ع
Bahrain has forwarded draft revisions to the GCC Unified Customs Law for parliamentary consideration under Decree No. 23 of 2026, according to a report published by the Bahrain Daily Tribune. The changes target Article 72 by removing the obligation for a complete customs declaration when goods move between local customs offices. Instead, such transfers would proceed according to documents and rules defined by the Director-General, a step that introduces administrative flexibility while preserving oversight. The Bahrain Daily Tribune reported that these adjustments form part of a wider effort to align national practices more closely with unified GCC standards.
The proposed legislation would also exempt imports by the armed forces and security agencies from customs duties when the shipments involve equipment or vehicles, the decree indicated. Approval from relevant officials would remain mandatory for each case to ensure compliance. Such measures support the operational needs of these agencies without eliminating regulatory checks, according to the newspaper account from April 2026.
These revisions draw directly from decisions taken by the GCC Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee, which coordinates economic policies among the six member states. Once parliament approves the text and it appears in the Official Gazette the amendments will take legal effect, the Bahrain Daily Tribune stated. Authorities have described the package as a tool to cut processing delays and promote smoother movement of goods across GCC borders.
The GCC Unified Customs Law originated in a 2001 Supreme Council decision and took effect across member states including Bahrain from January 2003, according to the official text maintained on the Bahrain Customs website. Legislative Decree No. 10 of 2002 formally adopted the framework in Bahrain and repealed earlier conflicting provisions. Academic analysis of GCC trade integration has shown that bilateral flows between Bahrain and its GCC partners rose by 17.5 percent in the years following the customs union, a study published by the Bank Al-Maghrib noted.
Bahrain’s intra-GCC trade represents more than 45 percent of its total trade volume, making procedural improvements particularly significant for the economy, according to a ResearchGate analysis of Gulf commercial patterns. In May 2026 customs authorities began applying duties plus 10 percent value-added tax on parcels valued at BD100 or higher, an implementation that builds on the same alignment drive, the Public Security Ministry announcement showed. The April decree therefore fits within a sequence of updates designed to harmonise rules while addressing practical bottlenecks in logistics and e-commerce shipments.
Under the new wording for Article 72 the Director-General gains authority to specify acceptable supporting documents for inter-customs movements, the draft bill explained. This replaces a stricter entry-declaration model that trade facilitation reviews have linked to unnecessary delays at ports and borders. The military and security exemptions similarly balance facilitation against control through the requirement for case-by-case approvals, the Bahrain Daily Tribune reported.
