FTA with the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain): came into force on 1 July 2014.
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Questions free trade agreements with GCC
The questions most frequently asked about the new free trade agreements with the GCC.
Up to now, we have had to have a notarised and legalised certificate of origin issued in order to export goods in the Gulf states. Is this now being discontinued?
No, unfortunately not. Each country still requires (in addition to the movement certificate) notarised and legalised certificates of origin and invoices (as of February 2016).
Which movement certificate should be used?
Movement certificate EUR.1 can be used under this agreement as well.
Can I, as an Approved Exporter, provide a certificate of origin on the invoice?
No. This agreement does not provide the option of a declaration of origin on the invoice (currently), neither for Approved Exporters nor for others.
What is the reduction in customs duty under the free trade agreement with the Gulf states?
The Gulf states are removing almost all the customs duty on most industrial products when the agreement comes into force. There is an exclusion list of a few groups of goods for which the duty is not reduced, or will not be reduced for five years after the agreement comes into force. In the reverse case (import into Switzerland), all customs duties on industrial products will be removed completely when the agreement comes into force.
All the information currently available (on removal of duty, list rules, etc.) can be found on the EFTA website: EFTA - GCC.
The tariff dismantling on food exports, originally scheduled for 01.07.2019 and then postponed to 01.07.2020, is currently postponed indefinitely, which is why the MFN (Most Favoured Nation) rate continues to apply to food imports into the GCC states.
