Advance Cargo Information Declaration (ACI), Egypt

Logistics news

According to the Egyptian Customs Law No. 207, which came into force in November 2020, the related regulations are now becoming active. The Advance Cargo Information (ACI) will become mandatory for all Egyptian import shipments from October 1, 2021 (port of origin loading date).

Forwarders are now required by law to validate ACI-related information accordingly before loading. Consequently, exporters – or their agents – should provide their forwarders with the following ACI references:

1. ACID Advance Cargo Information Statement: a 19-digit unique number.
2. Sales tax identification number of the Egyptian importer: a 9-digit number.
3. Exporter’s registration number
4. Country of registration of the exporter

In order to comply with the full implementation of ACI, above mandatory data shall be provided by the clientele from September 15, 2021. Shipping instructions are to be submitted no later than 36 hours prior to the vessel’s arrival at the port of origin to allow shipping lines to validate ACI-related information no later than 24 hours prior to loading as required by law.

With full implementation on October 1, 2021, shipping lines will strictly refrain from loading shipments destined for Egypt at the port of origin if ACI-related data is missing or insufficient or invalid. It is recommended that, according to the new schedule, Egyptian importers and their exporters register with “CargoX”, as the commercial documents associated with the shipments can now only be transmitted electronically.

The published dates represent the current timeframe announced by the Egyptian Customs Authority. For more information on ACI, visit the National Single Window for Egyptian Trade platform (Nafeza):

https://nafeza.gov.eg