Australia Shipping - Import Regulations

Import Regulations - Portugal

Portugal is part of the harmonized trade system of the European Union. If the goods are imported from non-EU countries, including Australia, Common Customs Tariff (CCT) is applicable.

Product certification, labelling, packing and marking
Foods and other items of animal origin require sanitary certificates issued by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry-Australia. A health certificate must accompany food products from Australia.

Labelling requires compliance with EU directives. Translation into Portuguese is almost always required.

Australian exporters should seek advice from their importers on packaging and labelling requirements prior to any commercial agreements.

The country of origin must be indicated on all imports.

Outer containers should be marked with their weight, the consignee's name and mark, the country of destination, the port mark and they should be numbered according to packing list.

Marks on packages must correspond exactly with those shown on the bill of lading, certificate of origin and commercial invoice.

Margarine, pharmaceuticals, yarns, textiles and textile manufacturers, fertilisers, tobacco, wines, brandy and foodstuffs are subject to special marking and labelling requirements.

Documentary requirements
Pro-forma invoices are advisable to get an authorization to import. A minimum of 3 copies of commercial invoice is preferred in Portuguese or English. The document must include a full description of shipment including the FOB value (Incoterms 2000), country of origin, insurance and freight costs, marks and numbers of packages, weights, and terms of payment and delivery.

2 originals of certificate of origin should be supplied. Besides, certificate of insurance must be supplied.
There are no special requirements to bill of lading. To Order bills are acceptable.

Packing list is usually required. It must indicate the gross and net weights and the contents of each package.