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How does a customs declaration work in Djibouti?

Djibouti Customs (Direction Générale des Douanes et Droits Indirects, DGDDI) requires every good, imported or exported, to be the subject of a detailed declaration that assigns it a customs regime. Declarations are made in SYDONIAWorld, the automated customs system, which is the French-language name for the ASYCUDA World family.

What the customs code says

Djibouti Customs publishes these provisions of the customs code on its website:

Article 85: all goods, produced locally, imported or exported, must be declared in detail under a specific customs regime. An exemption from duty or tax does not remove the obligation to declare.
Article 86: the detailed declaration must be filed at a customs office open for the operation within three clear days of the goods arriving at the office or designated places, during legal opening hours. For national production the period is ten days.
Article 87: declarations must be filed before the goods are removed or shipped, unless a special authorisation allows otherwise.
Article 93: the declaration is made in writing, contains all the particulars needed for customs, tax and trade statistics, and is signed by the owner, the customs declarant or the customs broker. Orders set the form and the annexed documents.
Article 97: a valid declaration is registered immediately. A declaration irregular in form, or without the mandatory documents, is inadmissible, and figures that contradict the words are void.
Article 98: after registration a declaration can no longer be changed. On the same day, before verification starts, the declarant may correct weight, number, measure or value, provided the same goods with the same marks and numbers are presented.

Who may declare

Under article 88, goods must be declared in detail by their owners, by the customs declarant, or by the customs broker approved by the customs directorate. Freight forwarders (transitaires) approved by the Ministry of Transport may also act as customs declarants. Article 89 says nobody may make a profession of completing declaration formalities for others without approval. Djibouti Customs says the declarant is responsible to customs for these operations.

Release for consumption

Djibouti Customs describes mise à la consommation as the regime that lets imported goods circulate freely in the customs territory once the import duties and taxes owed are paid and the customs formalities are completed, such as a sanitary or phytosanitary certificate. It concerns the definitive introduction of goods, to be used as raw material or sold on the domestic market.

Customs value

For imports, Djibouti Customs states that the customs value is the transaction value, meaning the price actually paid or payable when the goods are sold for export to the national territory, under articles 25 to 35 of the customs code.

SYDONIAWorld access and free-zone operators

Approved operators who want to connect to SYDONIAWorld complete a user agreement and an identification form, sign them, attach the supporting documents and submit them to the DGDDI registry office. Access is granted only after the request is validated. Since 2 September 2025, free-zone operators and forwarders can pay customs and stamp fees for IM7 and EX3 declarations from prepayment accounts in the system instead of at the customs cash desks. Scanned supporting documents are attached in the declaration's Scan. Doc. tab.

What we could not confirm

The name of the declaration form. No Djibouti Customs page we read names a form called DDCOM or a COMESA customs declaration; COMESA appears in the customs code only in the rules of origin (article 17). The pages describe the detailed declaration in SYDONIAWorld, with numbered boxes such as 17a and 17b.
Box-by-box completion instructions.
Any rule on the language of the declaration. The pages we read are in French, but we found no clause on declaration language.

Frequently asked questions

What is the deadline to file the detailed declaration in Djibouti?

Article 86 of the customs code sets three clear days from the arrival of the goods at the customs office or designated places, or ten days for national production. Article 87 requires the declaration before the goods are removed unless a special authorisation applies.

Can I change a declaration after it is registered?

Not in general. Article 98 says registered declarations can no longer be modified, except that on the same day and before verification the declarant may correct weight, number, measure or value for the same goods.

Who can file a declaration for me?

A customs declarant or customs broker approved by the customs directorate, or a freight forwarder approved by the Ministry of Transport. Owners may declare their own goods under article 88.

Sources

Last verified: 2026-10-17

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