KNOW THE CHARGES THAT AWAIT YOU AT THE DOUALA SEA PORT. THESE CHARGES TO MANY ARE EXHORBITANT, TOO MANY, TIME CONSUMING, IT IS BETTER WE KNOW, TO AVOID SUPRISES (ALL RECEIPTS HAVE DUPLICATES).
Description of bills Amounts
1 / Tax payers card (carte de contribuable) at Taxation Department / 1500 - 15 0002 / SCIFE N° (at Customs computer Centre renewal every 2 years) / 20 000
3 / CHARGES SHIPPING AGENTS
Paid to Stevedoring companies and DIT (Owned by multinationals)
A) Handling charges ("Manutention, Acconage, Relevage”) depend on the weight, nature of goods and the Stevedoring Company
20 feet container / 110000 – 180 000
40 feet container / 239000 – 290 000
Harzadous/dangerous materials are charged higher
B) Inspection fees (Paid to Stevedoring Companies)
20 feet container / 105 000
40 feet container / 179 000
C) Bill of lading charges (paid to Stevedoring Companies) / 39 000
D) Caution (refundable) (paid to Stevedoring Companies)
20 feet container / 50000 – 10 000
40 feet container / 100000 – 100 000
E) Container delivery charges (paid to Stevedoring Companies) Transportation from sea part to place of delivery
(varies from Company to Company)
i) 20 feet simple truck and hammelift
Zone I (up to Rond point Deïdo) / 75000 – 130 000
Zone II (Rond point to Akwa Nord) – Bonabéri NANGA Company / 110000 – 150 000
Zone III Bonabéri after NANGA Company 2’’ feet Bonamoussadi, after Air-Port /
150000 – 215000
ii) 40 feet simple truck
Zone I (up to Rond point Deïdo ) / 120000 – 200000
Zone II (Rond point to Akwa Nord)
Omnisport, Airport Zone I (up to Rond point) / 140000 – 235 000
Zone III Bonabéri after NANGA Company 2’’ feet / 214000 – 275000
F) Double relevage (after scanner)
a) 20 feet container / 214000
b) 40 feet container / 256 000
If container is going out of town or you want to use a private truck you need a
Certified Cheque of 2 millions FCFA. Some Stevedoring Companies request 500000 FCFA in place of certified cheque. There are private Companies and Individuals who rent out Certified Cheques.
G) Debts collected on behalf of forwarding agents abroad
- Freight collect
- Debts incurred at Port of Loading and on Transit
H) Charges On Errors, Omission, Modifications (Paid To some Stevedoring Companies)
a) Manifest Amendment fee (eventual customs fee) / 20 000b) Possibility of Customs penalties / Customs discretion
c) Attestation of freight / 5 000
d) Insuance of additional bill of Ladings / 30 000
e) Correction charges / 20 000
f) Manifest correction / 20 000
I) Demurrage (detention of container) paid to Stevedoring Company representing Forwarding Agent from Port of Loading = after 11 days
20 feet container 6000 daily first 10 days and 11000 daily after 20 days
40 feet container 11000 daily 11 days and 23000 daily after 20 days
4 / SGS CIVIO per vehicle (SGS) / 25 0005 / Typing SGS CIVIO per vehicle (Transit Company) / 2 000
6 / Control sheet (fiche guichet Unique) per vehicle (GUCE) / 10 000
7 / Import Licence Per vehicle (Delegation of Commerce) / 7000 - 10 000
8 / CNCC charges (BESC) per vehicle form Europe (When paid here in Douala) / 76 000
From America per vehicle (When paid here in Douala) / 132 000
CNCC charges (BESC) per vehicle form Europe before shipping the container (payable abroad see web site below) You will not pay the 76000 above / 50 euros
CNCC charges (BESC) per vehicle form America before shipping the container. You will not pay the 132000 above / 50 Dollars
(you car pay before loading go to www.phoenixeurope.fr) in America E-mail
9) VALIDATION OF FILE paid to transit companies (See attached Ministerial text – depends on value of goods and risk involved
10) DOUALA PORTS AUTHORITY CHARGES (PAD) (land lord charges) Depends on contents, weight of container, nature of goods, number of tarif positions. Generally it’s 9500 per ton plus 3000 for every additional tariff position plus TVA.
11) Attestation de dedouanement + stamps 1200 F
12) CUSTOMS CHARGES
A) Application for joint inspection TEL (Travail Extra Legal) 5000 per vehicle
B) Customs Inspection fees.
i) Douala Ports V (customs Inspector and préposé)
ii) Prise en charge (customs Inspector and préposé)
iii) Cellule de contrôle différé (customs Inspector and préposé)
NB : The Customs Service carries out the inspection without receiving any pay.
Importers and customs brokers who have things to hide and who don’t want effective inspection propose bribes. It you have things to hide or you don’t want thorough inspection you propose bribes (this is done off the microphone and off camera).
13) EVALUATION OF CONTENTS. This is done after the inspection and the value of goods (outside the car) is given by the Chief of Bureau Douala Ports V.
14) Charges paid to other administrative services
Fumigation certificate / 12 500Disinfection certificate / 12 500
Certificate on pharmaceuticals / 12 500
Certificate of quality / 12500
14. TAXATION CHARGES
- Windscreen Licence (Vignette) (15000 – 100000)
- Carte Grise (title) Registration (3000 per horse power)
- Change of ownership (stamp duty)
15- LATE CHARGES Douala Port Authority + DIT 15 days free
16- Dockers + Jobbers during Inspection – (Pay Negotiable)
17- CUSTOMS BROKERS FEES (negotiable) there is a rate for job done and a bonus for any discounts, reductions and interventions.
18- OUTING VISAS : This concern police, gendarme various customs posts, etc…
Always distinguish between what enters the public treasury as a result of customs assessment and the numerous charges paid to the multinational companies that are omnipresent at the Douala Sea Port.
Many people who come to the Douala Sea Port Especially those from America find it very difficult to understand what really goes on. Many things have been said about the Douala Seaport. I hope this will go a long way to enlighten our brothers who occasionally have to pass at Douala. The first thing you should know is that the customs service at the Douala Sea Port is not like a frontier customs Posts. At EKOK, KYO ESSI the customs Administration is Supreme at the border. They own structures and do revenue assessment and collection but at the Douala Sea Port they are just partners in the clearance claim. They need badges and permits to go, for example, for inspection at the DIT Inspection zone. The Sea Port is on lease 95% to foreign multinationals. Through their Syndicates they have succeeded in making the government approve varied and huge bills to be paid by the importer. Charges paid to Stevedoring company vary from one to another. The management of the Douala Sea Port leased to foreign concerns through pressure from the world Bank and IMF has practically tripled the old bills, created many others and has made the operations to be very lengthy and time consuming. The customs Administration is not consulted and quite often suffer humiliations.
The fact is that the customs service is not responsible for the numerous charges and these don’t go in to the Public treasury. When an Inspector of customs calls for Inspection you go to a stevedoring company and pay for Inspection. The Public treasury benefits nothing.
The Customs service is concerned with revenue assessment while the various other go departments do various controls.
To make matters worse the SGS has a higher hand in evaluating vehicles. This is also another world Bank/IMF prescription. It takes 48 hours to evaluate a vehicle at the SGS and the customs service is blamed for what they don’t do. While waiting for when the Customs Service and the SGS will simplify and codify FOB values, we have to do with what obtains now. In the face of all this, the clearing Agent Should help the importer by :
- providing all available information on a file after careful study, research and reflections
- Meeting competent services to come out with simulations
- Advising client with respect to current practice and various options
- Constantly communication minute by minute with client
- Associating client in all negotiations if the services doesn’t oppose
Always do the following things not to get into problems at the Douala Sea Port
Always call a Clearing Agent in Cameroon before you load, (how you load matters e.g cars facing outside because the bonnet has to be opened and filmed by the SGS)
Try to get the Clearing Agent to give you a rough estimate of the total of the cost of your container (give exact details of cars, contents etc.. From the weight of the container the customs officers have a clue.
Try to have an idea of all the other charges to see if it will be profitable to go ahead.
Ask the Clearing Agent which are some of the charges he can have a discount or a reduction.
Most importantly, ask your Agent after haven received the estimate what he can do to get over some of the charges.
Know that the customs officers are there for revenues assessment of which the SGS has even high jacked this role. You bring junk you pay.
Customs officers are not Clearing Agents and many of them may not know about the other charges.
Importers should know that Customs officers don’t sit in their officers waiting to collect bribe. This is very important. When your goods are assessed and the importer/clearing Agent don’t want to pay or don’t have the means they may end up proposing a bribe. The bottom line is you want to pay all your goods as assessed no customs officer takes a bribe from you. It is better that you strike off the element of bribe to avoid other involvements and headache along the line
Most clearing agents resort to dirty tricks only when they or not sure to be paid the end of their work. Most Importers forget that being a clearing agent is a profession and some use them up and down. Come we go chop and drink” and in the end that is his or her pay). If you want your things to go well after the draft estimate, ask how much you are to pay for his services. It is negotiable. What you pay a clearing Agent is at two levels.
1) For flat work done
2) Bonus for reductions on discount obtained (A broker ends a bonus percentage of what is reduced).
Pay your agents promptly immediately container comes out, and not when you sell your goods. Consider cleaning Agents pays as an integral bill you pay before container comes out.
Don’t try cleaning Agents with photocopies of your files and then escape. Negotiate face to face and when it fails tell them. Don’t use them to carry out your studies. You can come to on Agent straight fully for consultation without him following your file. When you negotiate and give bribe don’t expect receipts.
I am your disposal for free consultations.
These are the facts and empirical information I gathered for us living abroad