Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk has approved sweeping amendments to the executive regulations of the Customs Law, according to a document seen by EnterpriseAM.

It’s really smart policy: The move signals a major pivot toward a whitelist economy, where the state trades traditional, inspection-heavy oversight for a risk-based framework that rewards compliant companies. The executive regulations will only become official when published in the Official Gazette.

Here’s the rundown

The liquidity win: Importers can now pay customs duties in installments against bank guarantees or ins. policies — a direct response to the high-interest-rate environment that has squeezed working capital for over a year.

A six-month buffer: The validity of both Advance Cargo Information Declaration (ACID) numbers and advance ruling reports has been extended to six months, giving supply chain managers more time to plan for logistics delays at the origin.

Port decongestion: The fresh regulations introduce stricter limits on storage periods in bonded warehouses in a bid to prevent ports from being used as long-term storage. This, alongside setting the groundwork to expand the Authorized Economic Operator program, will allow for faster custom clearance, specifically for compliant companies. These efforts fall within Investment Minister Hassan El Khatib’s plan to cut down customs clearance times to two days.

Consolidated treatment: The amendments unify customs treatment for transit trade and freezones, while allowing the values stipulated in shipping documents to be used as the primary valuation tool — a key step in Egypt’s bid to become a regional logistics hub.

An express land for trade

Why it matters: By allowing duty installments and extending document validity, the Finance Ministry is rewarding whitelisted companies with an express lane for trade.

This is a continuation of Kouchouk’s trust-building offensive, following the announcement of the second package of tax incentives earlier this month. It also perfectly positions the market for the mandatory rollout of theACI system for air freight, slated for early January.

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