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IMPORTANT: As of July 1st, 2011, functions once performed by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce have been moved to other state agencies and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The former Commerce web site will continue to exist for the next several months as resources are moved to new web site locations. We will make every attempt possible to direct our users to the new locations as web resources are moved.
Bureau of Export Development
PO Box 7970
Madison, WI 53707-7970
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Vol.
8 #6, July 2009
Certificates of Free Sale Replace Health Certificates in Dubai
by Mohamed Taha, U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service
The Dubai Food Control Department has agreed to accept U.S.
Certificates of Free Sale in lieu of Health Certificates on a six-month
trial basis. Currently, other emirates and gulf countries require
that a health certificate from a state or federal authority accompany
most food shipments. U.S. exporters have had difficulty meeting this
requirement in the past. While temporary, the new policy should ease
the regulatory burden for U.S. food exports to Dubai, the largest point
of entry for food products in the Gulf.
The trial covers shelf stable grocery products and other processed food
products that are not regulated by the Food Safety Inspection Service
or the Food and Drug Administration. Previously, U.S. exporters
had to acquire a health certificate from the state in which a product
was produced and such certificates were not always available.
Exporters can usually obtain a certificate of free sale more
easily. This agreement only applies to products entering the
Emirate of Dubai and does not apply to other emirates or other gulf
countries. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the largest importer
of U.S. food products in the gulf and about 65% of UAE imports enter
through Dubai.
The agreement will be in place until October 14, 2009, and requires that a certificate of free sale meet the following criteria:
- The grocery items or food products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration or the Food Safety Inspection Service;
- Free Sale Certificates are not required to include a statement that the product is fit for human consumption;
- Brand, production and expiry dates of the product,
temperature and port of loading are not required to be listed on the
Free Sale Certificate;
- The name and description (e.g. cereal, juice) of the
products are required and may be listed as an attachment to the Free
Sale Certificate provided that the attachment references the
certificate number; and
- The “Consignee” and “Country of Destination” must be mentioned on the Free Sale Certificate.
U.S. officials will meet with counterparts from Dubai at the end of the
six-month trial period to discuss lessons learned and explore options
for continuing and/or expanding this procedure.
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