Practical Guide  | Export Procedure   See also      Saudi Arabia      Bahrain      Egypt      United Arab Emirates      Kuwait      Oman      Qatar      Jordan      Lebanon      Syria      Yemen           Qatar export regulation 1. Labelling and packaging regulations 2. Standards and technical regulations 3. Import controls 4. Export Controls 5. Documentation 6. Customs duties   1. Labelling and packaging regulations   Labelling in Arabic is required on all consumer products.   Labels need to provide informations such as : placement of identification data, identification of the manufacturer, product information, standard quality disclosures. Some products must be clearly marked, stamped, branded or labelled so as to indicate the country of origin.   Labels on foodstuffs should indicate: product and brand names production and expiration dates country of origin name of the manufacturer net weight in metric units list of the ingredients and additives in descending order of importance all fats and oils used as ingredients must be specifically identified on the label.   2. Standards and technical regulations   Imported beef and poultry products require a health certificate from the UE and a halal certificate issued by an approved Islamic centre in the manufacturer country.   3. Import controls   In general, a person wishing to import goods into Qatar for sale must be registered in the Importer's Register and be approved by the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   Valuation: the basic value for the assessment of duty is CIF value of the goods. Where only the FOB price can be established, duty is based upon the FOB price plus 15%.   Products strickly prohibited are : pork, pork products and constituents, weapons, alcohol, narcotics pornographic materials.   Temporary Imports: Prior approval of the Director of Customs is needed. This is normally valid for a period of 6 months and may be extended for a further period of 6 months. A cheque or bank guarantee equivalent to the duty on a normal import must be deposited with customs to secure this temporary import arrangement.   4. Export Controls   The Europeans Government maintains export controls to prevent the export of goods, including technology, for a variety of reasons including: the collective security of the EU and its allies in NATO national security and foreign policy requirements international legal obligations and commitments non-proliferation policy If goods or technologies are subject to your state export controls, a licence is required to gain the legal authority to export them.   5. Documentation   Commercial Invoices must be legalised by the Commercial Department of the Qatari Embassy in the country of origin or by the customs authorities at the point of entry into Qatar. Legalisation fees are levied on the basis of invoice value and range from QR100 on an invoice value of QR5,000 to 0.4% of value for invoice amounts in excess of QR1,000,000.   To clear out of goods from customs zones at ports or land boundaries in Qatar, the following documents must be provided: bill of lading certificate of origin pro forma invoice import licence.   Following documentation is required: customs invoice in original and two copies duly certified, detailing the total price of each type of goods together with separate totals of fob, cif, and c&f prices packing list in original and two copies, unless packing details are shown in the invoices a certificate from the supplier or local Chamber of Commerce or any Official Trade Committee in the exporting country, showing the origin of the goods and stating the full name of the manufacturer or producer. a certificate from the owner, agent or captain of the carrying vessel, showing its name, flag and nationality, also confirming that it will not pass by any Israeli port during its present voyage, and that it is permitted to enter Arab ports the above two certificates are to be legalised by any Arab Representation (Embassy or Consulate) in the exporting country. Any of the following countries are acceptable: Qatar, Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen carriers' or carriers' agents' signed certificate evidencing that carrying vessel is classified 100 A1 by Lloyds (or equivalent) and is operated on present voyage by member of a named conference· the words 'Persian Gulf' should not appear on any document at the time of publication the Qatar Government continues to insist on the production of radiation-free certificates from the exporter's government (ie Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food) for all imports of food.   6. Customs duties   Tariff based on the Harmonised Trade Schedule (HTS). 4% ad valoremon all foodstuffs and other industrial products, 10% on hi-fi equipment, 15% on records and musical instruments, 20% on steel and cement and 30% on urea. In addition to this, customs tariffs on cigarettes is 100%. There is a proposal to further increase the customs duty on cigarettes, tobacco and related products to 200%. Basic food products such as wheat, flour, rice, feed grains and powdered milk are exempt from customs duty. A high tariff level of 20% is maintained on steel imports in order to protect the state-owned Qatar Steel Company.   Commercial samples and Temporary Imports No duty is charged on bona fide unsaleable commercialsamples, in reasonable quantities. Such samples should have a declaration that they are samples, as well as standard commercial documents for customs clearance.   Jewellery samples Jewellery samples of high value are allowed in against a bank guarantee (in any currency, but preferably in US dollars or Qatar Riyals) or a cash deposit of 10% of the total value. Advance notification to the Customs Department, Ministry of Finance, Economy and Commerce is necessary.   Temporary Imports The Qatar customs allows certain goods, including equipment, to be imported on a 'temporary basis'. However, prior approval of the Director of Customs is needed. This is normally valid for a period of 6 months and may be extended for a further period of 6 months. A cheque or bank guarantee equivalent to the duty on a normal import must be deposited with customs to secure this temporary import arrangement.