Procedures for Exports

• Registration and Customs Formalities
• Export Permits
• Incoterms (International Commercial Terms)
• Clearing and Forwarding
• International Terms of Payment
• Useful websites
  

The following registration procedures should be completed by all exporters:

Registrar of Companies

Any person wishing to export goods on a commercial basis must hold a Business Registration Card from the Companies Division.

MRA

Registration with the Mauritius Revenue Authority is compulsory for companies with an annual turnover exceeding Rs 2 million.

Customs

All exporters must be registered with the Customs Department. Registration of the Customs Department is done at the following address:

Customs Department,

Customs House

Mer Rouge

Port Louis

Tel: (230) 202 0500

Fax: (230) 216 7784

Email: customs@mra.mu

Website: http://www.gov.mu/portal/sites/mra/updcus.htm

The registration form along with the following documents must be submitted to the Customs Department to process the registration:

Note: The process of registration at Customs is usually done by the Customs Broker or the Freight Forwarder on behalf of the company.

Any person, who is himself the exporter can personally file the Customs declaration provided he is registered at Customs as a declarant and is owner of the Front End System of the TradeNet. However, because of the technicalities required to file a Customs declaration, it is recommended to hire the services of a customs broker or a freight forwarding agent.

Commodity Description and Coding System
An exporter needs to be aware of the Harmonised System (HS) codes of the products he is exporting. The HS is an eight-digit nomenclature for classifying traded products. The first four digits are referred to as the heading. The first six digits are known as a subheading. Individual countries may extend a Harmonized System number to eight or ten digits for customs purposes.

 
An application for HS Codes classification can be made to the Customs Department which has the authority to classify goods in Mauritius.

• Invoice
• Packing list
• Bill of lading / Airway bill
• Bill of entry
• Insurance certificate (if applicable)
• Certificate of inspection (if applicable)
• Certificate of origin (if applicable)
• Export permit (if applicable)

• Invoice - an invoice is a commercial document issued by a seller to the buyer, indicating the products, quantities, weight and agreed prices for products or services the seller has provided the buyer.

A preferential certificate of origin is a document attesting that goods in a particular shipment are of a certain origin under the definitions of a particular bilateral or multilateral trade agreement.

This certificate is required by a country’s customs authority in deciding whether the imports should benefit from preferential treatment in accordance with the specific trading area such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) or the Southern African Development Community (SADC), or before anti-dumping taxes are enforced.

The table below list down the different certificates of origin, the issuing bodies and their contact details.

Export Permits

Exports of almost all items can be conducted freely except for a few controlled items for which export permits are required prior to effecting exports.

More information on the procedures and documentation for the application for an export permit on the above listed items can be obtained from the Commerce Division of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection which can be contacted on:

Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection
Commerce Division
4th Floor Anglo Mauritius Building
Intendence Street
Port Louis
Tel: (230) 208 7170
Fax: (230) 208 5250
Email: mcom@mail.gov.mu

Website: http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/commercesite

Plan and Plant Products
Phytosanitary certification and inspection of plant and plant products for export are carried out in conformity with the requirement of the quarantine regulations of the importing country in order to fulfill our obligations under international agreements.

The exporter or his agent shall present the consignment either at the plant quarantine office or arrange for inspection at his premises. Transport, labour and other facilities for opening, sampling, repacking etc shall be borne by the exporter.

It is primordial that consignments are free of soil and pest free.

More information can be obtained from the National Plant Protection Office.

Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security
Agricultural Services
National Plant Protection Office
Contact Person: Mrs N R Leckraz
Position: Principal Research and Development Officer
Tel: (230) 464 4872
Fax: (230) 465 9591
Email: moa-pathology@mail.gov.mu

Website: http://agriculture.gov.mu

Meat and Fish products
The Division of Veterinary Services (DVS) of the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security certifies products/food of animal origin, including fish and fishery products, intended for export to E.U countries, and other countries like USA, Japan, China, etc.

In this context, the services of the Division are available at DVS Headquarters, Réduit, and at Seafood Hub, 4th floor, TMC Building, Freeport, Roche Bois.

Furthermore, health certificates of live animals, e.g. day old chicks, pets (dogs & cats), monkeys, horses destined to be exported, are issued by the DVS, following rigorous assessment and health control of those animals.  The certificates are issued, on specific conditions that satisfy the requirements of the importing countries, and also, the sanitary and phytosanitary measures of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

More information can be obtained from the DVS on the following contact details:

Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security
Agricultural Services
Division of Veterinary Services
Contact Person: Dr Prayag
Position: Ag. Principal Veterinary Officer
Tel: (230) 454 1016, 454 1017
Fax: (230) 464 2210
Email: vetser@intnet.mu, moa-dvs@mail.gov.mu

WEbsite: http://agriculture.gov.mu

Tea
An application for a Tea Export License should be made at the Tea Board on the following address:

Fax: (230) 676 1445
Email: teaboard@intnet.mu

Website: http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/teaboard

Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) 2010

Clearing and Forwarding

International Terms of Payment

Useful Websites:

Customs Department

Enterprise Mauritius

Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection (Commerce Division)

Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture

Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security - Fisheries Division

Mauritius Standards Bureau

Mauritius Bankers Association