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Saudi Arabia Approves Controls Pertaining to GCC Common Customs Law

An employee of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority at a Saudi port. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
An employee of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority at a Saudi port. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Approves Controls Pertaining to GCC Common Customs Law

An employee of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority at a Saudi port. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
An employee of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority at a Saudi port. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi government has agreed to new controls regulating customs procedures, with the aim of aligning with the provisions of the GCC Common Customs Law system and its executive regulations.

The Common Customs Law System for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries was issued to unify customs procedures and regulations within the GCC, in accordance with the relevant international agreements.

According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, the new controls seek to clarify and simplify customs procedures for all parties concerned with the import and export of goods, and to indicate the mechanism for implementing all relevant customs procedures.

According to the new regulations, a copy of which was reviewed by Asharq Al-Awsat, personal effects and household goods brought by citizens residing abroad for a period exceeding six months, and foreigners coming to reside in the Kingdom for the first time, are exempt from customs duties.

Parcels and personal postal consignments are also exempted according to the conditions and controls set forth in the Common Guide for Customs Procedures.

In addition, the new controls exempt commercial samples imported into the Kingdom, provided that their customs value does not exceed SAR 5,000 ($1,300).

To benefit from these exemptions, all documents supporting the relevant requests must be submitted in accordance with the statutory periods specified for them.

Goods may be entered and transported to any other place within the country without paying customs duties, after submitting a cash, bank, or documentary guarantee, in accordance with the provisions of the Common Customs Law and its Executive Regulations.

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BP Nears Deals for Oil Fields, Curbs on Gas Flaring in Iraq

British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
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BP Nears Deals for Oil Fields, Curbs on Gas Flaring in Iraq

British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)

Iraq and British oil giant BP are set to finalize a deal by early February to develop four oil fields in Kirkuk and curb gas flaring, Iraqi authorities announced Wednesday.

The mega-project in northern Iraq will include plans to recover flared gas to boost the country's electricity production, they said.

Gas flaring refers to the polluting practice of burning off excess gas during oil drilling. It is cheaper than capturing the associated gas.

The Iraqi government and BP signed a new memorandum of understanding in London late Tuesday, as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and other senior ministers visit Britain to seal various trade and investment deals.

"The objective is to enhance production and achieve optimal targeted rates of oil and gas output," Sudani's office said in a statement.

Iraq's Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani told AFP after the new accord was signed that the project would increase the four oil fields' production to up to 500,000 barrels per day from about 350,000 bpd.

"The agreement commits both parties to sign a contract in the first week of February," he said.

Ghani noted the project will also target gas flaring.

Iraq has the third highest global rate of gas flaring, after Russia and Iran, having flared about 18 billion cubic meters of gas in 2023, according to the World Bank.

The Iraqi government has made eliminating the practice one of its priorities, with plans to curb 80 percent of flared gas by 2026 and to eliminate releases by 2028.

"It's not just a question of investing and increasing oil production... but also gas exploitation. We can no longer tolerate gas flaring, whatever the quantity," Ghani added.

"We need this gas, which Iraq currently imports from neighboring Iran. The government is making serious efforts to put an end to these imports."

Iraq is ultra-dependent on Iranian gas, which covers almost a third of Iraq's energy needs.

However, Teheran regularly cuts off its supply, exacerbating the power shortages that punctuate the daily lives of 45 million Iraqis.

BP is one of the biggest foreign players in Iraq's oil sector, with a history of producing oil in the country dating back to the 1920s when it was still under British mandate.

According to the World Bank, Iraq has 145 billion barrels of proven oil reserves -- among the largest in the world -- amounting to 96 years' worth of production at the current rate.