4.2.4—Administrative barriers

Administrative barriers restrict trade through rules, procedures or standards rather than a stated tax or numerical import limit.

Licensing delays, local-content rules, technical standards and customs procedures can raise the time or cost of supplying a foreign market. They may protect safety or consumers, but they can also conceal protectionism and reduce competition.

Ask whether the rule targets a genuine risk, whether it is proportionate, and whether foreign and domestic suppliers face comparable requirements.

A food-safety certificate may reduce contamination risk; a needlessly duplicated certificate can make an imported product uncompetitive without improving safety.

Not every trade rule is protectionism. The relevant distinction is the rule’s purpose, evidence and effect on market access.