Australia Shipping - Import Regulations

Import Regulations - Poland

Australia's commercial interests in Poland are relatively modest. In 2008 Australia’s major export items to Poland were coking coal (around A$10,5 million) and medicaments (around A$5,3 million). Direct merchandise exports to Poland in 2008 were around A$ 40 million, whileimports from Poland were worth A$ 374 million. There are increasing opportunities for Australian wine, meat, foodstuffs, sheepskins, education, IT, environmental and waste-management technologies in Poland.

Poland is based on the Harmonised System and adheres to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Customs regulations comply with the EU's European-wide directives. MFN treatment applies to Australian imports.

Product certification, labelling and packaging
Animals, plants and their products require health certificates from the approved authority in Australia and are subject to strict controls.

Imports of pharmaceutical goods require documentation verifying registration in Poland.

Specific labelling requirements are applied to foodstuffs. The contents and the date of production and/or validity should be clearly stated on the labels of most foods.

Use-by dates and descriptions of products and their ingredients in Polish are required for food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Goods should be securely packed, having due regard to the nature of the goods, means of transport and likely climatic conditions during transit and delivery.

Documentary requirements
Poland is in the course of changing its legal system to conform to the legislation of the European Union. Australian exporters should not therefore fully rely on the wording of this country profile and should always consult Polish partners/representatives.

4 copies of commercial invoice are generally requested.

All data required by the contract should be included in the invoice, including the country of origin of the goods, the contract number, full descriptions of the goods, net and gross weights, all itemised expenses to CIF value (Incoterms 2000) and all marks and numbers. It is recommended that invoices and other documents be prepared in the Polish language.

There are no special requirements to bill of lading. Packing list is not obligatory, but it facilitates clearance.
Certificate of origin is required when claiming preference and when restrictions on imports from certain countries are imposed to prove that goods do not come from the prohibited source.

Public health requirements
All pharmaceuticals must be approved for sale in Poland and be registered with the Instytut Lekow of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

All foods must conform to sanitary and other requirements before importation is allowed. A lot of foods are also subject to sanitary inspection on arrival by the State Sanitary Inspection Agency.

Plants, animals and their products require both Polish and English language health certifications issued by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry-Australia or the relevant state department of agriculture.