Customs Authority to release additional cars held at ports for violations

Gov’t to release all cars held at ports over ACI violations: The Egyptian Customs Authority is releasing passenger vehicles that have been held at ports for violating the registration rules of the Advanced Cargo Information (ACI) system, according to a decision by the authority on Tuesday, seen by EnterpriseAM. Owners of the cars must pay owed customs and fees plus up to EGP 10k in fines per vehicle to take advantage of the new policy.

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Background: Cars had been piling up in Egypt’s ports over the past few months after the authorities refused to release cars whose owners had tried to dodge the ACI’s passenger car registration restrictions by registering their passenger cars under other categories.

This marks the second release of stranded cars this month: The Egyptian Customs Authority (ECA) earlier this month began procedures to release roughly 30k vehicles stranded at the country’s ports that violated previous personal import or disabled-accessible vehicle import regulations.

Vehicles released in the prior wave had to meet certain criteria to pass customs, including being shipped before 27 December 2024, a SWIFT payment transfer confirmation proving payment was made via a bank abroad before 25 June 2024, and a fine.

This newest wave of car releases comes as the government seeks to limit personal car imports in a bid to support auto industry localization. In December, the Investment Ministry issued a decision introducing new rules for personal car imports to limit USD outflows and support the localization of the auto industry, capping personal imports at one car every five years and requiring importers to provide proof of financial solvency and make payment through an Egyptian bank.

Demand for passenger cars has remained strong despite rising prices, with passenger car sales registering a 14.8% increase m-o-m to 8.5k vehicles in November according to the latest figures from the Automotive Marketing Information Council (AMIC).