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COMESA

Common Market for Southern and

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COMESA (as deFned by its Treaty) was established "as an organisation of

free independent sovereign states which have agreed to co-operate in
developing their natural and human resources for the good of all their
people". The COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA) was launched on 31 October
2000 with nine Member States. This was the Frst FTA in Africa under the
African Union. The FTA consists of 13 Member States trading on a full duty
free and quota free basis, with the remaining countries at various stages
of joining the FTA.

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Member States
COMESA FTA Member States : Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt,
Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, North Sudan, Rwanda,
Seychelles, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
COMESA NON FTA Member States :Democratic Republic of Congo,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Swaziland

The COMESA Treaty

The COMESA Treaty
Manual on Rules of Origin
Change in Tari Heading Rules

Exporting to COMESA Countries

Duty Free Access to COMESA Member States : To beneFt from duty free
access in the COMESA region, an exporter must consign his products to
countries belonging to the FTA. FTA countries, also known as Group 1
Member States trade on a duty free, quota free basis.
Rules of Origin: The exporter must also ensure that his products satisfy the
Rules of Origin. Complete information on the Rules of Origin is available in
the COMESA Procedures Manual on the Implementation of the Protocol
on the Rules of Origin.
Products shall be considered and accepted as having COMESA
preferential origin if they have undergone the following:
The goods have been wholly produced or obtained in the COMESA
Member State; or
The goods have been produced in the COMESA Member State and the
CIF value of any imported raw materials used in their production
should not exceed 60% of the total cost of all materials used in their
production; or
The value added resulting from the process of producing the goods
from imported materials should account for at least 35% of the exfactory cost of the goods; or
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The goods should be produced in a Member State and be classiFed or

become classiFed, after the process of production, under a tari
heading other than the tari heading under which they were
imported (CTH rule). For the list of products for which the CTH rule has
been agreed, clickhere.
Obtaining a COMESA CertiFcate of Origin : The COMESA CertiFcate of
Origin is issued and approved by:
Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection
Trade Division
4th Floor, Anglo-Mauritius Building
Intendance Street
Port-Louis
Tel: (230) 405 1399
Fax: (230) 208 7325
Email: td@mail.govmu.org
Website: industry.govmu.org
The documents required for approval are as follows:
1. Duly Flled COMESA CertiFcate of Origin
2. Customs Declaration (Import and Export)
3. Export Invoice
4. Appropriate CertiFed Costing for value added requirements
5. Export Permit (if applicable)
6. Any other documents that may be required

Importing from COMESA Countries

All imports entering Mauritius from a COMESA Group I Member State with
a valid CertiFcate of Origin are completely exempt from customs duties.
A 90% tari reduction is applicable to imports from non-FTA COMESA
countries (also known as Group II Member States) with a valid CertiFcate
of Origin.

The COMESA Regional and Electronic Payment and Settlement

System (REPSS)

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Member countries can transfer funds more easily within COMESA with
REPSS. Importers can pay for goods and services in their local currencies,
whilst exporters will be able to invoice their products in their local
currency. REPSS is built on open standards and is also accessible to nonmember states.
As at January 2015, REPSS counted 6 live participants, namely, Malawi,
Swaziland, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Mauritius.
Local banks can access the payment system through their Central Banks.
For more information on COMESA REPSS, click here.

Reporting Non-Tari Barriers (NTBs)

NTBs refer to restrictions that result from prohibitions, conditions, or
speciFc market requirements that make importation or exportation of
products dicult and/or costly.
Operators can directly report any barriers to trade encountered in the
COMESA region through theNon-Tari Trade Barriers Website. The
system also allows for monitoring of the resolution of the complaint Fled.
More information can be obtained on the Non-Tari Trade Barriers
Website or the MCCI which is the national private sector focal point for
assisting the business community in the reporting process.

Useful Links
COMESA Website
COMESA Statistics

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