Sierra leone Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in sierra leone, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Customs Regulations
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Sierra Leone’s customs framework is governed by the Customs Act No. 9 of 2011 and administered by the Customs and Excise Department under the NRA. The Department enforces customs laws, collects duties and taxes, and regulates imports and exports. Importers may need licenses or permits for restricted items, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, arms, and agricultural products, issued by sector-specific authorities like the Pharmacy Board or Ministry of Agriculture.
Importers can request advance rulings from the Customs Department for tariff classification, customs valuation, or origin of goods before importation, ensuring compliance and accurate duty calculation. Applications must include detailed product information and supporting documents and are submitted to Customs headquarters in Freetown.

Comprehensive information on customs procedures, including tariffs, fees, product classification, rules of origin, and appeals, is available on the NRA’s website, which also provides downloadable forms, legal texts, and guidance materials.

Address of Customs and Excise Department: Cline Town, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Phone: +232 22 290544; +232 22 292734
Email: contact.customs@nra.gov.sl

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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