New Import Freight Regulations now Require Certificate of Conformity

NIGER – Changes to import regulations mean that from 1 April most freight entering the land locked Republic will require a Certificate of Conformity for Customs clearance as the Agence Nationale de Vérification de Conformité aux Normes (AVCN) enforces its new Conformity Assessment Programme (CAP).

The list of exclusions does include personal effects, including vehicles being repatriated, and shipments with a value below 500,000 CFA ($930), personal gifts and postal packets with no commercial value, but any included items arriving in Niger without the Certificate of Conformity will not clear Customs and could incur heavy fines or be returned to the country of export.

Those in doubt regarding the new regulations are advised to seek help prior to shipment from a specialist agency such as Intertek whose website also lists all products which do not require this documentation.