Skip to main content

temporary import

Temporary import is a customs procedure for bringing goods into a country for a limited period before exporting them again instead of entering them permanently.

In plain English

The key idea is that the goods are only meant to stay in the country for a set time. They are brought in under a customs procedure with the expectation that they will be taken out again, not kept there as a permanent entry.

In context

Here, "temporary import" names the customs procedure to choose when goods are being brought into the country only for a limited period and are meant to be exported again rather than entered permanently.

Situation
Completing customs, import, export, duty, declaration, and clearance administration
What it communicates
labels a selectable customs procedure on the declaration form.

Meaning limits

The term by itself does not state the exact length of the limited period.

Examples

“The orchestra brought its instruments in under temporary import and took them back out after the tour.”

Core meaning

“At the border, the agent recorded the camera gear as a temporary import.”

In context