The product has been detained by customs – what should we do?
Many products require an approval or import license, or must comply with regulatory requirements, as a condition for their importation into Israel. For example, telecommunications equipment and certain technological products may require approval from the Ministry of Communications; food, food supplements, cosmetics and medical products may be subject to the supervision of the Ministry of Health; agricultural produce and products of animal or plant origin may require approval from the Ministry of Agriculture; and vehicles and certain spare parts are subject to requirements imposed by the Ministry of Transport.
Import compliance does not always end with obtaining approval from a government authority. The applicable requirements may also include compliance with an official standard, obtaining an import license, labelling the product in Hebrew, stating the importer’s details, providing instructions for use or warnings, and satisfying other conditions determined according to the type of product and its intended use.
Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the goods being detained at the port or in a customs warehouse, giving rise to storage, demurrage and handling charges. Depending on the circumstances, it may also lead to a requirement to return the consignment abroad or destroy it, the imposition of fines, the seizure or forfeiture of the goods, monetary composition proceedings in lieu of criminal prosecution, or even criminal proceedings.
These requirements do not apply solely to commercial importers.
A parcel imported for personal use, including a consignment arriving by post or through a courier company, may also be detained due to a missing approval, license or other required document.
Certain products are prohibited or restricted from importation into Israel, whether as commercial imports or, in some cases, as personal imports. These restrictions are not always widely known and may apply even to products freely offered for sale on overseas e-commerce websites. One example is the electric skateboard, the importation of which into Israel is prohibited.
Among the unusual cases handled by the firm in this field was the importation of animal fur for religious purposes, for use in the manufacture of shtreimel hats. Israeli law restricts trade in animal fur but recognizes a limited number of exceptions, including use for religious purposes. Such imports are supervised by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and may also be subject to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).