The General Authority of Customs has announced the activation of the work of the use of pallet in charge of commercial goods in mandatory when moving between the Gulf GCC countries, as of June 15.

The importance of using these pallet (a flat wooden structure specially used to load goods), given its need to facilitate handling and unloading operations on the means of transport, which in turn contributes to reducing the time of release of goods. In addition to reducing the risk of goods during the shipping, handling and unloading process, such as loss or damage, and so important to maintain staff safety in ports.

The importance of these pallets also enhance the efficiency of inspection procedures and security on goods, transportation and other field operations in state ports.

Within this framework, the Authority announced a range of goods excluded from this decision because of the difficulty loading on pallets when shipped, given its nature, and includes the following varieties:

Casting materials (bulk) dry or liquid directly load on their own means such as (wheat and other grain, cement, gypsum, petroleum materials, etc.).

- Raw materials contained in Jumbo bags in large weights are difficult to place on pallets.

- Heavy machinery and equipment, production lines, generators, mechanisms .. etc.

- Metal products that are contained in the form of large rolls, coils or flat, and other materials that are difficult to load on pallets such as (insulators, cartoon paper, carpet, and what is similar).

- Iron skewers, large pipes, scaffolding and what is similar.

- Furniture and furnishings in general (sofa sets, bedrooms, garments, tables, sponge and what is similar).

- External air frames entering (40) of customs tariff.

- Marble, stones, marble and crude granite (before manufacturing), entered by item (2515), item (2516) and what is similar.

- Spelt, which is responded to the state in plastic bags according to the specifications approved by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry within containers.

- Used appliances.

The Authority also stressed that there are considered requests for any other goods for objective reasons, and these requests are studied by the competent administration. The Authority also coordinates with the concerned parties in Qatar Chamber on the circular on merchants and confirm with them to the activation of the use of pallets in charge of imported goods.

It is noteworthy that the procedure for the use of pallets in shipping the goods has been postponed during the past period, to allow traders more time to deal with the decision, as well as to prepare a list of goods excluded from the use of pallets due to their nature.