German Market

Preparation for import into Vietnam

Determining the import category of goods

Prior to importation, the importers must determine which category their goods fall into, as not all types of goods can be imported into Vietnam, and not all goods follow the same import mechanism. Therefore, importers need to check whether their goods fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Goods banned from import

Some goods are not allowed to be imported into Vietnam, for example: weapons, drugs, hazardous chemicals, some used goods... The list of goods banned from import into Vietnam is detailed in Appendix I - Decree 69/2018/NĐ-CP dated May 15, 2018 of the Government detailing a number of articles of the Law on Foreign Trade Management.

  1. Goods subject to specialized inspection permits

Before importing goods into Vietnam, traders need to determine whether their goods are subject to a permit for specialized inspection.

Example 1 - Goods subject to sanitary and phytosanitary inspection: Goods such as vegetables and fruits, meat, aquacultural products, etc. need to be inspected for food hygiene and safety before being circulated in the Vietnamese market. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and a number of other relevant ministries are the state management agencies for these requirements (issuing standards, regulations as well as a list of products subject to inspection).

Example 2 - Goods subject to technical standard inspection: Some goods such as electronics, machinery and equipment, automobiles and vehicles... must meet Vietnam's technical standards and regulations such as standards on labels, functions, operation, safety, environmental protection... The Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and a number of other relevant ministries are the state management agencies for these requirements (issuing standards, regulations as well as a list of products subject to inspection).

Goods subject to specialized inspection as above will have to register in advance with the relevant authorities to be inspected upon arrival and granted a certificate before being allowed to circulate in the Vietnamese market.

  1. Goods requiring an Import License, or meeting conditions.

For some types of products, importers must apply for an import license or meet the conditions set by the relevant ministries.

For import licenses, depending on the category, products may be automatically or non-automatically granted import licenses.

For products imported under conditions, the imported products must fully satisfy the conditions for such products, but the importing enterprises do not need to apply for an import license.

The list of products imported under licenses and conditions set by management ministries is detailed in Appendix III - Decree 69/2018/ND-CP dated May 15, 2018 of the Government detailing a number of articles of the Law on Foreign Trade Management.

Registering/Applying for import licenses

  • Individuals cannot directly import goods, but must be a legal entity with a registered business establishment to be able to import. Business registration can be done online at the National Business Registration Portal (dangkykinhdoanh.gov.vn).

  • Registering for the usage of digital signature at the website of the General Department of Vietnam Customs at: https://www.customs.gov.vn/SitePages/DangKyDoanhNghiepSuDungChuKySo.aspx. It should be noted that the digital signature must be registered in advance at a digital signature service provider licensed by the Ministry of Information and Communications. After acquiring a digital signature, enterprises register that digital signature for electronic customs declaration on the website of the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

  • Registering for the usage of the Vietnam Automated Cargo Clearance System (VNACCS): The customs declaration is made through the VNACCS System. To be able to use this system, customs declarants must register to use it at the website of the General Department of Vietnam Customs by following the link: https://dknsd.customs.gov.vn/Pages/dn.aspx.

  • Registering for inspection of goods subject to specialized inspection at the relevant agencies, for example:

  • Ministry of Health: inspection of food hygiene, safety, and quality for a number of food products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics...;

  • Ministry of Transport: inspection and registration of special-use vehicles and motorcycles;

  • Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: SPS inspection of animals, plants, aquacultural products.

  • Applying for import licenses at the ministries or ministerial-level agencies competent to grant licenses for products subject to import licenses.

Source: "Business Handbook: Exploiting the EVFTA  to import and export goods between Vietnam and Germany" - Center for WTO and International Trade

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