Customs management

The purpose of this service sheet is to describe what MSF-Supply undertakes to provide in order to facilitate importation into the countries delivered.
It will also describe the roles and responsibilities of both parties as well as the process to be followed in order to benefit from it.
The aim of customs management within MSF Supply is to make the export of goods possible, to pay as little tax as possible by keeping the goods in transit and to provide the most complete documentation possible so that the missions can import their orders in the shortest possible time and under the best possible conditions.

Services that MSF-Supply can provide :

1. HS codes can be included on request on your export invoices. However, the codes if found are the export codes used in Belgium. Although it is a harmonised system, not all countries agree on the interpretation of these codes, given that we send to an average of 40 destinations and that we have 13000 items in our catalogue, it is not possible for us to manage several codes per item. Humanitarian code:

• Product: 8-digit code corresponding to Belgian legislation

• Kit: 8-digit code, for the kit and not per component, corresponding to Belgian legislation.

2. The choice of the forwarding agent in charge of the import at destination is at the discretion of the mission. MSF Supply only chooses the forwarder in charge of transport to the port or airport of destination. Once the goods have been unloaded, the local forwarder takes over the responsibility for customs clearance and post-carriage.

3. MSF Supply negotiates the time of clearance at destination (demurage), which is usually 7 days, but we have been able to obtain better delays at some destinations. To check if your mission is one of them, please contact your expeditor. We can always try to obtain better conditions, however it is preferable to compare the rate increase at departure and the average fee paid at destination in order to check the impact of such a negotiation.

4. Documentation available

• Waiver document issued by the freight forwarder, it is a paid service included in the freight charges.

• Product documentation see Service sheet Response to pharmaceutical and medical documentation requirements

5. Mention of origins on invoices

• Med: For items tracked by batch

• Log: no possibility to give origins since these products are not tracked by batch

• Kit : Origin of the kit and not of the components

Services not offered by MSF Supply :

• HS kit component code

• Origin of products not tracked by batch

Roles and responsibilities :

1- MSF Supply :

• Verifies the documents and processes required for the mission to be able to import (see available documents below)

• Drawing up documents, packaging, invoices, donation certificates, cargo manifest and specific documents

• Sending to the mission the documents for the pre-importation

• Prepares the customs export documents

• Prepays all costs until unloading of the main transport

• Insures the goods up to 7 days after arrival in the mission's warehouse (Dispatch address mentioned on the documents). Please note that the insurance does not cover the goods during transport between the capital and the project.

2- Mission

• Provided MSF Supply with all the necessary information about the import process from their country.

• Checks the documents received to ensure that they are correct

• Pre-imports into the country of destination

• Pay the charges as soon as the goods are unloaded from the main means of transport.

• Finalize import documents

• Receives the goods by counting the parcels and checking the condition of the boxes.

• Fills out and signs the delivery note with the necessary remarks so that a claim can be made to the insurance company in case of a problem.