Decision No. 908 of the Commission of the Andean Community ("Decision 908") was published in the Official Journal of the Cartagena Agreement N° 5097 on 29 December 2022. Through Decision 908, the provisions of Decision 706 (Harmonization of legislation on household hygiene products and absorbent personal hygiene products) have been amended, in the sense of facilitating imports of these products from third countries. Following are the amendments:

  1. The requirement to present the free sale certificate (or similar authorization) for household hygiene products and absorbent personal hygiene products ("Products") manufactured outside the Andean Community is eliminated.
     
  2. When a company wishes to market a Product in more than one member country of the Andean Community, it may submit the electronic document of the first mandatory health notification (authorization of marketing of the Product) for recognition in the other member countries.

These measures will entail considerable cost and time savings for companies engaged in the manufacture and marketing of Products.

The provisions of Decision 908 can be reviewed in detail here.


If you require legal advice on this issue, do not hesitate to contact us.