Placing a new order of Maple Syrup for Israel

We are running low on Maple Syrup over here… so we have placed our next order of Maple Syrup. For those that want to really appreciate the syrup they have, here is a summary of what needs to be done to get that shipment here. Please remember that we have already jumped through several months of hoops to get the permits and licences to import it- this is the shorter, easier “streamlined” process 🙂

Place an order with the supplier. Get the weight, dimensions and origins info to get the quote from the shipping line. Get a quote and send the commercial invoice and a certificate of origin (Form A- it is purchased from the Israeli consulate in Chicago, shipped to Wisconsin, filled in and notarized by the local chamber of commerce) then forward everything to the shipping people. That covers the US side of things.

On the Israeli side, we need to buy insurance (show forms, give measurements, get quote etc..), then get the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading scanned to us over here (and then courier the hard copy to Israel) so we can start the Israeli process. We get to pay a fee to the ministry of health so that they can put a stamp on a form that allows us to pay taxes on the shipment when it arrives as well as allowing us to unload it in the first place. We then do a form to pay the V.A.T. on the syrup (this is why you, the customer, don’t pay it on the sale- it is already paid for on our end and worked into the cost). We then need to pay for the customs clearance process (and sign and stamp some more forms) and THEN we get to deal with with the port authority- they have a port tax to pay as well as dealing with the ministry of health again to arrange warehousing for the day or two it takes us to get to them and take the shipment away. There MAY be a customs inspection too- which we won’t know until they decide to do it. Or not. I think they flip a coin. Of course, if they do an inspection, we will have to pay them for their trouble and do some more forms, stamps and signatures.

You should have seen what we had to do to get the first shipment here 😉