Import and export clearance at Alexandria, Dekheila, Damietta, Port Said and Sokhna. We settle ACI registration, documents and HS codes early, so your cargo clears inside its free days.
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Fast · predictable · transparent
In 2024 the average container at Alexandria took 8.6 days from vessel arrival to gate-out, and only about 2.8 of those days were customs and inspection. The rest is paperwork, payments and waiting, while free time is often only 5–6 days. A missing ACID number, a wrong HS code or a late permit can hold a container for days while demurrage and storage charges run.
We prevent that by working before the ship arrives: ACI registration on Nafeza, document checks, HS classification and any agency approvals. When the cargo lands, clearance starts the same day. You see the duties, taxes and charges before they are paid.
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Import · export · free zones
ACI pre-registration at least 48 hours before departure, the ACID on every document, and CargoX onboarding for your supplier.
We check the invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin, classify the goods and estimate duties and VAT before arrival.
Customs declaration filed electronically, attendance at inspection and agency checks, duties and taxes paid with receipts, then release and gate-out.
UCR from Nafeza before booking, export declaration, export inspection where required, and loading with the shipping line or airline.
Clearance into and out of Egypt's public and private free zones, and release from a free zone into the local market.
QIZ export documents for garments to the United States, EUR.1 or EUR-MED for the EU, and certificates for GAFTA, Agadir and COMESA markets.
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Spec · customs clearance
| Scope | Import · Export · Free zones · QIZ and preferential origin |
|---|---|
| Systems | Nafeza, Egypt's trade single window: ACI for imports (sea since October 2021, air since 1 January 2026) and UCR for sea exports (since July 2026) · CargoX for supplier documents |
| Ports | Alexandria · Dekheila · Damietta · Port Said · Sokhna |
| Airports | Cairo International · Borg El Arab |
| Key documents | Commercial invoice · Packing list · B/L or AWB · Certificate of origin · ACID number · Importer or exporter registration |
| Payments | Duties and VAT paid electronically, on your behalf or by you directly |
| Add-ons | Inland haulage · Warehousing · Freight booking |
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Sea import · 8 steps
Free days start when the container is discharged, not when clearance starts. So the work that decides your bill happens before the ship arrives.
You + supplier + us · before loading
At least 48 hours before the cargo leaves the export country, the shipment is registered on Nafeza and gets a 19-digit ACID. Your supplier uploads the invoice, bill of lading, packing list and certificate of origin on CargoX. No ACID, no clearance.
Shipping line · day 0
The vessel arrives, the line's agent lodges the manifest and the container is discharged. The free-days clock starts. Since June 2026 clearance can start on arrival, without waiting for the line's delivery order, so we start the same day.
Us
We file the declaration electronically with the ACID, the agreed HS codes, values and weights, and collect the delivery order from the line in parallel.
Customs + us
Names, HS codes, values and weights must match across the ACID, invoice, bill of lading and certificate of origin. Because we checked them before arrival, questions are answered on the spot.
Customs + agencies
Depending on the goods and customs' risk assessment, the cargo is examined, and some products need checks by other authorities. We attend for you and tell you in advance what to expect.
You or us
Duties, VAT and any other taxes are assessed and paid before release, by us on your behalf or by you directly. Either way you see every amount before it is paid.
Customs
Customs issues the release. With the line's delivery order in hand, the container is free to leave the terminal.
Us · release day
The truck we booked for release day collects the container, delivers it to your site and returns the empty to the line's depot before free time runs out.
Steps and timing vary by cargo, port and agency. ACI also applies to air imports since 1 January 2026, with documents due 8 hours before take-off. We tell you up front which steps apply to your shipment.
Sea export · since July 2026
01 You + us
Every sea export needs a 19-digit UCR before booking. A booking without one is rejected, and the UCR and shipper cannot be changed later.
02 Us
We book the sailing or flight and check the invoice, packing list and the certificate of origin your buyer's market needs.
03 Us + customs
We file the export declaration. Some goods, such as food and agri products, are inspected before export.
04 Line
The cargo is loaded and the line or airline issues the bill of lading or air waybill.
05 Us
You get the customs export certificate, bill of lading and certificate of origin for your export-rebate claim.
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Import · export
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Public and private free zones
Goods for a company licensed in an Egyptian free zone follow their own route through customs. We handle every move, from the port into the zone, out to export, and into the local market.
Port → zone
Goods from abroad for a free-zone company enter without paying customs duties or VAT, as long as they stay in the zone or are re-exported. We clear them at the port and truck them to the zone with the customs paperwork.
Zone → abroad
Finished goods leave the zone for export with the export documents and the certificate of origin your buyer needs.
Zone → Egypt
Goods released from a zone into Egypt are cleared like an import, and duties and taxes become due on entry. We estimate them before the move.
Zone ↔ zone
Transfers between free zones, with the paperwork for both sides and the haulage in between.
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From inside Three Stars Group
We are the logistics arm of Three Stars Group, a garment manufacturer in Alexandria since 2008. We ship the group's own exports, so QIZ paperwork, EUR.1 and retailer requirements are daily work for us, not special requests.
QIZ (Qualifying Industrial Zones) lets goods made by qualifying factories in designated Egyptian zones enter the United States free of normal US import duty, if they contain at least 35% qualifying content, including 10.5% Israeli input. Garments are the main QIZ product.
Ask us about QIZ consulting when you request a quote.
| United States | QIZ documents · 35% qualifying content, incl. 10.5% Israeli input |
|---|---|
| European Union | EUR.1 or EUR-MED · duty-free access under the Association Agreement since 2004 |
| Agadir | EUR-MED · Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco |
| GAFTA | Arab League certificate · 40% local value added |
| COMESA | COMESA certificate · 35% local value added |
Certificates of origin are issued by GOEIC. For the export rebate, keep the customs export certificate, bill of lading, certificate of origin and the bank's proceeds notice for each shipment.
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Egypt · 5 ports
Mediterranean · EGALY
Egypt’s busiest gateway. Its port authority, which also runs Dekheila, handles about 60% of the country’s foreign trade.
What we do here
Import and export clearance, with ACI, documents and HS codes settled before the vessel arrives.
Mediterranean · EGEDK
Alexandria’s second harbour, west of the city, run by the same port authority.
What we do here
Import and export clearance, with ACI, documents and HS codes settled before the vessel arrives.
Mediterranean · EGDAM
Container port for the Nile Delta, with the new DACT terminal open since February 2026.
What we do here
Import and export clearance, with ACI, documents and HS codes settled before the vessel arrives.
Mediterranean · Suez Canal · EGPSD
Two ports at the northern entrance of the Suez Canal.
What we do here
Import and export clearance, with ACI, documents and HS codes settled before the vessel arrives.
Red Sea · Gulf of Suez · EGSOK
Egypt’s main gateway to the Gulf, East Africa and Asia, and the closest of the five to Greater Cairo.
What we do here
Import and export clearance, with ACI, documents and HS codes settled before the vessel arrives.
Other Egyptian ports and airports on request.
Port facts: port authorities and terminal operators. Red Sea and Suez routings can change voyage by voyage; we confirm the routing with every booking.
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Yes, for every sea import (since October 2021) and every air import (since 1 January 2026). The shipment is registered on Nafeza at least 48 hours before it leaves the export country, and the importer and exporter receive a 19-digit ACID number. Your supplier uploads the documents on CargoX, and the ACID must appear on every document, including the bill of lading or air waybill. Without it the goods are not cleared. We guide you and your supplier through each step.
We prepare the clearance before the vessel arrives: ACI registration, document checks, HS codes and any permits. We count your free days from discharge and book the truck for the day of release. Since June 2026 clearance can start on arrival, without waiting for the line's delivery order, and we use that. If something threatens your free days, such as a missing document or an inspection, we tell you at once and agree the fastest fix with you.
Duties depend on the HS code and origin of the goods, applied to the customs value. VAT and any other taxes are added on top. We estimate the total before arrival so there are no surprises.
It depends on the goods and the customs risk assessment. Some products also need checks by other agencies, such as food safety or import control. We tell you in advance what to expect and attend the inspection for you.
Yes, for sea exports. Since July 2026 every sea export booking needs a 19-digit UCR from Nafeza, and shipping lines reject bookings without one. The UCR and the shipper cannot be changed afterwards, so we set it up correctly before the booking is made.
Yes. Goods for a company in a free zone enter without import duties; duties are paid only if they later enter the Egyptian market. We handle both moves.
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Send the cargo, route and ready date. We reply with a clear price and the documents you need.