Marcos da Cruz
Minister of Agriculture
and Fisheries
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) is the Government department responsible for the design, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of the policy, defined and approved by the Council of Ministers, for the areas of agriculture, forests, fisheries, and livestock. MAF mandate is to propose policy and prepare draft legislation and regulations necessary for its areas of protection.
Regulatory Requirements
The MAF has a regulatory responsibility to help control the import and export of certain goods. The department responsible for controlling these goods is the Serviço de Quarentena de Timor-Leste (SQTL). This department is responsible for safeguarding the health of our nation’s agricultural resources and plays a critical role in protecting our country’s agriculture and the environment from invasive plant and animal pests and diseases. It also seeks to prevent harmful human and animal food stuffs from entering the supply chain.
You can access and download a copy of the Quarantine General Rules (Government Decree 1/2006) here.
Types of Goods
Goods are identified by an 8-digit numerical number known as the Harmonized System (HS) number.
Below is a list of goods that require some level of control by the Serviço de Quarentena de Timor-Leste. Regulatory requirements sometimes change at short notice, so you should always confirm potential permit requirements directly with the Serviço de Quarentena de Timor-Leste prior to import or export. The goods below are identified via the HS chapter number:
| HS | Description |
|---|---|
| HS Chapter 01 | Live animals. |
| HS Chapter 02 | Meat and edible meat offal. |
| HS Chapter 03 | Fish and crustaceans, mollusks and other aquatic Invertebrates. |
| HS Chapter 04 | Dairy produce; birds’ eggs, natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included. |
| HS Chapter 05 | Products of animal origin not elsewhere specified or included. |
| HS Chapter 06 | Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots, and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage. |
| HS Chapter 07 | Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers. |
| HS Chapter 09 | Coffee, tea, mate and spices excluding when processed and Packaged for retail sale. |
| HS Chapter 10 | Cereals. |
| HS Chapter 11 | Products of the milling industry; malt; starches; inulin; wheat gluten. |
| HS Chapter 12 | also included under HS Heading 0802. |
| HS Chapter 15 | Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes. |
| HS Chapter 21 | Miscellaneous edible preparations under HS number 2102 2010. |
| HS Chapter 23 | Residues and waste from the food industries prepared animal fodder - excluding HS number: 2309 10 (dog & cat food for retail sale). |
| HS Chapter 44 | Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal |
Information Manual
You can find more comprehensive guidance on how to deal with these types of goods here .
