MultiLink Consulting provides comprehensive export facilitation and compliance advisory services for Ethiopian businesses seeking to expand into regional and global markets. Our support covers the full export lifecycle—from obtaining trade and product licences to customs clearance, foreign-exchange repatriation, and export-incentive management.

We assist clients in securing export licences from the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI), registering with sector regulators such as the Coffee & Tea Authority, EFDA, and EHPEA, and preparing all export documentation, including certificates of origin, quality certification, and customs declarations. MultiLink also guides exporters through banking and NBE requirements for proceeds repatriation, helping ensure compliance with the 90-day settlement rule and retention-account management.

Our consulting team further delivers export market research, product-positioning analysis, and duty-drawback or voucher-scheme facilitation, linking exporters to opportunities under AfCFTA, COMESA, and other preferential trade frameworks. Through a combination of regulatory insight, practical coordination, and strategic advisory, MultiLink enables Ethiopian exporters to operate efficiently, meet international standards, and maximize foreign-exchange earnings.

Ethiopia’s 2025 import system operates under a fully regulated, documentation-based regime supervised by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI), the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), and the Ethiopian Customs Commission. Importers must first secure a valid business registration and trade licence, endorsed with “import” as an activity, followed by VAT and tax registration. Certain goods—such as pharmaceuticals, agricultural inputs, and ICT equipment—require pre-import permits from regulators like EFDA, the Ministry of Agriculture, or INSA.

Every import transaction must pass through licensed commercial banks for foreign-exchange authorization in line with NBE Directive FXD/77/2021, which prioritizes essential goods and capital inputs. Documentation includes a pro-forma invoice, insurance certificate, bill of lading, certificate of origin, and customs declaration. Duties and taxes (customs duty up to 35%, VAT 15%, surtax 10%) are payable before goods release.

Customs clearance is handled by the Ethiopian Customs Commission through electronic declarations and risk-based inspection. Importers must maintain all records for five years for post-clearance audits. The system is progressively modernizing with online trade licensing, FX auctions, and free-trade-zone facilitation, but compliance with licensing, foreign-exchange, and customs procedures remains mandatory for all importers.