GLOBAL IMPORT REGULATIONS FOR USED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

UNCLAS TUNIS 002763 SIPDIS SIPDIS USDOC FOR 6132/MAS/MFG/OHCG/SFRANCIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG (HARRIS) AND EB/CBA (WINSTEAD) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: BEXP EIND ETRD TS SUBJECT: GLOBAL IMPORT REGULATIONS FOR USED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT REF: USDOC 06212 ¶1. Post submits the information below in response to reftel. The Tunisian Ministry of Commerce has supplied updated information concerning the import of used medical equipment into Tunisia. ¶2. Current regulations and practices are as follows: ¶A. There is no statutory prohibition on the import of used equipment of any type, including medical equipment, but all such imports are subject to an import license and strict technical controls upon entry into the country. ¶B. This applies to both the private and public sectors, although in practice the public sector does not import used equipment of any type. However, private sector projects benefiting from the fiscal and legal incentives granted by the government's investment promotion agencies (API - Agence de Promotion de l'Industrie and FIPA - Foreign Investment Promotion Agency) may be permitted to import used equipment as part of a foreign investor's contribution-in-kind to the capital of the project. This is dealt with on a case-by-case basis. ¶3. As previously stated in the 2006 Global Import Regulations for Used Medical Equipment Report, Tunisian restrictions are minimal but importation of used equipment is difficult. There is a strong preference for the guarantees and after-sales service that come with new equipment. Local banks that finance private industrial products normally require that purchased equipment be new. Given the difficulty of assessing the true ease of entry for used equipment and the general Tunisian preference for new items, however, the Tunisian market is not well suited for used/refurbished U.S. medical equipment exports. GODEC