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Certificates of origin: Special solutions for exports from third countries to Kuwait and Qatar

If a Swiss company exports goods from a third country to Kuwait or Qatar, certain special regulations, which have been in force since 2013, need consideration. How to avoid problems when importing goods: recommendations.
Financial district, Doha (Qatar
skyline of the financial district of Doha (Qatar).

Kuwait and Qatar are clearly not making any concessions whatsoever. If a Swiss company exports its goods from a third country (such as its own factory or a supplier in Italy) to an Arabian Gulf State, the import will only be accepted if the certificate of origin was issued in the third country from which the goods were exported to the Middle east.

However, it is often the case that the certificate of origin as well as the invoice are issued in Switzerland, and not the country of production, which inevitably and also increasingly leads to problems when importing the goods to Gulf States.

Deliveries of goods from third countries

With exports (from third countries) to Kuwait, a letter of credence must be provided for each individual case, which confirms that the Swiss company has a production site or supplier in the country in which the goods being exported to Kuwait were manufactured. This letter of credence must be provided by the importer to the customs authority in Kuwait in Arabic. A commercial invoice from Switzerland for the goods produced in the third country will then be accepted in combination with this letter and the certificate of origin from the third country.

For exports to Qatar from a third country, such a letter of credence (also in Arabic) together with the certificate of origin from the third country is now also sufficient. However, unlike in Kuwait, the responsible customs authority in Qatar only requires the letter of credence once for each third country supplier, and not for each individual import.

Nota bene: preferential treatment (such as exemption from customs) under the EFTA-GCC free trade agreement is not possible (for exports from a third country). Unless the third country is a member of the EFTA or GCC (Gulf Cooperation Countries).

Swiss Embassy in Qatar/ Swiss Business Hub Middle East: Fact Sheet – Certificate of Origin Issued by a Country Other than the Exporting Country

Swiss Embassy in Kuwait: Fact Sheet – Certificate of Origin Issued by a Country Other than the Exporting Country

Gulf States country consultation (various dates in October and November)

Impulse Middle East (aviation and airport infrastructure): 30 August in Zurich

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