Service
Port of Toamasina · DGD / ASYCUDA World
Madagascar customs clearance, handled end-to-end at Toamasina.
Toamasina handles roughly 90% of Madagascar's seaborne trade. Customs clearance — ASYCUDA World filing, DGD liaison, duty assessment, risk-channel management — is where most shipments lose time. We file declarations the system clears on first read, manage the channel that lands, and move your cargo onto the inland corridor without avoidable dwell.
Clearance process
Five stages, no surprises.
01
Pre-shipment review
HS classification verification, licence applicability per regulated category, sanitary/phytosanitary requirements, and preference-regime eligibility. Done before the shipment leaves origin to avoid clearance surprises.
02
Document preparation & ASYCUDA filing
Commercial invoice and packing-list reconciliation, certificate of origin verification, declaration drafting in ASYCUDA World, and submission through the GasyNet portal. Errors caught at this stage cost hours, not days.
03
Risk channel and DGD liaison
ASYCUDA assigns a risk channel — green (release on documents), yellow (documentary inspection), or red (physical inspection). We manage DGD liaison through whichever channel the system selects, with a focus on minimising avoidable yellow/red escalations on subsequent shipments.
04
Duty assessment & payment
Customs duty and 20% VAT calculation on duty-inclusive value, excise where applicable, processing fees, and any preferential-rate claims. Payment via the regulated channel against the assessed declaration.
05
Release, delivery order, and inland forwarding
Cargo release from the MICTSL terminal, delivery order to the inland carrier, and handover to RN2 corridor transport or in-port consolidation as the shipment plan requires.
Customs regimes we handle
Pick the right regime, save the wrong duty.
Standard import (Mise à la consommation)
Final clearance into Madagascar. Duty and VAT paid, goods released for domestic use. The default regime for most commercial imports.
Temporary admission (Admission Temporaire)
Goods imported for processing, exhibition, or specific time-limited use. Duty suspended subject to re-export within the regulated period. Underpins much of the EPZ inputs flow.
Bonded transit (Transit)
Goods cleared at Toamasina but moved under customs surveillance to an inland declaration point or onward export. Used for landlocked or intermediate-stage operations.
Bonded warehousing (Entrepôt sous douane)
Storage under customs control without duty payment until withdrawal. Useful for high-duty goods staged for staggered domestic release.
EPZ regime (Zone Franche)
Goods imported by EPZ-licensed manufacturers for export production. Duty- and VAT-exempt on inputs, conditional on the finished goods being exported.
Document set
What we expect to see before the vessel arrives.
Document hygiene before discharge is the difference between a green-channel release and a three-day yellow-channel queue. Get this right pre-shipment.
Commercial invoice
Must reconcile with packing list and bill of lading. Currency and Incoterm clarity matters.
Packing list
Item-level detail. Discrepancies trigger inspection.
Bill of lading or air waybill
Origin, consignee, and HS-aligned cargo description.
Certificate of origin
Required for preferential-rate claims (COMESA, SADC, bilateral schemes). Form A or equivalent.
Import licence / sectoral authorisation
Pharma (Ministry of Health), food (ACSQDA), telecoms (ARTEC), and a short list of other regulated categories.
Insurance certificate
Required for CIF-value verification on the customs declaration.
Sanitary / phytosanitary certificate
Foodstuffs, plant material, animal products. Issued by the origin authority and verified at destination.
Operator FAQ
Madagascar customs clearance — questions we get.
- What customs system is used at Toamasina?
- Madagascar customs operates ASYCUDA World as its electronic clearance system. Declarations are filed via GasyNet, the private operator running the trade-facilitation infrastructure on behalf of the Direction Générale des Douanes (DGD). All container declarations into Toamasina are processed through this system.
- How long does customs clearance typically take at Toamasina?
- For complete, accurate, low-risk declarations, clearance is achievable within 24–72 hours of vessel discharge. Documentary or physical inspection extends this — risk-channel selection (green, yellow, red) is determined by ASYCUDA. Real-world dwell is often longer due to inland transport scheduling rather than customs procedure itself.
- What documents do I need to import into Madagascar through Toamasina?
- Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin (where preferential treatment is claimed), import licence or sectoral authorisation (for regulated goods — pharma, foodstuffs, telecoms, weapons-adjacent), insurance certificate, and the import declaration filed in ASYCUDA. Some HS lines require additional sanitary or phytosanitary documentation.
- Do I need a Madagascar import licence?
- Most goods do not require an import licence — Madagascar operates a liberal trade regime. Specific categories are regulated: pharmaceuticals require Ministry of Health authorisation; food products require ACSQDA (food safety authority) approval; telecoms equipment requires ARTEC homologation; firearms and dual-use goods require additional clearances. Ekutano confirms licence applicability per HS line as part of pre-shipment review.
- What is the DGD?
- The Direction Générale des Douanes is Madagascar's customs administration, under the Ministry of Finance. The DGD operates the ASYCUDA World system through GasyNet, issues clearance, levies duties and VAT, and manages bonded warehousing, transit, and temporary admission (TOR) regimes.
- Can I use Madagascar temporary admission (TOR) for goods that will be re-exported?
- Yes. The Régime du Transit and the Admission Temporaire allow goods imported into Madagascar for processing or transit to be cleared without final duty payment, provided they leave the country within the regulated period and the procedural conditions are met. This is the procedure underpinning much of the EPZ (Export Processing Zone) cargo flow.
- What are Madagascar import duty and VAT rates?
- Customs duty rates vary by HS code, typically 0–20%. Standard VAT is 20% on the duty-inclusive value. Excise duties apply to specific products (alcohol, tobacco, certain petroleum products). Preferential rates apply under bilateral and regional trade arrangements — COMESA, SADC, and the China LDC zero-tariff scheme on outbound, among others.
Clearance handled, dwell time minimised, inland corridor wired in.
Send your HS profile and indicative volume — we'll come back with a duty estimate, document checklist, and an honest view on the clearance timeline you should expect.