Non-Tariff Barriers

Complaint

Complaint number

NTB-000-916  

NTB Type

3. Technical barriers to trade (TBT)  

NTM Code

B14: Authorization requirements for importing certain products 

Complaint

Requirement by United Republic of Tanzania to transit trucks carrying chemicals to have export and transport chemical permits. Trucks are charged US$ 1 per ton and in most cases arbitrary charges which are imposed to transit vehicles only. The amount is applied to the entire container weight regardless of the weight of the other non-chemical products being transported in the container. Permits are difficult to obtain during week-ends and original copies are required at the border creating further delays  

Status note

The RMC meeting held on 1 September 2020 agreed that this complaint be resolved as it is agreeable by Law and hence is not an NTB  

Progress update note

1.During the Sectoral Committee on Trade held on 1st November, 2019, the United republic of Tanzania informed the meeting, this is legal requirements according to Industrial Chemicals and Consumers (Management and Control) ACT No. 3 of 2003 and its regulations of 2015, Any Individual or Companies that in one way or another they are dealing with chemicals (Importation, transportation, use, export, distribution and manufacture and disposal of chemicals) in the URT they are required to be registered by the registrar of chemicals (GCLA) and obtain a chemical permit. These permit are free and obtained online
It is not true that the URT (GCLA) is charging the FOB of the whole container containing small amount of chemicals, the problem is the importers and or exporter of chemicals they have one invoice with the FOB summed up for all the items in the container and when they are asked to bring the FOB breakdown and even or to bring the clarifications from the suppliers and or manufacture they don’t do that and instead they are preferring to use the FOB with no breakdown.
To address those issues and following the meeting which was held on Kigali on the 10th September, 2019 between Tanzania and Rwanda it was agreed that there will be a meeting between Tanzania and Rwanda at Rusumo border and among other things issues related to chemicals will also be discussed.

2.On 13 March2020, the Secretariat reported that Bilateral meeting is yet to be convened  

Policy or regulatory NTB

No 

Location

Tanzania: Government Chemist Laboratory Authority. (Government institution)  

Reporting Country or Region

Rwanda  

Country specific trade issue

No  

Date of incident

2019-10-02  

Status

Resolved  

Date of resolution

2020-09-01  

Product Description

Computer-assisted translation

• English
• Arabic
• French
• Portuguese

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Total value

0  

Date reported

2019-10-16 15:53  

Modified

2020-09-01 17:02