Three-Month Exemption on ACI Requirements for Gulf Shipping

Egypt has introduced a temporary three‑month exemption from its Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system for shipments transiting through key Red Sea ports to Gulf markets. The measure, announced by the Egyptian Customs Authority on 12 March 2026, and active immediately, applies to cargo passing through Nuweiba Port, Ain Sokhna Port and Safaga Port, if the final destinations remain outside Egypt in Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Under normal rules, Egypt’s ACI system, which has been implemented nationwide in recent years, requires importers and exporters to submit detailed cargo data electronically before goods arrive at port. The new temporary exemption is a response to an extraordinary geopolitical situation in the region, and Egyptian authorities have stressed that shipments benefiting from the waiver must remain strictly in transit. Diversions into the domestic Egyptian market are prohibited.