to the WTO all proposed technical regulations that could affect trade with other Member countries. Notify U.S. is a free, web-based e-mail subscription service that offers an opportunity to review and comment on proposed foreign technical regulations that can affect your access to international markets. Register online at Internet URL: http://www.nist.gov/notifyus/ .

Conformity Assessment

The following six laboratories are the main national testing bodies in Lebanon:

  • The Laboratories of Industrial Research Institute (IRI) affiliated with the Ministry of Industry test for all types of products.
  • The Central Laboratory at the Ministry of Public Health (in case of food products).
  • The Laboratory of the Agricultural Research Institute at the Ministry of Agriculture (in case of food products). 
  •  The American University of Beirut Laboratory of Chemistry and Pharmacology.
  • The French Medical Institute Laboratory of Chemistry and Pharmacology at Saint Joseph University.
  • The Nuclear Medicine Laboratory at Notre Dame du Liban Hospital.

Product Certification

Industrial Research Institute (IRI) provides certificates of quality or conformity with standards and purchase requirements. Certificates of conformity or quality, issued by foreign companies such as SGS and Veritas, are also honored in Lebanon. In addition, several ministries issue certificates of conformity. The Ministry of Agriculture has the authority to issue certificates of conformity for exported agricultural products. The Ministry of Economy and Trade issues conformity and export certificates at the request of the exporter. The Ministry of Public Health issues health certificates at the request of the exporter. There are no mutual agreements (MRAs) with U.S. organizations.

Accreditation

Conseil Libanais D’Accreditation (Colibac) is the only accreditation body in Lebanon. Colibac is part of the Ministry of Industry. The Laboratories of Industrial Research Institute (IRI) affiliated with the Ministry of Industry is the authorized chemical and micro-biological laboratory used for accreditation.

Technical Regulations

Once the board committee agrees on draft standards, LIBNOR announces a trial period of two months. This announcement is sent directly to the National News Agency, several local newspapers, all members of the technical committee, local state television and posted on LIBNOR’s website. Board members may also publish it or make it known to the relevant bodies they represent. Once adopted, all standards and decrees (issuing technical regulations) are published in Lebanon’s “Official Gazette.” Because LIBNOR is not a WTO member yet, there is no formal procedure of notification. U.S. entities can comment on technical regulation via email to LIBNOR.

Labeling and Marking

Labels on containers and packages require the display of size, weight, or quantity of the goods contained therein. The Consumer Protection Division at the Ministry of Economy and Trade currently enforces the law. Failure to comply with the requirements subjects the violator to penalties.

Contacts

LIBNOR is de facto the national inquiry point in Lebanon on standards and technical regulations resulting from conversion of standards.

LIBNOR
Bloc B, Gedeco Center
P.O. Box 55120
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: 961 -1-485 927 (5 lines)
Fax: 961-1-485 929
E-mail: Libnor@N0SPAM.cnrs.edu.lb
Website: www.Libnor.org

Conseil Libanais d’Accreditation (COLIBAC)
Contact Person: Mr. George Khoury, Director
Ministry of Industry
Sami El Solh Avenue, Badaro
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel:961-1-427046; 427006; 423338
Fax: 961-1-427112
Website: www.industry.gov.lb

Trade Agreements

Lebanon is traditionally a country with a free and open trade regime. Efforts towards trade liberalization have been focused on the European Union (EU), World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Arab world. Lebanon does not have a free trade arrangement with the U.S., nor a bilateral investment treaty.

On December 1, 2006, Lebanon signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the U.S. TIFA helps both countries promote an attractive investment climate, expand trade relations, and remove impediments to trade and investment.

Lebanon is seeking to accede to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Having gained observer status in 1999, Lebanon held its fifth Working Party meeting in May 2007.

Lebanon’s Interim Agreement with the EU came into effect in March 2003. The agreement provides for reciprocal free trade on the majority of industrial goods. It also liberalizes trade on a large basket of agricultural and processed agricultural goods. The Euro-Med Partnership aims at establishing a free trade area for the Mediterranean region by the year 2010.

In 2004, Lebanon and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) signed a free trade agreement. EFTA granted market access on industrial goods beginning in 2005, while Lebanon will progressively dismantle tariff on industrial products between 2008 and 2015. The agreement covers trade in industrial goods and processed agricultural products, as well as investment and government procurement. Bilateral agreements between Lebanon and individual EFTA states have also been signed in 2004 covering trade in agriculture products.

Lebanon has signed a number of free trade agreements with Arab countries. Lebanon is a signatory to the Arab League’s Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), an agreement among 17 Arab countries. Import duties among GAFTA countries were fully eliminated on January 1, 2005. Lebanon has signed a number of bilateral free trade agreements with Arab countries to expedite trade integration. Those include Syria (effective 1999), Egypt (effective 1999), Kuwait (effective 2000), UAE (effective 2001), Iraq (effective 2002), and Jordan (signed in 2002, but not ratified).

More information about trade agreements is at the Ministry of Economy and Trade‘s website at www.economy.gov.lb.

Web Resources

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