Export
Exporting cocoa to the European Union
The Stabilisation and Equalisation Fund (Caistab) holds the monopoly on marketing Gabonese coffee and cocoa and handles their sale abroad. A shipment of beans to the European Union therefore goes through Caistab, then AGASA's phytosanitary certificate, bank domiciliation with a foreign exchange undertaking (sale outside CEMAC worth at least 5 million FCFA), the BIETC and the customs declaration. On the EU side, the importer must meet the deforestation regulation requirements. Gabon has not benefited from EU trade preferences since 2014.
- Steps
- 7
- Total indicative delay
- At least 1 day
- 6 steps without a published delay
- Indicative
- Total indicative cost
- 2,500 FCFA to 3,500 FCFA
- plus 5 proportional or variable fees
- Official amounts
- Last validation
- 22 September 2026
- Version 2
- Responsible institution
- Directorate General of the Stabilisation and Equalisation Funds (Caistab)
- Freshness
- Up to date
Steps
-
Sell or have the cocoa marketed through Caistab
What to do
Caistab buys cocoa and coffee throughout the country and markets them abroad; it also represents Gabon in international coffee and cocoa bodies. Growers and operators go through it. Contract, quality control and pricing arrangements are not published online.
- Channel
- At the counter
- Location
- Libreville
- Delay
- Not published
- Fees
-
- Not published
- Documents
-
Obtain the phytosanitary certificate
What to do
AGASA inspects plant products for export and issues the export or re-export phytosanitary certificate; the application form is offered online by the agency.
- Institution
- Gabonese Food Safety Agency (AGASA)
- Channel
- Online or at the counter
- Delay
- Not published
- Fees
-
- Not published (scale set by decree no. 000922/PR/MEFBP/MAEDR of 18 October 2005, amount for cocoa not published online)
- Documents
-
Provide a certificate of origin if the buyer requests it
What to do
Gabon, an upper middle income country, has not been eligible for the EU generalised scheme of preferences since 2014 and has no economic partnership agreement with the EU, so no preferential proof of origin can be used. A non-preferential certificate of origin may still be requested by the buyer or the bank.
- Channel
- At the counter
- Delay
- Not published
- Fees
-
- Not published
- Documents
-
Give the EU importer the data required by the deforestation regulation
What to do
Cocoa is one of the commodities covered by Regulation (EU) 2023/1115. The operator importing into the EU must file a due diligence statement showing the cocoa comes from plots not deforested after 31 December 2020 and was produced in line with Gabonese law. The exporter provides the geographic coordinates of the production plots and proof of legality. These obligations apply from 30 December 2026 for large and medium companies and from 30 June 2027 for micro and small companies (Regulation (EU) 2025/2650).
- Channel
- Online
- Delay
- Not published
- Fees
-
- No public fee set by the regulation
-
Domicile the export and sign the foreign exchange undertaking (outside CEMAC, 5 million FCFA or more)
What to do
BEAC Instruction No. 006/GR/2019 of 10 June 2019 covers exports of goods and services outside CEMAC (article 1). Unless exempted, any export worth at least 5 million FCFA is domiciled with a single licensed credit institution, which carries out the banking formalities for the exporter until the file is cleared (articles 6 and 7). Domiciliation comes before customs clearance (article 9). For goods, the file contains the export declaration, a copy of the commercial contract or an equivalent document, the firm foreign exchange undertaking following the template annexed to the instruction, the tax identification number and, for restricted goods, the required authorisations (article 13). Exemptions include supplies to foreign ships and aircraft, samples not for sale, gifts to a foreign State and permanent removals outside CEMAC (article 18). Splitting an export to stay below the threshold is prohibited (article 27). Proceeds are repatriated to CEMAC through the domiciliation bank within 150 days of export at most (article 20).
- Channel
- At the counter
- Delay
- Processing time not published; domiciliation before customs clearance and repatriation of proceeds within 150 days at most (BEAC Instruction No. 006/GR/2019, art. 9 and 20)
- Fees
-
- Not published (bank charges set by each bank)
-
Obtain the BIETC from the Gabonese Shippers' Council
What to do
The exporter records the shipment on the BIETC platform of the Gabonese Shippers' Council (CGC). The note covers outbound freight by sea, air and road and supports the freight traffic monitoring set up by ordinance no. 009/PR/2014 of 20 August 2014.
- Institution
- Gabonese Shippers' Council (CGC)
- Channel
- Online or at the counter
- Location
- Gabonese Shippers' Council office in Owendo (filing of documents)
- Delay
- Not published; for air freight the document is released on arrival after checks and payment
- Fees
-
- Export BIETC, all zones and modes (WTO 2023, CGC) 2,500 FCFA Official
- Express freight export supplement (WTO 2023) 1,000 FCFA Official
-
File the detailed export declaration in ASYCUDA World
What to do
A licensed customs broker files the detailed declaration in ASYCUDA World (SYDONIA World), with the sanitary or phytosanitary certificate and the certificate of origin when the importing country requires them. A simplified export declaration (DESE) is available to some exporters. Cocoa is not among the products subject to export duty according to the WTO (2023).
- Channel
- Online or at the counter
- Location
- Customs headquarters, 823 avenue Nelson Mandela, Oloumi industrial zone, Libreville, and customs offices at the port, airport and land borders
- Delay
- Average customs processing time for exports of 24 hours according to the authorities (WTO 2023) Official
- Fees
-
- Not published (customs broker fee)
- Documents
Process diagram (BPMN)
The diagram cannot be displayed: the BPMN file is invalid.
Documents to prepare
Tick each document as you go. Official templates can be downloaded when they exist.
-
Contract between the seller and the foreign buyer specifying product, quantity, price and delivery terms.
-
Certificate issued by AGASA's plant health police after inspecting plants, plant products, timber or wooden packaging; fee set by decree no. 000922/PR/MEFBP/MAEDR of 18 October 2005.
-
Document stating the country of origin of the goods; requested on imports into Gabon and on exports when the importing country requires it. In CEMAC trade it allows approved products to benefit from the generalised preferential tariff.
-
Statement filed by the operator placing cocoa, timber or other covered products on the EU market, confirming no deforestation after 31 December 2020 and legal production; it relies on plot geolocation.
-
Undertaking by which the exporter commits to repatriate the export proceeds to CEMAC and to sell the foreign currency to the domiciliation bank, following the template annexed to BEAC Instruction No. 006/GR/2019. It is part of the domicilia...
-
Supplier invoice showing the transaction value, the basis for customs value.
-
Transport document for the goods (bill of lading, air waybill or consignment note depending on the mode).
-
Proof of the international transport cost, required by customs and for the BIETC.
-
Detailed list of packages, their contents and weight.
-
Written declaration lodged in ASYCUDA World by a licensed customs broker, assigning a customs procedure to imported or exported goods (articles 145 onwards of the CEMAC customs code).
-
Electronic tracking document for international and domestic freight issued by the Gabonese Shippers' Council, required by customs for sea and air imports and also charged on exports.
Fees
| Step | Fee | Amount | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not published | Not published | Variable | |
| 2 | Not published (scale set by decree no. 000922/PR/MEFBP/MAEDR of 18 October 2005, amount for cocoa not published online) | Not published | Variable | |
| 3 | Not published | Not published | Variable | |
| 4 | No public fee set by the regulation | Not published | ||
| 5 | Not published (bank charges set by each bank) | Not published | Variable | |
| 6 | Export BIETC, all zones and modes (WTO 2023, CGC) | 2,500 FCFA | Fixed amount | Official |
| 6 | Express freight export supplement (WTO 2023) | 1,000 FCFA | Fixed amount | Official |
| 7 | Not published (customs broker fee) | Not published | Variable |
Amounts marked "official" are taken from official publications or international institutions, cited in the sources of this sheet. See the sources
Legal basis
-
Regulation
EU deforestation regulation (EUDR) -
Regulation
CEMAC customs code -
Regulation
Regulation on foreign exchange in CEMAC
Related procedures
Ask a question about this procedure
The assistant answers from the procedures and texts published on the portal, with sources.
Sources
8 sources cited
- Présentation de la caisse cacao café (opens in a new tab)
- Caistab : une gouvernance réorganisée pour renforcer l'efficacité dans la filière café-cacao (23 janvier 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Examen des politiques commerciales des pays de la CEMAC, rapport du Secrétariat, annexe 3 Gabon (WT/TPR/S/445, 16 août 2023) (opens in a new tab)
- Police phytosanitaire (copie archivée de agasa.site) (opens in a new tab)
- Règlement (UE) 2023/1115 du 31 mai 2023 relatif à la déforestation et à la dégradation des forêts (opens in a new tab)
- Delay until December 2026 and other developments in the implementation of the EUDR regulation (opens in a new tab)
- EPA Central Africa (opens in a new tab)
- Instruction n° 006/GR/2019 du 10 juin 2019 précisant les conditions et modalités de déclaration, domiciliation des exportations de biens et services et de rapatriement dans la CEMAC des recettes afférentes (opens in a new tab)
