Step by step.
Before the goods ship
- 1
Register on Nafeza
Open a Nafeza account, upgrade it to a commercial account and complete it at a Nafeza logistics service centre. You also need an electronic signature token (e‑Token) from an authorised provider.
- 2
Request the ACID
Enter your supplier's details and registration number, the goods with their HS codes, and the proforma invoice data. Customs checks the request, and Nafeza emails the ACID to you and your supplier.
- 3
Send it to your supplier and forwarder
Your supplier needs it for CargoX and the invoice. Your forwarder needs it on the booking, because the bill of lading or air waybill must carry it.
- 4
Your supplier uploads the documents on CargoX
Commercial invoice (PDF and the Nafeza Excel file), packing list, certificate of origin and the bill of lading or air waybill, sent under the ACID from a verified CargoX account.
After the goods ship
- 5
The cargo ships
The carrier checks the ACID before loading. It must appear on the bill of lading or air waybill with your tax ID and the supplier's registration number.
- 6
Arrival and customs clearance
Your customs broker files the declaration on Nafeza using the documents your supplier uploaded. Duties and taxes are paid, the goods are inspected if selected, and the cargo is released.
Sources: Nafeza, ACI procedure; Nafeza, ACI system; Nafeza, ACI questions (checked 8 Oct 2026). Customs Authority air ACI guide, Al Mal News (9 Sep 2025).
What the ACID is.
ACI, advance cargo information, is Egyptian Customs' pre-registration system for imports. The importer sends the shipment's data before the goods leave origin, so Customs can assess the risk early and the cargo can clear faster on arrival. The ACID is the number Customs issues for one shipment: one bill of lading or air waybill, one ACID.
It runs on two platforms. Nafeza, Egypt's national single window for foreign trade, is where the importer registers and requests the ACID. CargoX, a blockchain document platform, is where the supplier abroad sends the shipping documents to Egyptian Customs.
Key dates
- 1 Apr 2021
Trial run starts for sea shipments.
Nafeza, ACI system · checked 8 Oct 2026
- 1 Oct 2021
Mandatory for sea freight.
Nafeza, ACI system · checked 8 Oct 2026
- 1 Jan 2026
Mandatory for air freight, after a trial that ran to 31 Dec 2025.
Nafeza, air ACI · checked 8 Oct 2026
- 48 hours
Minimum time before shipping for the shipment data to be on Nafeza (sea).
Nafeza, ACI system · checked 8 Oct 2026
- 8 hours
Minimum time before the flight departs to request the ACID (air).
Customs Authority air ACI guide, Al Mal News · 9 Sep 2025
Sources: Nafeza, ACI system; Nafeza, air ACI (checked 8 Oct 2026). Customs Authority air ACI guide, Al Mal News (9 Sep 2025).
On Nafeza: the importer's side.
You register on Nafeza once. After that, each shipment gets its own ACID request with the details below. Keep the supplier's details exactly as they are on its CargoX account: a difference holds the shipment up.
Have these ready before you request the ACID
- A Nafeza account upgraded for commercial use, and an e‑Token
- Your supplier's name, country and registration number (VAT or commercial registration), as on its CargoX account
- A contact person at the supplier: name, phone and email
- The HS code of every item
- The proforma invoice or purchase order, and the initial bill of lading if there is one
Sources: Nafeza, ACI procedure; Nafeza, electronic signature; Nafeza, ACI questions (checked 8 Oct 2026).
On CargoX: the supplier's side.
Your supplier registers on CargoX once, completes the company verification and gives you its registration number. When Nafeza sends the ACID, the supplier opens an Egypt ACI envelope on CargoX, enters the ACID, attaches the documents and sends them to Egyptian Customs.
What your supplier uploads
PDF files, 5 MB each at most.
- Commercial invoice as a PDF, plus the Nafeza Excel file (not a scan of a printed invoice)
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin
- Copy of the bill of lading or air waybill
- Depending on the goods: other certificates, such as EUR.1, health, phytosanitary, fumigation, inspection or halal, or a material safety data sheet
On every document
The ACID. On the invoice and the bill of lading or air waybill, also your 9-digit tax ID and the supplier's registration type and number with its country code.
Sources: Nafeza, documents for an ACI file; Nafeza, e-invoice template; Nafeza, ACID inquiry; Crane Worldwide, Egypt ACID (checked 8 Oct 2026). CargoX, ACI for air shipments to Egypt (9 Sep 2025).
Who does what.
- Importer in Egypt
- Registers on Nafeza, requests the ACID, sends it on, and pays duties and taxes.
- Supplier abroad
- Registers on CargoX, puts the ACID on its documents and uploads them.
- Freight forwarder
- Books the vessel or flight and makes sure the ACID is on the bill of lading or air waybill. On consolidated cargo, the forwarder abroad also registers on CargoX, and each house bill with a different supplier or importer needs its own ACID.
- Customs broker
- Clears the goods on arrival. With your electronic authorisation, a licensed broker can also request the ACID for you.
Sources: Nafeza, ACI questions (checked 8 Oct 2026). Ministry of Finance Decree 38 of 2021, PwC summary (1 Feb 2021).
Common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Details that don't match
The supplier's name or registration number on the ACID request differs from its CargoX account or its invoice.
Avoid it. Copy the supplier's details from its CargoX account and use the same ones on every document.
The wrong HS code
Customs rejects the ACID request, and you start a new one with the corrected code.
Avoid it. Agree the code with your customs broker before you request the ACID.
Requesting too late
The ACID is only issued from invoice data that exists before shipment, and the carrier checks it before loading.
Avoid it. Request it as soon as the proforma invoice is agreed: 48 hours before sailing and 8 hours before a flight are the minimum.
No ACID on the bill of lading
The goods can be refused entry and sent back at the importer's cost.
Avoid it. Send the ACID to your forwarder with the booking and check the draft bill before it is issued. On an air waybill it goes in the Other Customs Information field.
A late or incomplete CargoX upload
Clearance in Egypt cannot start until the documents arrive.
Avoid it. Ask your supplier to upload as soon as the goods ship, Excel invoice included.
One ACID for a shared container
When suppliers or importers differ on a consolidated bill, each house bill needs its own ACID.
Avoid it. Request your own ACID for your part of a shared (LCL) shipment.
Sources: Nafeza, ACI questions; AHK Egypt, ACI for air freight (checked 8 Oct 2026). Enterprise (5 Jan 2026).
Air freight and exceptions.
The same system has applied to air freight since 1 January 2026, after a trial that ran through 2025. The steps are the same, with three differences:
- Timing. Request the ACID at least 8 hours before the flight departs.
- Air waybill. The ACID goes in the Other Customs Information field. The air waybill is often issued after departure, so your supplier can add it to the CargoX upload later.
- Express couriers. Small courier shipments are outside the system. Sources cite under 50 kg and up to USD 2,000.
Sources: Nafeza, air ACI; AHK Egypt, ACI for air freight (checked 8 Oct 2026). Customs Authority air ACI guide, Al Mal News (9 Sep 2025).
Glossary.
- ACI
- Advance cargo information: Egypt's pre-registration system for imports.
- ACID
- Advance Cargo Information Declaration: the 19-digit number Customs issues for each shipment.
- Nafeza
- Egypt's national single window for foreign trade, at nafeza.gov.eg.
- CargoX
- The blockchain document platform suppliers abroad use to send shipping documents to Egyptian Customs.
- e‑Token
- The electronic signature device the importer uses to sign on Nafeza.
- HS code
- The tariff code that classifies the goods and sets the duty.
- Proforma invoice
- The supplier's invoice issued before shipment, used to request the ACID.
- Bill of lading, air waybill
- The transport document for sea (B/L) and for air (AWB).
- Master and house bill
- On consolidated cargo: the carrier's bill to the forwarder (master) and the forwarder's bill to each shipper (house).
- Customs broker
- A licensed agent who files the customs declaration and clears the goods.
Sources: Nafeza, ACI system; Crane Worldwide, Egypt ACID (checked 8 Oct 2026).