There are
several prerequisites
that must be considered
in order to trade. These
requirements apply to
both local and foreign
entities engaged in
import-export activities
and will be explained in
the following sections.
Corporate Registration
Foreign traders as well
as local firms are
required to operate
through registered
business entities. The
corporate registration
can be acquired from the
Company Registrar at the
Palestinian Ministry of
Economy and Trade, and
it is a prerequisite for
acquiring a Foreign
Trade Dealing
registration.
Foreign Trade Dealing
Registration
The Foreign Trade
Dealing registration is
a one-time authorization
to trade, applicable for
both import and export
across international
borders. The application
is submitted to the
Palestinian Ministry of
Economy and Trade
following application
for the corporate
registration. The
Ministry provides both
the Palestinian and
Israeli authorizations.
The latter is a 'number
password', which will be
registered in the
Israeli computer system.
No fees are charged on
applying for the
registration at the
Ministry of Economy and
Trade and the time cycle
to complete the
procedures ranges
between one and three
weeks.
Registration of the
Local Palestinian
Agent/Distributor in the
Palestinian Territories
Palestinian agents and
distributors
(individuals or
companies) must be
registered at the
Commercial Agents
Registrar - the Ministry
of Economy and Trade.
Moreover, the local
agency agreement has to
be registered in order
to get full protection
of the law against the
sale of goods by
non-registered agents.
Agents trading special
categories of goods
(including cigarettes,
electrical appliances,
pharmaceuticals and
cars) must provide
evidence of meeting
technical requirements
from relevant
Ministries, when
applying for
registration. It is
advisable for foreign
companies willing to
export to the WBGS to
appoint exclusively a
local Palestinian entity
(if one is not yet
operating) in order to
receive the maximum
protection for the
company's products.
When importing goods,
the local
agent/distributor should
ensure that its name and
the juridical status
(agent or distributor)
are printed in Arabic on
the imported goods, in
order to be compliant
with the Palestinian
labeling requirements.
Trade between
Palestinian and Israeli
Agents
Any Israeli commercial
entity that imports
internationally
originated goods and
wants to sell them to a
Palestinian commercial
entity should clearly
state in the Customs
Declaration Form the
quantity of the imported
goods destined for the
WBGS. The same rule
applies to Palestinian
importers willing to
sell internationally
originated goods to
Israel.
