Import
Steps for importing goods
Importing goods from various countries is an important commercial and economic activity that has been prevalent among different societies for a long time to meet the needs of the community. In fact, as you know, the production of some goods is not easily feasible due to the lack of sufficient facilities or the diversity of geographical locations of countries, and therefore heavy costs must be paid to produce these types of special goods. For this reason, governments try to meet the needs of their society by providing suitable conditions for the import process.
Importing goods is primarily recognized as an important and vital matter in meeting the needs of a society; so much so that if this important economic activity is neglected, governments may face major problems in the near future. Therefore, it can be said that paying attention to this economic activity is important and vital in the progress and development of a country; but it is also important to note that importing goods by traders and merchants will bring them significant profits.
Therefore, in general, it can be said that importing goods is recognized as an important need in different societies, and policymakers and statesmen of each country are obliged to consider an appropriate response for this vital need. For this reason, by formulating laws and creating suitable conditions for the import process, they try to help traders and merchants in accelerating the process related to importing goods. On the other hand, traders and merchants are also obliged to engage in international trade by understanding these laws and steps of the import process, thus helping the government meet the needs of society.
Now we must say that importing goods is an international trade in the world that can be carried out in any country by domestic traders and merchants. This international trade can always bring significant profits for active traders and merchants in this field; but don’t forget that to carry out this important activity, you always need to be familiar with how to import goods and the specific rules of this work.
Import regulations
As stated, the import of goods is recognized as a pressing and fundamental need in meeting the needs of various societies. Governments strive to create suitable conditions for this economic process for their traders and merchants by formulating specific laws and regulations. This ensures that all stages of goods import are carried out in a completely principled manner and in accordance with international laws.
Therefore, it should be said that every goods importer is obliged to be familiar with the specific laws and regulations of this process, in addition to knowing how to import goods, and always update their information in this field. In fact, knowing the laws and regulations of goods import enables merchants and traders to carry out all their activities in this field in accordance with domestic and foreign laws and thus prevent any violation.
In order to familiarize you with the main and necessary laws of goods import, we have tried to refer to several main laws and executive regulations in this field in this section of the article. The following are the main and important laws in the field of export and import of goods that every goods importer is obliged to obtain complete, comprehensive and up-to-date information about these laws and regulations:
- Export and Import Regulations Law: This law is one of the most fundamental laws in various fields of trade and was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 1993. This law is formulated in 24 different articles and addresses the generalities and red lines related to commercial fields.
- Executive Regulations of the Export and Import Law: This regulation was approved by the Council of Ministers following the above law in 1994. The mentioned regulation is organized in 46 articles and states various executive points in the field of goods import.
- Customs Law and Regulations: This law was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2011 and contains points on the clearance of goods and customs processes. Studying this regulation will familiarize traders and merchants more with the laws of goods import.
- Export and Import Regulations Book: This book states a large number of executive points regarding the import of various goods and the tariffs associated with them. An important point about this book is that it is updated annually and published by the Trade Development Organization.
Familiarity with the Stages of Goods Import
As mentioned, to carry out the processes related to importing goods, in addition to understanding the laws and regulations formulated in this regard, it is always necessary for the importer to be familiar with the steps of performing these operations and how the executive process of this work is done, and have sufficient experience in these matters. These activities include processes related to international trade and banking, international transportation, customs clearance and customs affairs, how to allocate foreign exchange and other such issues.
In this section, we intend to introduce you to how this important commercial process is done by providing a brief description of the step-by-step stages of importing goods; therefore, to understand the step-by-step stages of importing goods, you can continue with us in this section of the article:
- The first step is to obtain a trade card: Receiving a trade card is recognized as the first step for importing goods. In this regard, it is necessary for novice traders and merchants to refer to the relevant organizations and proceed to obtain and receive their trade card. This card is divided into two types, real and legal, and has various types in terms of application.
The second step is to choose the field of activity: After receiving the trade card, you need to determine your field and scope of activity in terms of importing goods. Determining the field of activity can be done in several ways, for example, some prefer to only operate with a specific country, but others may establish contact with different countries and therefore import various goods into their country.
The third step is to familiarize yourself with the current laws and regulations: As we said, some laws and circulars are constantly changing based on the needs of countries, so to advance an economic trade, it is necessary for an importer to study the news and information related to their field of activity on a daily basis and update their information in this field.
Stage Four, Selecting the Country and Import Goods: In this stage, you should examine various countries and negotiate with different customers in various countries. In this stage, it is necessary that in addition to knowing the language of the target country, you should also be somewhat familiar with its trade laws and regulations.
Now, after examining various countries, you can decide that importing goods from a country can be suitable for your trade.
Stage Five, Request for Sending a Proforma Invoice: The proforma or pre-invoice is one of the important processes in the stages of importing goods, which is also used later for order registration. In fact, the pre-invoice is a document sent by the seller to the buyer, and it explains the complete specifications of the goods.
Stage Six, Order Registration: Order registration is one of the most important stages of importing goods. In this stage, the importer of goods needs to refer to the order registration system of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade and submit their request for importing the desired goods. This is because some goods may be subject to import restrictions, and therefore it is necessary that before purchasing the goods and carrying out other import stages, the request for importing goods is reviewed by the experts of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade so that no type of goods are purchased outside the internal laws and regulations of the country.
Stage Seven, Currency Allocation and International Payment: In this stage, the importer proceeds to procure currency. Currency procurement usually takes place in several different ways, and generally, the government allocates preferential or governmental currency to some essential goods to create a suitable platform for carrying out the processes of importing goods.
Eighth step, transportation and insurance of goods: The transportation of goods is always done in various ways, including road, rail, air, and sea transportation methods that you need to choose one of these methods depending on the origin of the goods and agreement with the seller. The seller and buyer choose the method of transporting goods using international Incoterms rules, so it is necessary for the importer to be well acquainted with these rules.
Ninth step, customs clearance of goods: After the above steps, the purchased goods enter customs. Now it is necessary for the person to visit the customs with knowledge of the customs clearance rules and proceed to clear the goods from customs by presenting the necessary documents and credentials.
The best way to carry out the import process involves several steps
In conclusion, with a good understanding of these steps and the rules and regulations related to importing goods, you can easily proceed to import any kind of goods and expand your business. However, keep in mind that carrying out these steps is only easy in language, and practically it is a difficult and complicated task. Therefore, this question will definitely arise for you: What is the best way to carry out the import process?
In response to this question, we should say that to better carry out the processes related to importing goods, it is better to seek help from experienced specialists in this field. These are people who, in addition to knowing the laws and steps of importing goods, are familiar with international laws and regulations and have sufficient experience in this field. Tata Trading Company is one of the companies that can help you in the field of importing goods.
In fact, Tata Trading Company, with years of experience in various fields of international trade activities, can not only help you in the process of importing goods, but also by entrusting your business affairs in various fields of international trade, you can trade without worry and expand your business in the international arena with the help of this company’s consultants.
Final summary regarding the steps of importing goods
Is it possible to import goods without presenting a certificate of origin to customs and the bank?
Yes, it is possible. The certificate of origin has been removed, but instead, you must fully justify all items.
To register an order for importing goods, I need to introduce a bank. Does it matter which bank I introduce?
No, it doesn’t matter which bank you introduce. Import regulations are the same in all banks in the country.
Is it possible to get a general import order for several documents?
Sure, it translates to: “If you intend to place a general import order all at once but the cargo is imported in sections, yes it is possible. In the comprehensive system, check the ‘multiple shipments’ option.”
Are the pilehvari market border cards for importing goods that have a statistical registration license exempt from road tolls?
If the transport vehicle is Iranian, yes they are exempt, but if it is foreign, no they are not exempt.