International convention and customs procedures of Togo

International Conventions

Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

International Economic Cooperation

Togo is a member of ECOWAS - Economic Community of West African States, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and WTO.

Non Tariff Barriers

OECD’s Trade Facilitation Indicators show that Togo exceeds or is closest to the average performance of Sub Saharan countries in areas such as documents, procedures, fees and charges, governance and impartiality; with a general improvement between 2015 and 2017. According to the 2018 World Bank's Logistics Performance Index - which measures countries’ trade logistics efficiency - Togo was ranked 118th out of 160 countries.

Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports

Togo is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has a common external tariff scheme with 5 tariff rates, as follows:
0% - essential social commodities;
5% - essential commodities, raw materials, capital goods
10% - intermediate products
20% - consumer goods
35% - specific goods for economic development
According to data by the World Bank, the applied average tariff in Togo was 13.31% (2017, latest data available).

Customs Classification

Togo is a member of the World Customs Organisation and does comply with the harmonised customs system.

Import Procedures

Typical documents required to import goods in Togo include:

• Pro Forma Invoice
• Importation Intention Slip (DPI)
• Freight Invoice
• Statistics Records Slips
• License
• Certificate of Movement or Free Practice
• Bills of Lading (B/L)
• Inspection Certificates from Bureau Veritas — BIVAC (all goods are subject to BIVAC inspection before embarking)
• Authorization of Temporary Admission
• Certificate of Origin
• Exit Justification
• Certificate of Quality or Packaging Control
• Sanitary or Phytosanitary Certificate, if required
• Requisite licenses, if needed

For further information, consult the website of the Guichet Unique.

Importing Samples

Togo is not part of the Carnet ATA convention.
Products allowed for temporary admission are not subject to custom duties. After their use, they must be re-exported or destroyed, with the process being certified by a custom agent.

To go further, check out our service Import controls and Export Controls.

For Further Information

Togolese Revenue Office - Customs
Guichet Unique for International Trade
Business Portal for Africa