ALL WHAT YOU ALWAYS WISHED TO KNOW ABOUT IMPORTS
PROCESSES BUT NEVER VENTURED TO ASK

  In collaboration with Pilar Mueckay de Martínez

Generalities

Mechanisms / Requirements for Importing Purposes

Import Process

Clearance

Special Regime

Remarks

Annexes

        Generalities

Lets start from the beginning. Before you make imports, there are certain criteria you should bear in mind. In Ecuador there are the customs regimes; and three more regimes related with imports:

Common regime: Importation of a consumption where the foreign merchandise gets into the country in order to be “nationalized” for its direct use and consumption. It's important to make clear that the equipment is also included in this custom regime as the passenger's personnal effects (i.e., without a commercial end), so it may be free from any obligation, but it doesn't mean it could be free from customs services' fees. To have more information about what's considered as a personnal effect, you could visit the following web site: http://www.corpae.com/html/viajeros-efectos.htm.

Special regimes: This is divided in: suspensive (because it's delayed), liberatory (because it's exempted), or compensatory (because it's reestablished) with regard to taxes. The maquila, customs-free area, international fairs, conditioned refund, replacement with exemption, temporal importing (or penetration or admission) for re-exporting purposes, etc.  We will talk latter about the last regime.

Particular regime: Is the internacional post traffic, fast mail, free trade area, and border traffic.

When an importing regime is declared from the beginning, it could not be changed to a special or particular regime, however, it could be changed, previous authorization, from special regime to particular regime or to other different one.

1.2         Who imports

The public or private sector, in the three regimes.

In this document we will talk about the private sector import regime.

1.2.1       Casual Importer

Any natural person could perform an import for consumption, just presenting a copy of his/her identity card along with the customs notice of the good he/she is importing.

1.2.2        Frequent Importer

1.2.2.1     Requirements for the frequent importer

·     To be enrolled as member of the corresponding production chamber (agriculture, construction, trade, industry, small industry).

·     Get the Taxpayer Register Form (RUC - the I.D. of the importer).

·     Obtain the signatures' record in the correspondent bank (the private bank which has signed an agreement with the BCE in order to make the import proceedings).

·     To have civil rigths.

Now a complete import process is to be analized from end to end.

1. The importer buys the merchadise in a foreign country.

2. The merchandise has an specific price when it leaves the factory.

3. This merchandise has to be internally transported and unloaded at the foreign country's customs.

4. Then the merchandise is affreighted to Ecuador.

5. Then the merchandise is nationalized when it arrives to the Ecuadorian customs.

1.2.3        Terms

In order to be clear with negotiations, all involved individuals agreed to use specific and uniform terms, developed through the International Trade Chamber (CCI), which established the “International Trade Terms” (INCOTERMS).  At present there are two versions; the 1980's -the most used- and the 1990's.

1.2.3.1     1980's INCOTERMS

This terminology must be used irrespectively the transportation mean to be used (aerial, maritime, terrestrial), which will be specified in the order and commercial invoice forms .

 

1.2.3.2     1990's INCOTERMS

Following the terms by letter, and per transportation mean to be used:

VA: air way

 VM: sea route

 VT: by land

 

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