INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FREIGHT FORWARDERS ASSOCIATIONS (FIATA) 國際貨運代理協會聯合會 Updated 14 Apr 2026 · Regulatory Alert: Egyptian Customs Introduces Transit Facilitation Measures for Gulf Corridor
The Egyptian Customs Authority has issued Procedural
Circular No. 4 of 2026 and Instructions
to facilitate Transit Procedures Egypt to and from the Gulf Arab States,
introducing temporary facilitation measures for indirect transit shipments that
are effective as of 9 March 2026 for a period of three months.
Key Measure Indirect
transit shipments arriving at Egyptian ports whose final destination is outside
Egypt are exempted from the requirement to obtain an Advance Cargo
Identification Number (ACID).
This
exemption covers: · Shipments transiting Egyptian territory to
the ports of Nuweiba, Ain Sokhna, or Safaga, onward to final destinations in
the Gulf States (West Asian countries); and · Shipments originating from Gulf States and
transiting Egypt en route to destinations worldwide. The
exemption applies retroactively to detained shipments and those dispatched
after the onset of the regional events referenced in the circular.
Operational Requirements
Freight
forwarders and shipping agencies must ensure the following conditions are met: 1. Bills of lading and cargo manifests must
clearly indicate a foreign final destination. 2. All customs formalities under the indirect
transit regime must be completed, with these shipments being accorded priority
processing. 3. Both the importer and exporter must be
foreign entities. 4.
Full compliance with regulatory and
security requirements must be maintained throughout transit. 5.
Diversion of shipments to the Egyptian
domestic market is strictly prohibited. 6. The
Movement Department will affix electronic seals and record seal numbers on the
dispatch request, designating the approved route and estimated transit time.
7. Shipments
will be closely monitored; any delays must be reported to the Central
Directorate of Customs Enforcement or the Customs Security Directorate.
This
information has been communicated to FIATA by the Permanent Mission of Egypt to
the United Nations Office in Geneva, the WTO and Other International
Organizations. For more information, please access the Circular
and the Instructions. |