. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/VAL/W/63/Rev.3
14 May 2003
(03-2562)
Committee on Customs Valuation
PRESHIPMENT INSPECTION
Note from the Secretariat1
Revision
At its meeting of 12 and 25 November and 17 December 1999, the Committee on Customs
Valuation agreed that the Secretariat would prepare,  in advance of regular meetings of the Committee,
a document indicating the situation with regard to countries using preshipment inspection (PSI)regimes.  This document is the fourth of this se ries.  It presents the information that is compiled
exceptionally for the WTO by the International Federation of Inspection Agencies (IFIA)
Pre-Shipment Inspection Committee in response to a request by the WTO.   The table below presents
the information as at 24 April 2003.
_______________
COUNTRY TYPE MANDATED IFIA PSI
MEMBERSSPLIT
Angola Customs BIVAC -
Bangladesh Customs BIVAC, BSI-,
Inspectorate, IntertekGeographical
Benin Customs BIVAC -
Bolivia2Customs BSI-Inspectorate, SGS Importers Choice
Burkina Faso Customs SGS -
Burundi Forex/Customs SGS, Baltic Control Importers Choice
Cambodia Customs SGS -
Cameroon Customs SGS -
Central African Rep. Customs SGS -
Comoros Customs Cotecna -
Congo Customs BIVAC -
Côte d'Ivoire Customs BIVAC, Cotecna Customs Regime3
Dem. Rep. of Congo Forex/Customs SGS -
Ecuador Customs BIVAC, Cotecna, Intertek,
SGSImporters Choice
Ethiopia Forex/Customs SGS -
Ghana4Customs BIVAC, Cotecna & others5Air & land-
freight/sea-freight
Guinea Customs SGS -
                                                     
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and without prejudice to
the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO
2 Only covers certain products as per listing published by the Government.
3 "Customs regime" means verification by BIVAC for goods entered into direct consumption;  Cotecna
for goods entered for customs suspense regimes
 4 PSI consists of valuation and classification by BIVAC and Cotecna.  Physical inspection is carried
out on arrival in Ghana by GSBV (for air and landfreight) or GSL (for seafreight) which are local joint ventureswith BIVAC and COTECNA respectively.
5 "Others" means non Members of the IFIA PSI Committee also operating for Ghana, India, Indonesia
and Iran.G/VAL/W/63/Rev.3
Page 2
COUNTRY TYPE MANDATED IFIA PSI
MEMBERSSPLIT
India6Quality/Quantity BIVAC, BSI-Inspectorate,
SGS & othersImporters Choice
Indonesia7Quality/Quantity/
ClassificationOpen to any surveyor
licensed to operate in
country of supplyImporters/exporters
choice
Indonesia8Quality/Quantity/
ClassificationSGS
Iran Quality/Quantity BIVAC, BSI-Inspectorate,
Cotecna, Intertek, OMIC,
OMIC, SGS, & othersImporters Choice
Iran9Customs BIVAC, BSI-Inspectorate,
Intertek, OMIC, SGS-
Kenya Customs Cotecna, Intertek Geographical
Liberia Customs BIVAC -
Madagascar Customs SGS -
Malawi Forex/Customs SGS -
Mauritania Customs SGS -
Mali Forex/Customs SGS
Mexico10Customs BIVAC, Intertek, SGS Importers Choice
Mozambique Forex/Customs Intertek -
Niger Customs Cotecna -
Nigeria Forex/Customs Cotecna, Intertek, SGS Geographical
Peru Customs BIVAC, Cotecna, SGS Importers Choice
Rwanda Customs Intertek -
Senegal Customs Cotecna
Sierra Leone Customs BIVAC -
Tanzania Customs Cotecna -
Togo Customs Cotecna -
Uzbekistan Forex/Customs Control Union Intl,
Intertek, OMIC, SGSImporters/exporters
choice
Zanzibar11Forex SGS -
__________
                                                     
6 Only covers secondary steel.
7 Only covers waste and used equipment.
8 Only covers steel.
9Voluntary programme at importers' discretion (for trade facilitation): may be undertaken
simultaneously with the quality/quantity programme.
10 Only goods of certain categories and origins published in Article 10 of the "Agreement on Automatic
Imported Advice" are subject to PSI if their unit value is inferior to estimated prices published by theGovernment.
11 Only applies to certain imports at the discretion of the Government.