I. Import Policy, Regulations and Procedure A. General: Traders' Manual For Least Developed Countries: BHUTAN
I. Import Policy, Regulations and Procedure A. General: Traders' Manual For Least Developed Countries: BHUTAN
I. Import Policy, Regulations and Procedure A. General: Traders' Manual For Least Developed Countries: BHUTAN
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Part Two
SELLING TO BHUTAN
A. General
The Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance are the authorities
which formulate import policy and implement import control measures. Bhutan, with its
population of less than 700,000 inhabitants, has a small internal market and until recently had
relatively limited foreign trade except for its close trading relationship with India. Bhutan
economy is highly dependent on imports especially for infrastructure equipments such as
machinery, computers and parts, passenger motorcars, diesel, and trucks.
Imports from countries other than India, to be referred to as imports from third
countries, are regulated by the Department of Trade of the Ministry of Trade and Industry
since 1999.
B. Import approval
No approval is required to import from India, but an import permit must be sought in
order to import from India excisable goods namely alcoholic beverages including beer, spirits
used in distilleries, and narcotics and psychotropic substance for hospital use.
Although there are no official import approvals to be sought for import of goods from
third countries, the importer can only import goods in respect of which it has registered as an
import house.
The sale of foreign exchange for payment of import of goods into Bhutan is only
authorized to holder of import licences in accordance with Clause 11 of the Foreign
Exchange Regulations of Bhutan, 1997.
In addition, there is a list of prohibited goods and a list of restricted goods that require
special permission for imports (see tables 1 and 2).
1. Licensing
Imports from countries other than India require Import License issued by the
Department of Trade under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
In order to apply for an Import License, the importer (not an individual, except for
cases regulated by the Customs Rules and Regulations) needs to comply with the following
criteria:
2. Quotas
There is no quota restriction on imports from India or third countries into Bhutan.
However, the imports from India of liquefied petroleum gas, kerosene and certain kinds of
fertilisers are restricted by a bilateral understanding between Bhutan and India.
3. Import prohibitions
The prohibition to import the following items called negative goods is valid for all
countries independently from their origin.
Source: Sales Tax, Customs and Excise Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan 2000, Ministry of Finance.
4. Restricted goods
The imports of the following goods are restricted and required a special permission
(in original) issued by the concerned agencies for such imports as listed in the table 2.
Source: Sales Tax, Customs and Excise Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan 2000, Ministry of Finance.
D. Import requirements
Goods are imported from India or third countries on the condition that they will be
used or sold within the territory of Bhutan.
The imports of foods items are subject to special requirements in conformity with the
Food Act to be approved by the Parliament.
The imports of animals, plants and their products are subject to sanitary and
phytosanitary measures according to the Plant Quarantine Act 1993. The plant and animal
quarantine checkpoints are located at the main entry points of the country namely
Phuntsholing, Samdrup, Jongkhar, Gelepu and Paro airport. The import of plants has also to
comply with the Forest and Conservation Act 1995.
In the case of raw materials imported and to be processed in Bhutan, the final
products must have a value addition of a minimum of 40 per cent, which would be reviewed
in accordance with the SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA).
The Bhutan Package Commodities Rules and Regulations 1995, issued by the
Ministry of Trade and Industry, regulate the sales, storage and distribution of package
commodities in Bhutan. It also applies to goods produced in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
Each package commodity shall bear a label secured affixed and indicating:
• Name and address of the manufacturer, or that of the packer;
• Generic name of the product;
• Net quantity contained in the package (weight, measure or number); and
• Maximum retail price.
F. Inspections
The first free trade and commerce agreement between Bhutan and India was signed in
January 1972. This Agreement and its protocol were last renewed on 2 March 1995 and
would remain valid for the next 10 years. It provides trade without the applications of duties
between the two countries.
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In 1980, Bhutan signed an agreement on trade with Bangladesh. In May 2003, it was
replaced by a five-year tariff concession agreement between the two countries. It provides
concessions on duties for a range of product lines.
Bhutan is also discussing trade agreement with Nepal and Thailand with whom
Bhutan has direct air links.
A. General
Bhutan joined the World Customs Organization in 2002 and is in the process of
implementing the 2002 Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS).
Bhutanese import tariffs are regulated by the Department of Revenue and Customs under the
Ministry of Finance.
B. Classification
C. Customs duties
Bhutan Customs Rules and Regulations and the Customs Tariff Schedule were firstly
introduced in 1996, and revised in 2001. The Regional Revenue and Customs Office under
the Ministry of Finance is in charge of customs duty collection.
Goods imported from India are not subject to customs tariff rates. Goods imported
from third countries are subject to customs tariff rates ranging from 0 to 30 per cent. The
majority of items are subject to a duty of 10, 20 or 30 per cent rate. Beer and non-alcoholic
beverages are levied at 50 per cent, while tobacco and alcoholic beverages have a 100 per
cent rate.
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Imported goods are subject to Bhutan sales tax, which ranges from 0 to 15 per cent,
except for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products that have a 50 per cent rate. Bhutan
sales tax is collected either at the time of import or the time of sale. When collected at the
point of entry, valuation of goods is based on the f.o.b. price. When collected at the point of
sale, valuation is based on the sales price.
There are also an agency commission of 1 per cent on c.i.f. value on goods cleared by
the department and a service charge of 0.25 per cent on c.i.f. value of goods cleared by the
customs clearing agents.
Beer importers are also liable for an excise permit fee at Nu 150 per permit.
• The imports of industrial raw materials, plant, machinery and their spare parts are
exempted from customs duty and Bhutan sales tax if the final products have at
least 40 per cent value addition, and convertible currency earned during a year by
the company or business from exports of goods covers at least the cost of
imported raw materials and components;
• Import of any goods as gift through a foreign post parcel up to an assessed value
of US$ 100 shall be exempted from the Customs duty and taxes and no import
license/permit shall be necessary provided that:
- A person resident in Bhutan does not receive such gifts more than twice a
year;
- Such a gift does not consist of alcohol, alcohol beverages or any prohibited or
restricted goods;
- Such a gift is sent to a private person by or on behalf of another private person
resident abroad; and
- Such a gift consists only of goods for personal use and nature and quantity of
the goods imported are such that it is not of commercial nature.
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A. General
The Royal Monetary Authority is the central bank overseeing Bhutan monetary
policies and foreign exchange conditions. The Foreign Exchange Regulations of Bhutan
were introduced in 1997. They apply only to transactions covering the utilization of specific
foreign exchange allowances and to schemes available to nationals of the country. The
foreign exchange regime has a strict control on payment in hard currency.
B. Currency convertibility
D. Banking
There are only two commercial banks in Bhutan with branches around the country:
the Bank of Bhutan and the Bhutan National Bank. In general, there are exchange counters
at the airport, hotels and the two main cities of Thimphu and Phuentsholing.
Bhutan also has other financial institutions to assist and promote the development of
the domestic industries. The Bhutan Development Finance Corporation provides services to
small and medium-sized industrial and agricultural producers. The Royal Insurance
Corporation of Bhutan focuses on both life and general insurance and manages the
government Employees Provident Fund.
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IV. DOCUMENTS
B. Special requirements
Imports of plants, animals and their products have to comply with the phytosanitary
measures according to the Plant Quarantine Act, 1993.
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A. Market regulations
Since 1992, the role of wholesale and retail services has become more significant
when the royal government started to open up the market. Both wholesale and retail dealers
need to apply for licences to operate. A business operator can be licensed as both wholesale
and retail dealer. However these two services have to be operated in different outlets.
B. Product standards
For goods imported from countries other than India, standardization requirements
depend on the agreement between the Bhutanese importers and the foreign sellers on case-
by-case basis.
Bhutan is a landlocked country, thus most of its imports are transited through Indian
ports via Kolkata, then transported on land to Bhutan. Indian customs at Kolkata are
authorized to clear goods imported to Bhutan. The other trading route is through Bhutan’s
only international airport of Paro.
Imports and exports of goods between India and Bhutan have to go through one of the
five designated customs points: Phuentsholing, Samtse, Thimpu (Paro airport), Gelephu, or
Samdrup Jongkha.
Imports and exports of goods from third country have to transit via India. The
authorized entry and exit points between India and Bhutan are the following:
Ministry of Trade and Industry of Bhutan and the Asian Development Bank are
considering the possibility to develop an industrial estate in Pasakha and a dry port in
Phuentsholing.
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A. Government procurement
Under the provisions of the Financial Manual 2001 of the Ministry of Finance, open
bidding procedure is generally used as method of government procurement.
Depending on the value of the contract, limited tender may be used for value between
US$ 2,000 and US$ 10,000 and open bidding for value over US$ 10,000. Limited tender is
also used in case of limited available time to follow the procedures for the open bidding
procedure. In case certain capacities are not available in Bhutan, then international
procurement may be necessary.
Invitations for bids are published in the mass media and posted on the Ministry of
Finance website. There is a minimum time limit for submission of bids which is 30 days for
open bidding and 15 days for limited bidding.
Contact:
Procurement, Ministry of Finance
Jurminla Secretariat
Thimphu, Bhutan
Tel: (975 2) 322223, 322514, 322271 Ext.104
Fax: (975 2) 323154
E-mail: julmin@mof.gov.bt
URL: www.mof.gov.bt
With the opening of the country, efforts have taken place to privatize the trading
activities, with the exception of three state trading organizations, which hold exclusive rights
to only selected products of all the goods that they trade.
(a) The State Trading Corporation of Bhutan (STCB) does not have any more the
monopoly for government procurement as now it goes through bidding process. The
Ministry of Finances still has 51 per cent of the shares after the privatization that took place
in 1997. STCB remains the exclusive organization to import and export sensitive items such
as explosives which requires a special permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs. For the
other items, STCB has to compete with the others although it remains the main importer of
steel, bitumen, vehicles and spare parts, vitamins, computer and office equipment.
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(b) The Druk Seed Corporation (DSC) has the exclusive right for the procurement
and import of fertilizers and butachlor (herbicide). It imports seeds and seedling that are not
produced in Bhutan. It also supplies plants and planting materials.
(c) The Forestry Development Corporation Ltd. (FDC) is 100 per cent government
owned and holds the exclusive right to log, extract, process and trade of timber and timber
products in both domestic and international market. It carries out reforestation programmes
as well as research and development work.
Bhutan principal trade partner remains India, although there is a tendency to diversify
the origin of the imports as listed in table 3.
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Ministry of Finance. 2000. Rules on the Sales Tax, Customs and Excise Act of the Kingdom
of Bhutan. http://www.mof.gov.bt/drc/sales_tax.html
Ministry of Trade and Industry. 2000. Rules and Procedures for Imports from Third
Countries..
Ministry of Trade and Industry. 1995. Rules and Regulations for Establishment and
Operation of Industrial and Commercial Ventures in Bhutan.
SAARC Secretariat. Agreement on SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA),
Annex III.
Wangyal T. 2003. Reconciling Rhetoric and Reality: An Assessment of the Impact of WTO
on Bhutan. (WTO accession document).
Asia Business Daily. http://www.asiabusinessdaily.com
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