Frequently Asked Questions

I would like to know the opportunities and conditions for export to a particular country, or invest in them. What should i do?

If you have the first approach to a market, we recommend collect general information on the same asset through a section paíse portal or via the ICEX or the economic and trade office. you can access using this web siteNetwork of economic and commercial Offices to spain.

What barriers are the most frequent?

Tariff barriers (high tariffs, for example) is reduced thanks to the wto Agreements and with the eu. Leave step in many countries non-tariff barriers (for example, health certificates, labelling) and techniques (rules and regulations of the product specification). In trade in services are more frequent barriers regulatory in nature. Also in investment where the legal and financial barriers. The this database? have been classified in the following groups and types

  • Tariff barriers
    • Tariff peaks and tariff increase
    • Differences between applied and bound tariffs
    • Excise duties on imports.
    • Expenditure rates and customs problems
    • Valuation in customs duties and Tariff Reclassifications
    • Tariffs and other costs to electronic commerce
    • Tariff rates Exportacoión
  • Non-tariff barriers
    • Administration of import licences
    • Minimum or maximum prices entry
    • Restrictions on the export of raw materials
    • Prohibitions, restrictions and import licences
    • Labelling requirements
    • Holomogaciones and certifications techniques
    • Inspections and certifications sanitary and phytosanitary measures
    • Promotion and preferences of local purchases
    • State trading enterprises
    • Discrimination in public procurement
    • Inadequate protection of intellectual and industrial property
    • Technical difficulties to electronic commerce.
  • Barriers to trade in services and investment
    • Restrictions on the basis of nationality or training of employees
    • Restrictions on the national treatment or Most-Favoured-Nation Clause
    • Restrictions on the repatriation of funds
    • Limitations on property or business creation
    • Sectoral restrictions to services and investment
    • General barriers, economic, legal and financial
    • Macroeconomic problems or exchange
    • Difficulties with tax and legal system
    • Combination of Licenses, registrations, taxes and tariffs
Human anti-dumping, anti subsidy and safeguard clauses advocate for the countries of unfair commercial practices. Although they have similar effect, are not trade barriers in the same meaning as the tariff and non-tariff barriers. Not included here but in a specific database.Click here to search the database of trade defence measures
Human anti-dumping, anti subsidy and safeguard clauses advocate for the countries of unfair commercial practices. Although they have similar effect, are not trade barriers in the same meaning as the tariff and non-tariff barriers. Not included here but in a specific database.Click here to search the database of trade defence measures
Illegal Are all trade barriers?

Some barriers to trade in violation of international commercial law, which provides mechanisms to eliminate them (for example, the dispute settlement body of the world trade organization).

Other barriers, however, do not constitute breaches of obligations assumed by governments and their disposal is negotiated between the parties concerned (for example, through mutual recognition agreements of sanitary certificates).

What i have to endure tariffs to export specific goods to a given country?

You can consult the tariffs applied in the country you are interested in the database of tariffs of the european commissionMarket Access Database.

What are the technical barriers to trade and how to minimise their impact using accredited services5?

Technical barriers to trade arising from the different skill requirements to products in each country, whether regulatory requirements that seek to protect the safety of consumers and the environment, or voluntary standards that define the quality characteristics which must fulfil the product to meet the buyers. This is forcing the manufacturer to tailor its products to the different requirements and to prove that they are consistent with those regulations. this way, will be subjected to tests, inspections or certificates before being accepted in other countries.

However, on many occasions, the obstacle lies not only in the adaptation of the product to the technical requirements of other market, or the evaluation of compliance with the technical regulations. There is also a lack of confidence of the market itself (the authorities, importers, clients, etc.) in the certificates which accompany the products to support their agreement, and that are emitted by laboratories, inspection and certification, verifiers and in the country of origin of proceeds (the country from which is exported).

This lack of trust can bring about the product has to be evaluated in each of the countries of destination, regardless of who has been in the country of origin, even if this assessment has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the importing country. It occurs, thus, an increase in cost and time lines for the introduction of the product, joined by the difficulty of knowing and access, sometimes complex processes, certification and approval of each country.

To overcome these barriers and to minimize, almost all developed countries have established national agencies, to be one of the accreditation mechanisms recognized by the world trade organization (WTO) and the european union to minimize these obstacles. Its main objective is the assessment and recognition of the technical skills of laboratories, inspection and certification, verifiers and issued the certificates and reports on the products, through an independent organisation and use of internationally recognized criteria.

This brings to the export market -autoridades, importers, consumers, etc. the necessary confidence in the product information.

In spain, this agency is the national Accreditation (ENAC), which helps the export of goods and services that are covered under multilateral agreements of recognition, as it reduces or even remove technical barriers to trade for those products and services that are backed by certificates or reports under the brand ENAC. On this dossier, you can find more information about the international dimension of the accreditation and how it can help the company in their access to foreign markets

Guide of export aid ENAC

The first thing is to ensure that the report includes or certificateENAC markor phrase, indicating the status of accredited entity, which, with a reference to its accreditation.

Certificates and reports with ENAC mark if your certificate includes trademark ENAC, find out if the accreditation body of the country of destination is a signatory of theMultilateral RecognitionIf so, please contact the agency explaining the situation, the report or adjuntándole certificate, and requesting a letter issued or similar in stating that the report or certificate issued under ENAC accreditation is as reliable as those issued under its accreditation.

Here, you can find aexample of the charterthat sends ENAC at times like this. The signatories to the multilateral agreements are obliged to issue such cards. If you do not receive it, or with any question of the process, contact ENAC.

Certificates and reports without brand of ENAC accreditation of ENAC are connected with certain technical activities included in a technical annex to the certificate of accreditation.

Check if the activity referred to in the certificate or report (a test according to some standard, certification according to a certain standard, etc.) is included in the technical annex of the authority that has issued. It can be in the following linkEntities AccreditedIf so, the entity is accredited for this activity, but not to mention their accreditation in the certificate or report, it is not covered by the ENAC accreditation, and therefore, by multilateral agreements. However,get in touch with ENACfor the analysis of his case. If not, that entity is not credited to this activity. For more information, please contact ENAC through 91 457 32 89 or send your question to the linkweb page 5.

What treatment is given to the information sent by the companies through the questionnaires online?
Information is treated in a confidential manner under the organic law 15/1999 of 13 december, on the protection of Personal data.
How is it proceeding when it receives information on new barriers through the questionnaires online?

Discusses the problem raised and informs the sender of the follow-up to its claim, including the efforts that are going to do or are being implemented to address the problem.

At the same time, it creates a tab to collect the claim which is high in the database of trade barriers, if the problem raised is new.

The chips, indicating the efforts made and the end result, are updated periodically. In fact do not appear identification data of the questionnaire that could be detrimental to the claimant company.