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Algeria | Customs procedure

New rules for the transfer of goods to dry ports

In a recent notice (hereinafter the “Notice”), the customs authorities have set out a new procedure for the transfer of goods to dry ports1, due to come into force on 20 May 2018.

It is therefore stipulated that the dry port where the imported goods will be stored will be chosen by the customs authorities, according to a “random allocation system”.

However, the Notice is careful to specify that the availability of the premises and the volume of goods already transferred to it should be taken into account by the random selection system.

Furthermore, and unless previously authorised by the customs authorities, the transfer of goods should concern the entire containerised cargo and be transferred to a single dry port attached to the seaport.

It appears important to note that according to the wording of the Notice, this procedure for transferring goods to selected dry ports is designed “to prevent risks of fraud and establish fairness and transparency in this area in order to combat any risk of collusion in terms of their verification and control.”

To summarise, the ship’s agent shall be informed of the selected port to enable it to prepare the arrival notices.

The same applies for the operator of the dry port, which will be informed of the transfer operation via the system for informing the customs authorities, indicating:

  • The vessel references;
  • The name or company name of the ship’s agent;
  • The berthing date;
  • The registration date of the cargo declaration;
  • The bulk number;
  • The total number of containers to transfer.

Finally, the Notice stipulates that hazardous goods may only be admitted in dry ports with suitable approved facilities.


1 Article 66 of law no. 17-04 of 16 February 2017 states that “When goods, on their arrival at the customs office, are not subject to a detailed declaration as provided for by article 75 below, they may be unloaded in places designated for that purpose and remain there, under customs control, while awaiting submission of said customs declaration. Those places are called warehouses, temporary storage areas and dry ports…(..)”