Includes the barriers (tariff and non-tariff) that U.S. companies face when exporting to this country.

As is the case in much of the Congolese business environment, most of the country’s trade barriers result from complex regulations, a multiplicity of overlapping administrative agencies and a frequent lack of capacity and control by officials responsible for regulatory enforcement.  The DRC has numerous agencies with legal authority in trade matters.  Required signatures are often difficult to obtain, and regulations are complex and poorly codified.  Application of regulations varies widely across the country. Corruption is endemic, and it is common for commercial matters to require protracted negotiations with numerous officials.  Many laws are not fully or consistently implemented, particularly at the provincial level.  As a result, many local traders have their own private networks to expedite the movement of goods.

With international assistance, the GDRC continues to work to implement the various technical and legislative reforms to facilitate the movement of goods.  Significant progress has occurred in the customs sector. The GDRC previously installed a Guichet Unique in Kinshasa, at the port of Matadi, at the Kasumbalesa border crossing on the DRC-Zambian border, and in Beni.  In April 2011, the GDRC established a steering committee to set up a “Guichet Unique Integral.” The Guichet Unique Integral streamlines administrative procedures for import, export, transit and transshipment operations, and process data more easily and more quickly than the original Guichet Unique that was launched in 1990. The Guichet Unique Integral is intended to act as a facility enabling parties involved in foreign trade and transportation of goods to file standardized information and documents at a single point of entry in order to fulfill all formalities related to the import, export, transit and transshipment of goods.

It is hoped that the Guichet Unique Integral will reduce fraud, increase the tax base, unify different customs expenses, and improve the DRC’s business climate.  Thus far, it appears that businesses are utilizing the Guichet Unique Integral, but the long-term effects, particularly on fraud and corruption, are as yet unknown.

The Guichet Unique Integral for Foreign Trade is used to select, sort, and filter information provide by users related to the importation, exportation and transit of goods.  Once the information is gathered and compiled, the system sends it to the intended recipients (public and private operators) in a precise order and it is processed, returning a single invoice to the user detailing the taxes owed.
The Guichet Unique Integral has offices in Kisangani, Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Boma, Goma, and Matadi.

In September 2013, the GDRC launched SydoniaWorld software at the DGDA’s Guichet Unique at the N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa.  Today the DGDA has 27 customs offices representing more than 95 percent of the volume of transactions, all of which are equipped with the Sydoniaworld software. SydoniaWorld is interconnected with the Guichet Unique Integral of Foreign Trade that simplifies customs procedures and facilitates international trade.  It allows the mobilization and collection of customs revenue, which reduce fraud and increases state revenue.  In the future, it will be extended to all customs posts of the DRC.
 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.