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Goods under national customs transit-i.e. goods transported under customs control from one customs post to another in the same country - require a transit declaration. In principle, goods can be received under the transit regime in all Colombian ports, but the Directorate of Taxes and National Customs (DIAN) may prohibit or restrict access for reasons, inter alia, of zoo-sanitary, phytosanitary or environmental security, pursuant to a request made by the competent authorities, or else when for this is deemed appropriate control reasons

Certain imported products that are not produced in Colombia are exempt or excluded from the payment of VAT, such as machinery or equipment for the recycling and processing of garbage or waste, and for purifying or treating waste waters, atmospheric emissions or solid wastes, provided they form part of a programme approved by the Ministry of the Environment; equipment for environmental control and monitoring, including that needed to comply with the Montreal Protocol, and machinery and equipment intended for use in activities that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Colombia continues to prohibit the importation of certain goods, such as chemical and toxic waste on grounds, inter alia, of environmental protection, and to fulfil commitments under the international agreements to which Colombia is a signatory, such as the Montreal Protocol of 1987, but Colombia can also impose temporary import bans to eliminate the risks to affect human, animal and plant health

Automatic licences are used to implement regulations which, among other things, protect animal and plant health, security and the environment, while imports subject to the prior licensing regime include used or remaindered goods and wastes

The criteria most used in the preparation of technical regulations (RTs) include the protection of human life and health, consumer protection and the protection of the environment, while the sectors in which most drafts were prepared included industrial products, especially those with an environmental impact

The sanitary and phytosanitary system, composed of the above-mentioned entities, operates on the principle of harmonizing policies in the various sectors, in particular, agriculture, public health, environment, trade, regional authorities and the private sector, with the surveillance in environmental matters being the responsibility of the autonomous regional corporations

The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) is responsible for regulating and controlling the use of living organisms modified by genetic engineering in the agricultural sector, while resolution No. 946 of 2006 establishes the procedure used by the ICA for handling living modified organism (LMO) applications

To import wild flora, the application must be accompanied by a clearance document issued by the Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Regional Development, while national registration of a pesticide requires a risk and environmental management assessment and laboratory analysis certificates

The prior requirements, for example, of a sanitary or environmental nature, which must sometimes be met in order to export, can be processed on-line through the Single Window for Foreign Trade (VUCE), while Colombia regulates the ports through which certain products, such as primary forest and fishery products, are exported in order, inter alia, to prevent environmental degradation

It is prohibited to export individual specimens of live species of wild fauna, unless they are intended for scientific research or their exportation has been expressly authorized by the State