Egypt Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in egypt, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Standards for Trade
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Overview

The Egyptian Organization for Standards and Quality (EOS) has 8,500 standards including 5,000 Egyptian technical regulations or mandatory standards. EOS reported it harmonized its mandatory standards with international standards, and about 80 percent of its mandatory standards are based on standards issued by international institutions such as the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In the absence of a mandatory Egyptian standard, Ministerial Decree 180 of 1996 allows importers to choose a relevant standard from seven international systems including ISO, European, American, Japanese, British, German, and for food, Codex standards.

Most of these specifications are optional, except for those related to general health, public security, and consumer protection. The government assigned the then-Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Investment with determining what specifications are required. Obligatory standards constitute around 15 percent of the total number of Egyptian specifications.

Standards

There are three main official Egyptian governmental organizations involved in developing and enforcing the standards used in Egypt:

Egyptian Organization for Standards and Quality Control (EOS)

The EOS is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Transportation, and issues standards and technical regulations through a consultative process with other ministries and the private sector. The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and, for imported goods, the General Organization for Import Export Control (GOEIC) in the Ministry of Trade and Industry are responsible for verifying compliance standards and technical regulations.
 

General Authority of Export and Import Control (GOEIC)

GOEIC is part of the Ministry of Trade and Investment. A 1999 Presidential Decree designated GOEIC as the coordinator for all import inspections. GOEIC currently has 26 offices and laboratories located at all the major sea and airports for import inspection, as well as 11 others offices located throughout the country for export inspection. GOEIC is responsible for testing imported and exported products to ensure they meet EOS standards. Moreover, GOEIC may also indirectly generate standards through the use of an ad hoc technical committee. This committee provides recommendations for either creating or modifying a standard. These recommendations are then passed on to the Ministry of Foreign Investment and Trade for authorization and formalization.
 

The National Institute for Standards (NIS)

NIS is part of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. NIS is Egypt’s primary standards laboratory and is mostly concerned with measurements, testing, calibration, accreditation and consultation, and laboratory accreditation services. In the United States, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is responsible for standards. Service Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to report to the WTO all proposed technical regulations that could affect trade with other Member countries. Notify U.S., managed by NIST, is a free, web-based e-mail subscription service that allows users to review and comment on proposed foreign technical regulations that could affect access to international markets. Register online at: Notify U.S.


Testing, Inspection and Certification

Conformity Assessment

Current import regulations require that every component of a product be inspected, regardless of the compliance history of the product, country of origin, exporter, shipper, or importer. Imported products cannot be put up for direct sale on the Egyptian market without first conforming to Egyptian specifications or the standards of one of the international organizations that Egypt is affiliated with, e.g. ISO, IEC, and Codex Alimentarius, if no Egyptian standard exists. When a new product enters the country that has not previously been imported, customs officials will often insist that there must be a written description or standard to qualify a product for import.

If there is no standard for a new product, customs inspectors will attempt to fit the product into an existing standards category, a process commonly called “standard creation at port.” The EOS often tries to apply the same standards to products that seem to be historically common in nature. For example, the inspection and testing of imported goods in Egypt vary depending on the nature of the consignment.

Agricultural products are referred to specialized authorities within the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation for detailed chemical and phytosanitary inspection.

Industrial and manufactured goods may be directed to the Ministry of Foreign Investment and Trade, where they are subject to quality and safety assessments in accordance with national standards.

Medical products, including pharmaceuticals and medical devices, are typically inspected by the Ministry of Health, the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS), and other accredited laboratories, to ensure compliance with health, safety, and efficacy requirements.

Inspection of all imported chemicals or “white powder” materials is directed by the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) to authorized laboratories. Certificates of analysis performed previously to demonstrate compliance of previous shipments will not be considered.


Importers should abide by the following conditions and documents:

  • Issue a General Power of Attorney to the Customs clearance representative

  • Provide GOEIC with an original Safety Data Sheet

  • Provide GOEIC with a Ratification letter stamped by the bank, confirming the non-disposition of the consignment until a final analysis report is issued (which permits the shipment to be released under reservation)

  • If the consignment is LCL/FCL (Less than Container Load/Full Container Load) and mixed with other types of cargo, then the entire shipment may not be released under reservation.

It is mandatory to send a sample for laboratory analysis, usually for the purpose of classifying the product according to HS codes. A number of entities have the right to take samples of the imported shipment for further inspection and testing.


Accreditation

Presidential Decree 312 of 1996 established the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC), a governmental organization, as the sole national body for the assessment and accreditation of conformity assessment bodies that perform testing/calibration (laboratories), and inspection and certification of products and systems as well as personnel. EGAC is headed by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment and governed by a board of 14 members, representing all stakeholders and concerned bodies.
 

Publication of Technical Regulations

The Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) plans to publish a directory for all the companies that have been accredited for ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 certificates.

The EOS library is the only library in Egypt specializing in the field of standard specifications and its related publications.
 

Contact Information

Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality EOS
16 Tadrib El Moalemeen St., Amirya, Cairo
Tel: +2-02 22845528, +2-02-22845529, Fax: +2-02-22845504

General Authority of Export and Import Control (GOEIC):
Airport Building, Heliopolis, Cairo
Hot Line: + 2-00-8006667666
Hot Line: 19591
Tel: +2-02-2266-9620/02, Fax: +2-02-2268-1731/02, +2-02-2266-6847/9342

National Institute of Standards (NIS)
Tersa St., El-Haram, Giza
PO Box 136 Giza 12211
Tel: +2-02-3740-1113, +2-02-3388-9760, +2-010-0604-4616, Fax: +2-02-3386-7451

U.S. Embassy Cairo
U.S. Commercial Service
Tel: +2-02-2797-2038, Fax: +2-02-2795-8368
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