U.S. companies and trademark owners that export dairy products sold for retail in Egypt must register their facilities with the Egyptian General Organization for Export and Import Control under new guidelines, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week. Effective immediately, “milk and its products put up for retail sale” and other assorted imported goods will be refused entry unless the manufacturing facility has completed the registration process.
Applications can be submitted online at the Ministry’s website or in person. In addition to the application form, companies must also submit:
- a certificate verifying the location and legal status of the food production facility,
- a list of products manufactured at the facility,
- a list of trademarks owned by the company and for products made at the facility, and
- a certificate demonstrating that the facility has a quality control system in place.
According to USDA’s announcement, the application and supporting documentation must be “certified by the chamber of commerce at the location of issuance, legalized by the Egyptian embassy in the country of origin and translated into Arabic.” Additionally, Egyptian authorities may send a technical team to inspect the facility if they feel the need to validate any of the registration information.
To assist U.S. exporters, USDA provided several examples of applications and supporting documentation in its report. Although USDA released its update on the new requirements last week, the decree affects all listed products arriving in Egypt after March 16, 2016.
Members with questions or needing help registering their facilities may contact Beth Hughes, IDFA director of international affairs, at bhughes@idfa.org.