Importing meat

Since 2002 Aruba passed a law which only allows import of meat and meat products from:

1. Member States of European Union;
2. The United Sates of America;
3. Third countries, i.e. countries other than the USA or countries from the EU, can only export to Aruba when they are either:  a)  Countries approved by the USA for export to the USA or  b) Countries approved by the EU for export to the EU.

Note: The approval of countries and slaughterhouses is a long process in which legislation and its implementation, veterinary infrastructure, disease status and manufacturing practices are evaluated. As Aruba is a small country with limited resources, it has adopted the policy of following the risk analysis by respected sources that are both trustworthy and transparent in order to guarantee the local consumer with safe meat and meat products. Meat and meat products must be inspected prior to entry. The Aruban Veterinary Service should be contacted prior to shipment of meat and meat products.

Importing pets

Certain live animals may not be imported, depending on the country of origin. Based on Aruban Law, there are some import requirements regarding dogs and cats to Aruba.

Aruba allows import from dogs and cats from the USA under the following conditions:

The dog/cat must have:

1. Resided continuously in the USA for 6 months, immediately preceding the date of export to Aruba or
2. Been born and lived in the USA continuously if younger than 6 months of age at the date of export to Aruba or
3. Written exemption from the above by the Head of the Veterinary Service of Aruba

Application of the above mentioned legal requirements aims to prevent the import of dogs or cats from countries that are not allowed to export to Aruba (like all countries from Southern and Central America, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic) via the USA.

The dog/cat must be accompanied by a valid health certificate:

1. Original document as used by USDA
2. Not older than 2 weeks at date of import
3. Issued and signed by a licensed and (USDA) accredited veterinarian
4. The health certificate must clearly state name, initials, address and phone# of owner and issuing veterinarian, description of individual animal(s) (species, race, sex, age, color and external signs) and Chip/transponder #(AVID or ISO, required)1.

Valid written proof of vaccination against rabies2 stating:

1. Date of administration (at least one month, but not more than one year before the date of import in Aruba)
2. Name, lot# and expiration date of the rabies vaccine used
3. In animals, younger than 3 (three) months of age at the date of import in Aruba vaccination is not required and should then be replaced by a handwritten statement in the certificate of the issuing veterinarian stating: “Too young for rabies vaccination”
4. Statement that the animal either “has resided in the USA continuously during the 6 months prior to the date of export to Aruba” or if younger than 6 months of age “has resided in the USA continuously since birth”
5. Name, address, phone number and signature of the licensed veterinarian that administered the rabies vaccination, if different from the veterinarian, that issued the Health Certificate
6. Description of individual animal(s): species, race, sex, age, color and external signs
7. Chip/transponder # (AVID or ISO, required)1

1Chips or transponders, other than AVID or ISO are permitted, provided that the owner carries the appropriate reader in order to allow veterinarians or customs authorities to verify that issued pertain to the animal at hand.

2The rabies certificate data can be entered into the health certificate.

For more information on importation of other types of animals, visit the following links:

• http://aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals_aruba.shtml;
• www.cites.org

To be filled by ‘Volksgezondheidsdienst’ (VGD).

Chicken eggs

Aruba has no import restriction, except for fresh chicken eggs, which depends on the local supply.
The market protection policy for locally produced eggs dictates that the demand for eggs must be met by the local producers first.
Any eventual shortages will be met by issuing import permits. Importers of eggs must submit a written request to the Department of Economic Affairs, in which is included the quantity of eggs they want to import. The department in question will decide the quantity allocated to be imported. The total market demand is calculated twice a year by said department.
In order to submit a request, a government stamp of Awg. 4,- needs to be affixed on the petition letter and a Awg. 8,- government stamp has to be provided to be affixed to the to be issued permit.

Items such as medicines, narcotics, chemicals, explosives and pyrotechnics are subject to licensing controls.
Pharmaceuticals must be registered at the Inspectorate of Health and Environment.

(To be filled by Inspectorate of Health and Environment).

Items such as medicines, narcotics, chemicals, explosives and pyrotechnics are subject to licensing controls. Pharmaceuticals must be registered with the Inspectorate of Health and Environment  in order to be imported into the Aruban market or into the free zones.
In addition, goods listed in the “Government Decree Import License of Goods” can only be imported with an import license. The Department of Economic Affairs, Commerce and Industry is in charge of issuing this import license.

Import duty & excise

According to the Aruban customs, import duties are calculated by cost + insurance + freight.
The median value of import duties is 12%.

Import duties for basic goods/products which are categorized as primary necessities of life are between 0% and 12%.
Luxury goods are subjected to higher import duties.
Aruba permits duty-free entry of raw materials for manufacturing industries. Alcohol and alcoholic beverages, tobacco and products thereof and products of mineral oils are subjected to excise duty.

For more information, click on the Aruban Customs’ link:http://www.douane.aw/

All goods imported into Aruba have to be declared on a customs declaration form “Enig Document”.
It is advisable to contact a local customs broker in advance to have all customs declaration correctly filed.

For more information on import documents, click on the following link: http://www.douane.aw/

EU-Association
Aruba as a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is qualified as an Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) by the European Union since 1964. This qualification, laid down in the Overseas Association Decision means that products originating in Aruba are imported into the Community free of import duty. Products are considered as originating in Aruba if they are wholly obtained here or if they are products obtained in Aruba incorporating materials, which have not been wholly obtained here, provided that such materials have undergone sufficient working or processing in Aruba. Non-originating products in free circulation in Aruba which are exported as such to the Community have duty-free access into the Community market as well, provided that:

1. The import duties paid in Aruba are at least equal to those applicable in the Community on the import of the same products originating in third countries eligible for the Most-Favoured-Nation clause (MFN)
2. The products have not been the subject of an exemption from, or a refund of, in whole or in part, customs duties or taxes having equivalent effect.
3. The products are not agricultural products.
4. The products are not subjected, on import into the Community, to quantitative restrictions or limitations or to anti-dumping duties.
5. The products are accompanied by an export certificate.

Link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32013D0755

Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act
As a beneficiary country of this Act the former Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), Aruba can derive trade benefits for eligible exports into the US market, provided that these products comply with the rules of origin.

Link: https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/trade-development/preference-programs/caribbean-basin-initiative-cbi

Free Trade Agreement Aruba-Netherlands Antilles
Between Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, a free trade agreement is in force allowing products from either territory, complying with the rules of origin, free market access.

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
Aruba is an associate member of this regional commission of the United Nations. The ECLAC was founded for the purposes of contributing to the economic and social development of Latin America and the Caribbean, coordinating actions directed towards this end, and reinforcing economic relationships among the countries and with the other nations of the world.

Caribbean Development Cooperation Committee (CDCC)
This ECLAC sub regional headquarter is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad. This organization makes it possible for Aruba to participate more in regional programmes with respect to economic and non-economic aspects.

World Trade Organization (WTO)
Aruba is not a complete member of the WTO, because of adaptations of the schedules of goods and services that has to be round off. Nonetheless, Aruba keeps up with the developments around this multilateral trade regime because of the global economic ties.
Aruba is a member of the plurilateral agreement of the Government Procurement Act.

Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
In 1999, Aruba has become an associate member of the Association of Caribbean States(ACS). The objectives of this association are the development of tourism, international trade and transport between the country members.

Economic Sanctions are applied in international conflicts by the United Nations Security Council and the European Union. The sanctions are imposed to change undesirable behavior by a country, organization or group of persons; to make it more difficult to perform undesirable behavior; to deter other countries to act the same way; and to cut out financing options for terrorist groups and persons. Sanctions can include an arms embargo, an embargo on import and/or export of certain products and technology, financial restrictive measures, and a visa ban for certain persons. The Kingdom of the Netherlands adheres to these sanctions and this has implications for exporters from Aruba. There are restrictive trade measures for some countries in the world.

 

1 DEACI Exprodesk Presentation Caribbean Export Development Sharon Meijer

3 DEACI ARINA Presentation Caribbean Export Development