Expertise
Customs & Import
Iraqi Customs Law, exemptions and temporary importation, classification and valuation, and disputes with the General Commission of Customs at Umm Qasr, Khor Al-Zubair and the land borders.
For a contractor on an Iraqi oil project the customs regime is often the largest single source of cost and delay after tax. Equipment comes in under temporary importation and must go out again or be regularised; exemptions depend on the contract under which the goods are imported and on Ministry of Oil circulars that change; and the classification given at the port decides the duty and the paperwork for years.
We advise on the right import route before the goods ship, prepare the exemption and temporary admission files, handle the classification and valuation discussions at Umm Qasr, Khor Al-Zubair and the land borders, and represent importers in disputes with the General Commission of Customs. Our Basra office deals with the port authorities and their customs offices daily.
Typical matters
- Temporary importation and re-export of oilfield equipment
- Customs exemptions under Ministry of Oil circulars
- Classification and valuation disputes
- Demurrage and release of detained goods
- Customs audits and penalties
- Day-to-day entry of goods for operators at the southern ports