On May, 2013, the Colombian Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism published Decree # 925 in the Colombian Official Daily, which establishes the conditions and requirements to comply with new Import Licenses and Import Registry regulations, along with a list of goods being regulated.

The Decree explains that applications for new Import Licenses or Import Registries will be filed though the existing Colombian electronic window or “Ventanilla Unica de Comercio Exterior” (VUCE) , as well as cancelations and modifications. Decree 925 also establishes that these new non-tariff barriers can be filed by the importer, customs broker or a third party holding a Power of Attorney.

Annex 1 of Decree 925 contains a list of 187 statistical breakouts subject to Import License requirement covering multiple Chapters of the Colombian classification system.

Import License requirements are applicable to:

• Goods contained in Annex 1
• Goods considered as “Saldos,” or new items which were produced or manufactured two or more years earlier than the submission date
• Goods under special market conditions
• Goods in which a duty exception has been requested
• Goods controlled by the National Narcotics Counsel and by the Military Industry
• Goods destined to the Armed Forces and Police
• Goods subject to yearly license system

Import Registry is applicable to goods not subject to import license requirements. This will be evaluated and determined by the Colombian Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism through the VUCE in a period no longer that 2 days.

This decree will be enforced 30 days after its publication.

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