Oman Customs releases new regulations on palletization supervision

Recently, Maersk Line and Dafei Shipping have successively released official announcements, and Oman Customs has officially issued new regulations on mandatory pallet management for imported goods, aiming to standardize the loading and unloading process of port goods and improve overall customs clearance efficiency. All foreign trade enterprises, production factories, and freight forwarding units planning to export to Oman must attach great importance to this policy adjustment, strictly implement packaging standards, and prevent trade risks such as detention and return of goods upon arrival at the port.

The mandatory pallet policy will be implemented in two stages, and export enterprises are requested to accurately control key time nodes. The first phase will take effect from July 15, 2026. All imported goods sold through Oman's land ports, as well as transit goods transferred back to export after land entry, must complete standardized pallet loading; The second phase will fully cover sea and air import channels by September 15, 2026. All goods shipped to Oman by sea and air will be uniformly packaged on pallets. The preparation period for enterprise packaging rectification is limited, please implement the adjustment work as soon as possible.

Oman Customs has approved three types of compliant pallets for loading imported goods, and enterprises can choose according to their needs based on the type of goods. Wooden pallets must strictly comply with the ISPM 15 international plant quarantine standards, with complete and clear IPPC heat treatment markings printed on the pallet body. The pallets must be free of defects such as bark residue, insect infestation, cracking, and damage; Plastic pallets do not require fumigation quarantine and are suitable for the vast majority of ordinary goods, effectively reducing inspection risks; Metal pallets have excellent load-bearing performance and are suitable for heavy machinery, chemical products, and other bulk heavy goods. All three types of pallets have complete customs clearance qualifications.

Note: The picture is a notice released on the official website of  CMA

For some special goods, the policy sets up an exemption application channel, and enterprises are not allowed to determine their exemption eligibility on their own. Bulk materials, large and ultra long industrial equipment, pipes, steel coils, liquid goods in barrels, marble blocks, and large stones that do not have pallet loading and unloading conditions must be exempted by local importers or customs declaration companies in Oman in advance and submitted to customs for written approval before being shipped naked; Goods that have not completed official exemption approval shall be disposed of as illegal goods.

If the goods are not palletized according to regulations, or if the pallet material and quarantine markings do not meet customs standards, serious compliance consequences will occur. Oman Customs has the right to refuse to release illegal goods and may arrange for the entire shipment to be returned to the port of origin. All economic losses incurred as a result shall be fully borne by the shipper, including round-trip return shipping fees, destination port storage fees, demurrage fees, demurrage operation fees, and customs administrative penalties.

In accordance with the requirements of this new regulation, domestic shipping companies must optimize their existing shipping operation processes in advance. Enterprises should immediately connect with production factories to verify the pallet packaging and processing capacity; The original order for direct loading of bare goods into containers needs to be re formulated with a matching container loading plan for palletizing, reinforcement, and wrapping film protection, and the additional logistics costs incurred by pallet materials and packaging labor need to be calculated simultaneously.

Full container export customers must complete the palletizing and reinforcement process for all goods before loading operations, and verify the IPPC quarantine stamp in advance when using solid wood pallets; Plastic or metal pallets are preferred for heavy and irregular goods. If the category of goods meets the exemption scope, it is necessary to entrust the overseas consignee to handle the official exemption procedures in advance in Oman, and the relevant approval documents should be kept for future reference along with the transportation documents.

Additional control over warehousing standards is required for LCL exports to Oman. Before shipment, it is necessary to confirm the pallet warehousing regulations with the cooperating LCL warehouse. Without pallets, bare goods cannot be processed for warehousing procedures, which can easily delay the customs deadline and result in additional logistics costs such as reshuffling and storage delays.

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