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August 31, 2025 | 3 weeks ago
Micro-importation: rules clarified
Following the publication of an executive decree at the end of June that defines the terms and conditions for micro-importation by self-employed entrepreneurs, an interministerial instruction has clarified the practical rules for self-employed entrepreneurs engaged in this trade, known as “shopping bag trade.”
The decree, published in Official Journal No. 40, authorizes micro-importers to bring in goods worth no more than 1.8 million dinars per trip, or approximately €12,000 at the current official exchange rate, with a limit of two trips per month.
According to the interministerial instruction signed by the relevant ministers (Foreign Trade, Domestic Trade, Finance, Startups, and Micro-enterprises), this amount is "calculated for each trip, based on the exchange rate in effect on the date on which the micro-importer declares the list of imported goods via the digital platform for micro-importation activities." It is specified that this ceiling "cannot be combined."
The text sets out the conditions for becoming a micro-importer: Be Algerian and resident in Algeria; Not engage in any other professional activity; Hold a valid self-employed entrepreneur card (activity: micro-importation, code 080101); Be affiliated with Casnos; Have a tax identification number; Open a foreign currency bank account with the Banque Extérieure d'Algérie; Obtain a "general authorization to engage in micro-importation" issued by the Ministry of Foreign Trade. This authorization, valid for one year, is "personal and non-transferable."
Micro-importers benefit from "simplified accounting for micro-import activities, recorded in a numbered register and approved by the competent regional tax authority, exemptions from the obligation to register in the commercial register and prior import licenses," as well as reduced customs duties of 5% and a specific tax regime.
Before the goods arrive, they must declare their country of origin, origin, nature, and value in foreign currency on the dedicated platform. Invoices and purchase receipts must also be uploaded.
The decree emphasizes that "all goods to be imported for each shipment must be declared in a single declaration via the digital platform dedicated to micro-importation activities." Importers must also undertake to comply with rules relating to "consumer protection, health, safety, public order, and public morality."
Sensitive products, those requiring special licenses, or those posing a risk to security and public order, are excluded from this activity.
The text specifies that micro-importers must "finance their activities entirely from their foreign currency bank account opened with the Banque Extérieure d'Algérie (BEA)." For purchases abroad, they must use "exclusively" the payment card issued by this bank.
August 31, 2025 | 
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