Algerian Customs - Import/Export Guide

The Algerian customs tariff is based on the Harmonized System (HS), the international nomenclature for the designation and coding of goods, adopted by Algeria through Law 91-09 of 27 April 1991. Each imported good is assigned a code that determines its classification and the duty and tax regime that applies to it. There is therefore no single rate: everything starts with the correct code.

The nomenclature is organized hierarchically. Goods are divided into chapters (the first two digits of the code), then into headings (four digits) and HS subheadings (six digits). These first six digits are common to all countries that apply the HS, which allows the same good to be identified in the same way internationally.

Algeria has extended this nomenclature to ten digits. The four national digits added after the six international digits serve to specify the product and to set its tariff, regulatory and statistical treatment specific to the country. Finding the correct ten-digit subheading is the decisive step: it is what determines the duties, the taxes and the required documents.

Several distinct categories of levies are built on top of this classification. A distinction is made between customs duties proper, import VAT calculated on the customs value increased by the duties, and any additional taxes depending on the nature of the product. The applicable values vary from one subheading to another and are set by the texts in force, notably the annual finance law. For this reason, a rate is never assumed: it is verified line by line in the official tariff.

The first step is to precisely identify the ten-digit tariff subheading of your goods. This classification governs everything else: duties, taxes, documents to provide and any preferential regimes. An approximate description quickly leads to a wrong code, and therefore to wrong costing.

The authoritative source is the Directorate General of Customs. Its website www.douane.gov.dz publishes the customs tariff and provides a service for estimating the duties and taxes payable on import. The Ministry of Trade also publishes the ten-digit customs tariff nomenclature. These are the only channels to be regarded as official: tables copied onto third-party sites or old versions must not serve as the basis for a decision.

For an actual operation, the detailed declaration is then filed via SIGAD, the customs information system. The classification adopted in the declaration commits the importer: an error in the heading can trigger an inspection and a reassessment, with the goods being held.

An approved freight forwarder or customs broker masters the nomenclature and knows how to link a product to the exact subheading. Using a professional is strongly advised for technical products or ambiguous classification cases, because it is they who secure the declared code. UpGrowth can direct you to a partner freight forwarder and check the consistency of your documentation before filing.