Import
Importing goods into Gabon
General path of a commercial import into Gabon: importer registration, conformity certificate for regulated products, prior import declaration, BIETC cargo tracking note, clearance in ASYCUDA World through a licensed broker, then payment of duties and release. Gabon applies the CEMAC common external tariff. A foreign trade single window has been under design since 2026 but is not yet operational.
- Steps
- 7
- Total indicative delay
- At least 1 day
- 6 steps without a published delay
- Indicative
- Total indicative cost
- 81,500 FCFA
- plus 10 proportional or variable fees
- Official amounts
- Last validation
- 22 September 2026
- Version 2
- Responsible institution
- Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Duties (DGDDI)
- Freshness
- Up to date
Steps
-
Be registered as a business operator
What to do
Every importer must be entered in the trade and personal property credit register (RCCM) and registered with the Directorate General of Taxes. The one-stop desk of the National Investment Promotion Agency (ANPI-Gabon) handles these formalities and issues a single registration form. Traders also show the receipt for the business licence tax (patente). The requirements are the same for Gabonese and foreign persons.
- Channel
- Online or at the counter
- Delay
- Not published
- Fees
-
- Filing fee for a sole proprietorship, 85,000 to 135,000 FCFA (WTO 2023)
- Filing fee for a company, 220,000 to 370,000 FCFA (WTO 2023)
- Documents
-
Obtain the PROGEC conformity certificate if the product is regulated
What to do
Construction materials, electrical and electronic appliances, cosmetics, medical and surgical devices and toys fall under the Gabonese conformity assessment programme (PROGEC) run by the Gabonese Standards Agency (AGANOR). The certificate of conformity is obtained before shipment from a mandated body; without it the consignment is refused at clearance. See the dedicated procedure.
- Institution
- Gabonese Standards Agency (AGANOR)
- Channel
- Online
- Delay
- Not published
- Fees
-
- See the PROGEC procedure
- Documents
-
Complete the prior import declaration
What to do
According to the 2023 WTO report, all imported goods are covered by an import declaration (DPI) issued by the directorate in charge of foreign trade. The practical arrangements (form, timing, cost) are not published online by the administration.
- Channel
- At the counter
- Delay
- Not published
- Fees
-
- Not published
-
Domicile the import with a bank (5 million FCFA or more)
What to do
Under BEAC Instruction No. 007/GR/2019 of 10 June 2019, any import of goods or services with an FOB value of at least 5 million FCFA, determined under the CEMAC customs code, is domiciled by the importer with a licensed intermediary in the country of final destination, unless exempted (article 6). Domiciliation comes before any transfer, commitment or customs clearance, and is made with a single credit institution (article 7). For goods, the file contains the pro forma invoice, the contract where applicable, the import declaration, the tax identification number or an equivalent document and, for restricted products, the required authorisation (article 11). The bank issues a domiciliation certificate whose references must appear on the import documents (articles 12 and 13). Where domiciliation is mandatory, customs reject any detailed declaration without it (article 27). Exemptions include purchases under customs control, gifts to CEMAC States, personal effects and household removals, and returned goods that involve no payment (article 14). The supplier may only be paid through the domiciliation bank (article 15), and the file is cleared within three months of payment for goods (article 21). Splitting an import to stay below the threshold is prohibited (article 26). Companies in the extractive sector are covered by a separate instruction, No. 001/GR/2022.
- Channel
- At the counter
- Delay
- Processing time not published; domiciliation before any payment and before customs clearance (BEAC Instruction No. 007/GR/2019, art. 7)
- Fees
-
- Not published (bank charges set by each bank)
-
Obtain the BIETC from the Gabonese Shippers' Council
What to do
The shipper or its agent opens an account on the BIETC platform of the Gabonese Shippers' Council (CGC), records the shipment and attaches the transport document, supplier invoice, freight invoice and packing list. The electronic cargo tracking note (BIETC) is one of the documents customs require for sea and air imports. The fee depends on the transport mode and the zone of origin.
- 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
-
- Sea BIETC, origin Central and West Africa (WTO 2023) 20,000 FCFA Official
- Sea BIETC, origin Europe and North Africa (WTO 2023) 100 GBP Official
- Sea BIETC, origin Asia, Middle East, Americas, Southern and East Africa (WTO 2023) 150 USD Official
- Air cargo BIETC, imports from Asia and the Americas (CGC) 20,000 FCFA Official
- Air cargo BIETC, imports from Europe (CGC) 15,000 FCFA Official
- Air cargo BIETC, imports from Africa (CGC) 10,000 FCFA Official
- Road BIETC, depending on departure zone (WTO 2023, range 5,000 to 60,000 FCFA)
-
Have the goods cleared in ASYCUDA World
What to do
A licensed customs broker files the detailed declaration, which may be lodged before the goods arrive. For sea transport customs ask for the bill of lading, the BIETC, the commercial invoice and the certificate of origin; for air, the air waybill; for road, the consignment note. Other documents may be required depending on the product: insurance certificate, registration document for vehicles, sanitary or phytosanitary certificates, radioactivity-free certificate for food products. See the import customs declaration procedure.
- 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 clearance time of 24 hours after a complete declaration is filed, according to the authorities (WTO 2023) Official
- Fees
-
- Duties and taxes under the CEMAC common external tariff and domestic taxation
- Scanning fee per twenty-foot equivalent container, excluding tax (order no. 009/MPEPIP/CAB/DGDDI of 7 April 2015) 81,500 FCFA Official
- Not published (customs broker fee)
- Documents
-
Pay the duties and collect the goods
What to do
Payment is made in cash or through a removal credit. Since a 2018 circular, duties and taxes up to 7,000,000 FCFA may be paid in cash; above that a certified cheque is required. Release then allows the goods to be collected at the port, airport or border office.
- Channel
- 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
- Not published
- Fees
-
- Amount of duties and taxes assessed
- 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.
-
Extract proving the company is entered in the trade register; required from every importer or exporter.
-
Document handed over by ANPI-Gabon at the end of the incorporation circuit, summarising the registrations obtained. The CNSS form also calls it the circuit sheet.
-
Receipt for the business licence tax, which traders show to carry out imports.
-
Certificate issued before shipment by a body mandated by AGANOR, confirming that a regulated product meets standards; required for customs clearance.
-
Import declaration issued by the directorate in charge of foreign trade for all imported goods, according to the WTO; also required by AGASA for poultry and pork products.
-
Supplier invoice showing the transaction value, the basis for customs value.
-
Certificate issued by the Directorate General of Taxes stating the taxpayer's identification, activity, address and tax identification number (NIF).
-
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).
-
Sea transport document required by customs for imports by sea.
-
Air transport document required for air imports and for the air BIETC.
-
Road transport document required for imports by land.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Insurance certificate for the goods carried, requested for the detailed declaration on sea imports.
-
Receipt for payment of the duties and taxes assessed, required before the goods are collected.
Fees
| Step | Fee | Amount | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Filing fee for a sole proprietorship, 85,000 to 135,000 FCFA (WTO 2023) | Not published | Variable | |
| 1 | Filing fee for a company, 220,000 to 370,000 FCFA (WTO 2023) | Not published | Variable | |
| 2 | See the PROGEC procedure | Not published | Percentage | |
| 3 | Not published | Not published | Variable | |
| 4 | Not published (bank charges set by each bank) | Not published | Variable | |
| 5 | Sea BIETC, origin Central and West Africa (WTO 2023) | 20,000 FCFA | Fixed amount | Official |
| 5 | Sea BIETC, origin Europe and North Africa (WTO 2023) | 100 GBP | Fixed amount | Official |
| 5 | Sea BIETC, origin Asia, Middle East, Americas, Southern and East Africa (WTO 2023) | 150 USD | Fixed amount | Official |
| 5 | Air cargo BIETC, imports from Asia and the Americas (CGC) | 20,000 FCFA | Fixed amount | Official |
| 5 | Air cargo BIETC, imports from Europe (CGC) | 15,000 FCFA | Fixed amount | Official |
| 5 | Air cargo BIETC, imports from Africa (CGC) | 10,000 FCFA | Fixed amount | Official |
| 5 | Road BIETC, depending on departure zone (WTO 2023, range 5,000 to 60,000 FCFA) | Not published | Variable | |
| 6 | Duties and taxes under the CEMAC common external tariff and domestic taxation | Not published | Percentage | |
| 6 | Scanning fee per twenty-foot equivalent container, excluding tax (order no. 009/MPEPIP/CAB/DGDDI of 7 April 2015) | 81,500 FCFA | Fixed amount | Official |
| 6 | Not published (customs broker fee) | Not published | Variable | |
| 7 | Amount of duties and taxes assessed | 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
Related procedures
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The assistant answers from the procedures and texts published on the portal, with sources.
Sources
8 sources cited
- 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)
- Importation de marchandises, documents obligatoires (copie archivée de douanes.ga) (opens in a new tab)
- BIETC aérien (opens in a new tab)
- Gabon : les services de douanes se dotent du système SYDONIA World (opens in a new tab)
- Le Gabon enclenche la mise en place de son guichet unique du commerce extérieur (3 juillet 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Doing Business 2020, profil économique du Gabon (données collectées en mai 2019) (opens in a new tab)
- Gabon, programme PROGEC (opens in a new tab)
- Instruction n° 007/GR/2019 du 10 juin 2019 précisant les conditions et modalités de déclaration, domiciliation et de règlement des importations de biens et de services (opens in a new tab)
