Designation of Foreign Currency Goods

The government promulgated Statutory Instrument (SI) Number 252A of 2018 on 23 November 2018. The SI provides for the payment of duty for selected goods in any currency other than the bond notes in all its forms. The list provided in the SI is comprehensive and places the goods against their tariff codes. This article provides a condensed list, in general terms, of the goods that require payment of duty in hard foreign currency. Importers are therefore urged to use this list as a guideline but refer to the SI for their specific importations.

The designated Goods

  • Cheeses
  • Fresh grapes
  • Uncooked or unroasted shelled ground nuts
  • Margarine
  • Prepared or preserved meats and meat preparations
  • Prepared or preserved fish
  • Prepared or preserved crab, crustaceans, muscles and other specified seafood
  • Chewing gum
  • Sugar Confectionery not containing cocoa
  • Chocolate
  • Preparations of flour, including dough and mixes
  • Pasta
  • Cereals, including corn snacks, puffs and flakes
  • Plain buns, rolls and  bread,  but excluding plain bread
  • Cucumbers, gherkins and other vegetables, fruits, nuts and other edible parts of plants preserved by vinegar or acetic acid
  • Preserved tomatoes
  • Mushrooms preserved otherwise than by vinegar or acetic acid
  • Homoginised vegetables, potatoes, peas, beans, asparagus, olives, sweetcorn and other vegetables and mixtures preserved otherwise than by vinegar or acetic acid
  • Vegetables, fruit, nuts, fruit-peel and other parts of plants
  • Specified fruit juices
  • Clear beer, wine, vermouth, cider and other fermented beverages
  • Spirituous beverages including brandy, whisky, rum, tafia, gin and Geneva, liqueuars, cordial and bitters
  • Cigarettes, cigars, smoking tobacco and cigarette tobacco substitutes
  • Specified toiletries including preparations for use on the hair and for deodorizing rooms
  • Articles of leather, including saddlery and harnesses
  • Trunks, suitcases, bags, clothing and accessories of leather
  • Handkerchiefs and serviettes of paper
  • Table and toilet linen
  • Motor vehicles in the form of Sedans, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV’s), Station Wagons, Double Cabs, King/Club/ Extended Cabs and Hatchbacks but excluding Pick-ups, Panel Vans, Lorries and Mechanical Horses (gonyethi) and vehicles imported under the physical disability suspension
  • Articles and accessories for billiards of all kinds
  • Other games , operated by coins, bank notes, bank cards, tokens or by any means of payment

This implies that the importation of such goods will attract duty in foreign currency. Please take note of this in order to avoid any inconveniences on clearance of goods.