The country or territory of origin must be stated on the invoice for each invoice line. If the customs authorities doubt the correctness of the declared country or territory of origin they may request an additional proof which might be a certificate of origin.
The Certificate of Origin must meet the following Customs stipulations:
Customs does not require a Certificate of Origin for non-commercial shipments of textile samples, provided that the sample items meet the conditions to be considered as samples (for example, mutilated, appropriate quantity).
Range of products The most important products are toys, in-vitro diagnostic medical devices, medical devices, machinery, low voltage equipment, safety devices (for example, helmets), exhaust systems and electromagnetic compatibility. For a full overview please see the EU website:
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/goods/new-legislative-framework_en
Responsibilities Manufacturers are defined as the persons responsible for designing and manufacturing products supposed to be placed on the EU market. The manufacturer has an obligation to ensure that a product intended to be placed on the Community market is designed and manufactured, and it's conformity assessed, to the essential requirements in accordance with the provisions of the directives. The manufacturer may appoint any natural or legal person, established in the European Union, to act on his behalf as an authorized representative.
The authorized representative may be addressed by the authorities of the member states in regard to the manufacturer's obligations.
The importer is defined as any legal or natural person responsible for placing products on the EU market. He is responsible to provide the market surveillance authority with the necessary information about the safety of the product and a copy of the Declaration of Conformity (DoC). If the manufacturer is established in the EU or has a so called authorized representative it is his obligation to provide the necessary information.
Conformity Assessment Procedure Goods subject to the regulations on product safety need to be tested according to the rules applying for each group of products. Manufacturers have to draw up an EC declaration of conformity which is the first step of the conformity assessment procedure. The declaration of conformity has to include technical information containing the way of testing and the steps to be taken to obtain the attestation of conformity. The way of testing and steps to be taken depends on the type of product. If the testing was successful the producer is allowed to apply the so called 'CE sign' on the product or where this is not applicable (for example, surgical instruments) at the retail package or on a "Declaration of Conformity" certificate.
The "Declaration of Conformity" has to be issued by a notified body certified by a member state of the European Union.
Notified Body A notified body is an organization certified by the national government to carry out the tasks of the conformity assessment procedures. They can offer their service to any economic operator inside and outside the European Community. They can carry out the tests or monitor the tests carried out by the manufacturer. They can carry out these activities inside the EU or on the territory of third countries or territories.
Information about notified bodies and notified bodies itself can be found on the EU website:
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/goods/building-blocks/notified-bodies_en
For additional information, please also refer to "Product Safety
An exporter who wants his products to benefit from the preferential treatment must be able to prove that his products fulfill the rules to be originating in a country or territory covered by the preferential trade agreement and they must provide a preferential document validated by the customs authorities or document with a valid preferential statement issued by themselves.
The preferential trade agreement foresees the following preferential proofs under CETA-see Miscellaneous.
The importer must obtain the import license. An original export license from the exporter of the country or territory of origin might be necessary to obtain the import license.
The requirement of an import license is dependent on the country or territory of origin of the goods not the country or territory of export. For further detailed information it is highly recommended to contact your chamber of commerce.
All exporters of consignments of goods with a value greater than 6000 EUR to Canada must be registered in the Registered Exporters System (REX). If you register and are exporting consignments of goods with a value greater than 6000 EUR to Canada you can avail of preferences under CETA. To register you should register complete the EU exporters to Canada application form and send it to the Origin and Valuation Unit.
Exporters must use their REX number on the origin declaration to claim preference under CETA. If you are importing from Canada, you can qualify under CETA for preferences, but you do not have to register in REX.
The origin declaration, the text of which is given below, must be completed in accordance with the footnotes. However, the footnotes do not have to be reproduced.
(Period: from___________ to __________(1)) The exporter of the products covered by this document (customs authorization No ...(2)) declares that, except where otherwise clearly indicated, these products are of ...(3) preferential origin. ..(4) (Place and date) .(5) Signature and printed name of the exporter)__________________
(1) When the origin declaration is completed for multiple shipments of identical originating products within the meaning of Article 19.5, indicate the period of time for which the origin declaration will apply. The period of time must not exceed 12 months. All importations of the product must occur within the period indicated. Where a period of time is not applicable, the field can be left blank.
(2) For EU exporters: When the origin declaration is completed by an approved or registered exporter the exporter's customs authorization or registration number must be included. A customs authorization number is required only if the exporter is an approved exporter. When the origin declaration is not completed by an approved or registered exporter, the words in brackets must be omitted or the space left blank. For Canadian exporters: The exporter's Business Number assigned by the Government of Canada must be included. Where the exporter has not been assigned a business number, the field may be left blank.
(3) "Canada/EU" means products qualifying as originating under the rules of origin of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. When the origin declaration relates, in whole or in part, to products originating in Ceuta and Melilla, the exporter must clearly indicate the symbol "CM".
(4) These indications may be omitted if the information is contained on the document itself.
(5) Article 19.3 provides an exception to the requirement of the exporter's signature. Where the exporter is not required to sign, the exemption of signature also implies the exemption of the name of the signatory.
The European Commission provides detailed guidance on the rules of origin in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
It is not required for all, however shipments can be held by local authority in United Arab Emirates after screening due to lack of MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) or NON DG (Dangerous Goods) declaration letter from the shipper resulting to misconnections and impacting end-to-end service.
It would be advisable for all shipments originating, transiting and terminating for UAE to have MSDS or NON DG declaration from shipper enclosed in the shipment and copies to be uploaded in IDIS.
Market Surveillance is organized and performed at national level. Each member state of the EU (European Union) is responsible for surveillance activities on its territory. Customs authorities are usually part of the market surveillance activities.
On customs request the "Declaration of Conformity" has to be provided by the shipper, the manufacturer or his assigned representative in the EU or the importer.
Declaration of Conformity
The Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is a document in which the manufacturer, or his authorized representative within the EU, indicates that the product meets all the necessary requirements of the directives applicable for the specific product. The DoC shall contain the name and the address of the manufacturer along with information about the product (for example, brand and serial number). The DoC must be signed by an individual working for the manufacturer or his authorized representative.
On request the manufacturer or his authorized representative within the EU must provide the DoC. In case the manufacturer is not an EU entity and has no authorized representative the importer must be able to provide a copy of the DoC and additional proofs if requested.
National Requirements
For some commodities the conformity with the product safety regulations must be declared by the importer within the customs declaration. The DoC is required as a valid proof for the safety of the products and their compliance with the directives.
These commodities are (no exceptions) everything with CE marking, like:
Most concerned shipments are inspected. If no CE mark is found, a DoC is needed. If DoC can not be provided, the goods will be RTSd. Customs procedure time is up to 2 weeks.
Shipments valued more than 22.00 Euros will be Custom cleared and are subject to delays if details, like the consignee's tax ID number or the complete description of the goods, are not available.
To facilitate customs clearance of shipments addressed to foreign nationals, write the consignee's passport information on the invoice. Portuguese Customs Declarations must be made within 20 days after the shipment arrives in Portugal. UPS automatically returns the shipment at the shipper's expense if the declaration is not made by the deadline.
Restrictions may apply for freight collect shipments from the origin country or territory. Contact UPS or the UPS service partner in the origin country or territory prior to shipping.
Expedited and Standard service is not available to the Azores and Madeira.
Please note that the islands may be served by mail from Portugal on request but no proof of delivery (POD) is available to the islands of: Corvo, S. Jorge, Flores, Santa Maria, Graciosa, Porto Santo, and Pico.
There are special stipulations on the following commodities when shipping to Portugal. If you plan to ship one of the commodities listed below, be sure to adhere to the following stipulations in order to avoid delays and holds at customs.
Food means any substance, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, which is intended for human consumption, but does not include cosmetics or substances used only as pharmaceuticals.
Non-Food (not intended for human consumption) includes animal by-products, animal feed, samples for testing or research purposes (food-grade or non-food grade), and in vitro diagnostics (IVD).
Animal products and animal by-products are often subject to a veterinary inspection. These products can only be accepted under a special contract for International Special Commodities (ISC). In addition those products must undergo veterinary checks at an approved Veterinary Border Inspection Post (BIP) when entering the EU & EFTA countries or territories (EU regulations are aligned for EU countries or territories and NO; IS; CH; LI).
For UPS shipments arriving in the EU by air, Cologne is the first point of arrival /BIP. Inspections will be processed at Cologne but final customs clearance process will be issued in the destination country or territory.
Additional charges for Vet-inspection will be applicable see Brokerage Services and Charges.
Import requirements:
Generally, each type of Product of Animal Origin has specific import requirements that must be met. Food which is subject to veterinary inspections must:
Come from an EU listed Third Country or Territory (no safeguard measures in place)
Come from an EU approved establishment . Registered producers are listed under the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/food/international/trade/third_en.htm
Be accompanied by appropriate Health Certificate(s), signed by a veterinarian of the competent authority of country or territory of export. Photocopies of the Health Certificate will not be accepted.
Be appropriately packaged and labelled, indicating the nature, ingredients, quantity/ weight, the country or territory of origin and manufacturer.
Any foodstuff coming from non-approved establishments, sent as samples for testing purposes, can only be imported with a permit/license from a respective national veterinary authority. The permit/license must be send to the border inspection point responsible for the veterinary inspection. Delays may occur as the license needs to be provided already at the time of inspection.
Any non-compliant shipment must be returned at shippers expense immediately. The following exemptions apply to non-commercial shipments / gift shipments or purchased by private individuals for private consumption):
Meat, meat products, animal fat - max. 10 kg from Faroe Island and Greenland.
Fish and fish products (with intestines and organs removed) - max. 20 kg from all third countries or territories; no limitation from Faroe Islands.
Other animal products (for example, honey, egg, frog, live mussels - max. 10 kg from Faroe Islands and Greenland, and max. 2 kg from all other third countries or territories).
The shipper must provide a Certificate of Analysis.
The shipments may be rejected by customs and returned to the Country or Territory of Origin. Refused shipments may be subject to a return charge.
Private individuals can import dietary and food supplements without an import permit up to a value of 200 Euros. They must provide an import permit issued by INFARMED if the value of the goods exceeds 200 Euros.
In addition, there might be products / dietary supplements classified as prohibited by INFARMED so that the procedure described above will not apply. It is highly recommended to have a check on this before exportation.
If dietary or food supplements are classified as medicine or cosmetics the import regulations for medicine or cosmetics applies.
Dietary supplements and food supplements classified as medicine for which the importer cannot provide the required documents will be returned or destroyed.
Imports of food products by individuals are restricted. These shipments may be rejected by customs and abandoned, destroyed or returned to the country or territory of export. Refused shipments may be subject to a return charge.
Based on the EU regulation 2009/669/EC certain foodstuffs (for example tea with origin China) imported from certain third countries or territories are subject to increased level of official controls due to contamination risks of these products by aflatoxinson and pathogens. These controls are carried out at Designated Point of Entries (DPE) defined by each member state.
The import of feed and food originating in or consigned from Japan following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station and not subject to vet inspection can only be imported into the EU through Designated Point of Entries (DPE). They must be accompanied by a declaration attesting that the goods are either harvested or processed before March 11, 2011, originated from a prefecture other than the ones affected by higher levels of radiation or if originated from an affected prefecture have been subjected to laboratory analysis determining the level of certain radionuclides (regulation 2011/297/EC).
The customs office responsible for our import sites are not defined as DPE. Commodities subject to import controls at a DPE can t be imported with UPS.
Accessorial charges of US$40.00 apply as follows:
Before shipping Honey to a European Union country or territory, it is highly recommended to contact your local chamber of commerce or your importer for detailed information.
If the importation is allowed by the European Union, the shipment must be accompanied by an original health certificate provided by the shipper/producer, otherwise, importation will not be possible. Furthermore, a vet inspection at the first point of arrival into the EU is required, even for sample shipments.
Brokerage accessorial charges will apply and an import delay may occur.
If the shipper fails to verify the import regulation of the destination country or territory and sends honey which is prohibited by the European Union, then all charges that may apply for the respective shipment will be billed back to the shipper.
For each import clearance of medicine shipments, Customs requires a single import authorization. Special regulations exist for human and animal derived products. A Certificate of Product Analysis and company business permits are required. Prior to Customs clearance, a sanitary inspection is required. This inspection takes 2-3 additional days and additional import charges will occur.
For private individuals, INFARMED, the legal body of medicine control in Portugal, doesnt allow the import of medicines. Its the legal bodys understanding that only pharmacies or hospital units may, under a special authorization, import medicines from another country.
A traveler can carry their own medicines in their luggage, when having a doctors prescription and indications about its use, but the quantities shall not exceed an use period more than 30 days.
Monoclonal antibodies are generated in vitro. Tissue from animals are taken (e.g. blood) and infected with certain substances or pathogens. The blood cells react with the production of antibodies which are than harvested and used for the production of the test kits. Due to the in vitro production and the controlled way of production those types of test kits are not subject to veterinarian control if it is a commercial production.
Polyclonal antibodies are gained from living animals like rabbits. They are infected with the substances / pathogens and the animals are producing antibodies. The antibodies are harvested from the blood stream of the animals. Test reagents with polyclonal antibodies are subject to vet inspections.
Shipment documents (commercial invoice or declaration on letterhead) should include:
the place of origin of the material
the quantity of the material, in weight or volume
a description of the material/ animal source
catalogue number and price (if available)
additives (e.g., sodium azide, glycerol), their source (e.g., whole serum, supernatant, ascites), and purification, if any.
protocols the recommended protocol or datasheet indicating any unique fixation, detergent, blocking, or incubation conditions.
the intended use (commercial/ manufacturing; research/ testing)
the name and address of the shipper
the name and address of the receiver
Commercially packaged, ready-to-use In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) containing products of animal of origin, do not require a Vet-inspection, if compliant with Directive 98/79/EC on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. A declaration of conformity (CE-marking) must be provided for each individual commodity (e.g. reagents, test kits, immunosorbent assays such as ELISA kits.
Customs may require an import license depending on the harmonized tariff code. The importer must obtain the import license. An original export license from the exporter of the country or territory of origin might be necessary to obtain the import license. The requirement of an import license is dependent on the country or territory of origin of the goods, not the country or territory of export.
For further detailed information it is highly recommended to contact your chamber of commerce.
If the import license cannot be provided by the importer, the textiles must be returned or abandoned.
Shipments with a value up to 45 Euros may not contain tobacco products, alcohol, perfume or coffee as gifts. In addition to a detailed description of each item, write additional comments of "gift shipment" on the invoice and in the Special Instructions box of the UPS Waybill to insure a proper assessment of duties and taxes. Write the name and address of the gift giver on the invoice. Gift shipments exceeding 5 kgs (11 lbs) may be rejected by Customs.
The value of the commodities must be realistic. Undervalued commodities will not be accepted by the customs authorities. Customs inspections on gift shipments are most likely. Additional cost may occur.
If the value of the gift shipment exceeds the threshold, the shipment may be cleared as a dutiable shipment with import duty and VAT charges.
The shipper and the consignee of a gift shipment must be a private individuals. The shipper must be a resident of a non EU country or territory to fulfill the requirements of a duty free import. Gift shipments from residents of EU countries or territories, sent back to the EU during a journey, can't be classified as 'gift shipments'.
Shipments of documents do not require an invoice. However, Portuguese Customs demands the Tax ID number information for the consignee, whether the consignee is a private individual or a company. Without that information, as well as the telephone contact, there can be a clearance delay.
Every non-document shipment (commercial, samples, gifts, repair, return) requires an invoice which shows the realistic market price of the commodity. Shipments with unrealistic low merchandise value may be delayed by customs.
Where Incoterms applied, this should include the city shipped to, for example DDP Lisbon where shipped Free Domicile. This will help to avoid clearance delays.
If the commodities are sent for a special reason (sample, gift, repair, return, temporary import) this should be stated on the invoice.
Commercial shipments need a commercial invoice. Proforma invoices for commercial shipments may not be accepted by the customs authorities and may be delayed by customs.
Every invoice requires a clear description of the commodities, the unit value and the total value of each commodity and a currency.
The consignees Tax ID number and telephone is required on the invoice. The consignee's mobile number and e-mail address should also appear on the invoice if available. Without that information, as well as the telephone contact, there can be a clearance delay.
Unacceptable Data Entries
Europe customs authorities have started to inspect shipments on Import Control System (I.C.S.).
Many of the inspected shipments were obviously selected because of the inadequate description of the goods.
This is a reminder that shipments to all European Union member states, Norway and Switzerland, must have a correctly keyed description of the goods on the invoice (for example):
A list has been published in the 'Guidelines on acceptable and unacceptable terms for the description of goods for exit and entry summary declarations':
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/resources/documents/customs/policy_issues/customs_security/acceptable_goods_description_guidelines_en.pdf
The destination country or territory classifies the following items as document shipments. The items must have no commercial value. If criteria are listed, the shipment must meet the criteria to classify as a document shipment.
Event tickets coming from a printing company and send to the organizer of the event or ticket sales offices can not be sent as documents.
In addition to the prohibited commodities listed here, it is prohibited to ship the following commodities to Portugal.
The contractual service covers the customs clearance of alcohol at the port of entry where duty, VAT and excise duty must be paid. The customs clearance of alcohol for free circulation with a subsequent transport of alcohol under the excise duty suspension regime is not possible. The customs clearance in Portugal and the subsequent transport to another EU member state is not part of the service. A transit in bond from the port of entry to the customer or his broker is no option.
Alcoholic beverages are subject to excise duty. Excise duty applies on the amount of beverage and the percentage of alcohol. The information must be shown on the invoice. The excise duty on spirits must be paid with fiscal marks. The consignor has to obtain the fiscal marks from the competent tax authorities in Portugal and affix them to the bottles prior to shipping.
Alcoholic beverages cant be sold and delivered to under aged persons (18 years). The consignor is responsible to verify the age of the consignee prior to shipping.
Additional rules apply on the import of wine and wine products. Please check under wine.
All import, export, re-export and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system.
Shipper needs to provide the following documentation:
Invoice with the scientific name and CITES certificate.
Additional charges will be applicable. Products of animals or plants subject to CITES can only be accepted under a special contract for International Special Commodities (ISC).
An CE Conformity Certificate is required from the manufacturer.
Electronic Cigarettes, smoking devices and its accessories, nicotine or other plant based preparations to smoke, are prohibited to be imported by a private individual, in Portugal.
These products can only be imported by an authorized importer, that must previously ask the national Direction of Health for permission, presenting all necessary detailed reports about the products.
Personal Effects are classified as used items (owned for a minimum of 6 months) intended for the consignee's personal use. Any items intended for any other use, such as wholesale or retail sales, business purposes, or for distribution are not considered personal effects and cannot be shipped on this basis. "Personal Effects" must be clearly stated on the invoice and goods description.
Customers can protect their shipment against loss and damage by purchasing UPS Shipment Protection available through participating The UPS Store or MBE locations.
A Phytosanitary Certificate must accompany all shipments of plants.
These kinds of goods require a Phytosanitary inspection, therefore additional charges and an import delay will occur.
Plants mentioned in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) must be accompanied by a valid CITES Certificate.
Based on the regulation, controls must be performed at the point of introduction into the EU by the competent authorities. They include documentary checks on all consignments and identity or physical checks (including laboratory checks) on 10% of the consignments. All consignments of kitchen tableware (HS code 3924 1000) originated or consigned from China or Hong Kong must be accompanied by a declaration confirming that it meets the requirements concerning the release of primary aromatic amines and formaldehyde. The declaration shall be accompanied by a laboratory report that the consignments fulfill the requirements.
The goods and declaration must be examined at the first point of introduction into the EU.
The consignments shall be notified at the first point of introduction at least two working days in advance.
Our main points of entry (Cologne, Germany and East Midlands, United Kingdom) are not competent to perform the checks and forwarding under bond is prohibited without the checks. Products covered by the new regulation and destined to the EU can't be accepted by UPS. Exporters should clearly state on the invoice the material and the country or territory of origin of plastic kitchenware to avoid holds on commodities not subject to the regulation.
The KPCS is a joint government internationally recognized certification system that imposes extensive requirements on its members to enable them to certify shipments of rough diamonds as conflict-free and prevent conflict diamonds from entering legitimate trade.
Wine and wine products are subject to excise duty. The excise duty is calculated based on the alcoholic strength by volume. The information must be shown on the invoice.
The import of wine and wine products is also regulated by a market organization of the European Union with rules on labelling and presentation of wine and additional documentation. The Importation of wine and wine products are subject to the presentation of a n:
Certificate showing drawn up by a competent body, included on a list to be made public by the Commission, in the products country or territory of origin.
An analysis report drawn up by a body or department designated by the products country or territory of origin, in so far as the product is intended for direct human consumption.
No certificate or analysis report need be presented for products originating in and exported from third countries or territories in labelled containers of not more than five litres fitted with a non-reusable closing device where the total quantity transported, whether or not made up of separate consignments, does not exceed 100 litres.
The labels of wine and wine products have to show some of the following compulsory particulars like the category of the product (e.g. wine, sparkling wine, liquor wine), the protected designation or protected geographical indication if the wine has such a protection, the actual alcohol strength by volume, an indication of provenance, an indication of the bottler or an indication of the producer or vendor in case of sparkling wine and other product categories of sparkling wine.
The rules are laid down in EU regulation 2009/491. The regulation can be checked on the EU website http://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html
Saturday Delivery Available: No
Always check Calculate Time and Cost for details of service availability and guarantee information within a country or territory. All Service Levels may not be available to or from every address within a country or territory.
Imported goods from non EU countries on wood pallets and in wood packaging.
The wood pallets and wood packaging must be marked in a visible location on each article, preferably on at least two opposite sides of the article, with a legible and permanent mark that indicates that the article meets the requirements of this paragraph. The currently approved format for the mark is as follows, where XX would be replaced by the country or territory code, 000 by the producer number, and YY by the treatment type (HT or MB).
The security covers duty and is calculated on the base of the customs value used for a declaration for free circulation and has to be paid by the importer prior to arrival. The security will be paid back by customs when re-exporting the goods under customs control.
Temporary imports and exports might be declared by UPS, but in case of Temporary Import, the importer must request directly to Portuguese Customs a Temporary Import Authorization, as well as a guarantee. UPS only submits the Formal Entry. In case the importer needs an external brokerage service to submit those formalities, it has to assign an alternate broker. Accessorial charges may apply if the shipment has to be sent to an alternate broker. Shippers should be aware that we clear "free domicile shipments" as normal imports and duty & tax will apply.
The RoHS directive is closely linked with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) 2002/96/EC which sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electrical goods.
These directives will ban the placing on the EU market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) (PBB and PBDE are flame retardants used in some plastics).
Manufacturers (and distributors and individual sellers) will need to understand the requirements of the RoHS/WEEE Directives to ensure that their products, and their components, comply. Goods falling under these categories do not require any accompanying documentation for importation.
For more information on the EU directives, please check the following European Union web link or contact your local chamber of commerce: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/faq_weee.pdf
Duty - In most cases, when the value of the shipment is equal to or less than the Deminimis Value, the shipment may enter the country or territory duty free but tax is raised.
This regulation does not apply to alcoholic beverages, tobacco and perfume.
Convert metric quantity for weight, length, and area.
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