On 31 October 2023, the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that an Import Licensing Notification Portal (https://lic-notification.wto.org/en) had been launched on the day, at a meeting of the Committee on Import Licensing Procedures. The platform allows members to draft and submit notifications online. Members also reviewed 42 notifications submitted since the last meeting of the Committee and discussed several specific trade concerns about import licensing regimes. The WTO Secretariat held an information session on the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures for new delegates following the meeting of the Committee.
The new Import Licensing Notification Portal is an important element of the digitalisation process in the WTO Secretariat. The platform will significantly facilitate the process of drafting and submitting all types of notifications under the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures. It will also provide access to an improved database of all import licensing procedures of WTO members. The new database includes advanced search tools by member, product and legislation.
The portal offers members the possibility to assign different levels of access to national authorities to draft, edit or submit their notifications. In addition, members are able to communicate and exchange draft notifications and comments with the Secretariat via the portal.
