Import ban lifted on foreign goods with Iranian counterparts
The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced that the prohibition on importing foreign consumer and durable goods with domestic counterparts had been expired.
The ban — established under Article 16 of the Law on Maximizing the Use of Domestic Production and Service Capacities and Supporting Iranian Goods (ratified in 2018) and valid until the end of the 6th Five-Year Development Plan — has lapsed, ISNA reported.
With the expiration of the law and the absence of any prohibition clause in the 7th Five-Year Development Plan of the Islamic Republic of Iran, coupled with Article 22 of the Law on Permanent Provisions of National Development Plans, which prohibits non-tariff and non-technical import barriers except where required by religious principles, it is proposed that instead of imposing restrictions to protect domestic production, authorities should utilize tariff instruments or technical regulations to manage imports of foreign goods with Iranian equivalents.
IRICA said the new approach must also safeguard the acquired rights of importers.