About the Chamber
The AICC offers a range of specialist services to support Irish exporters in doing business with the Arab countries, and to help Arab enterprises to do business in Ireland. We hope that you find the information you need about our services and activities here on our website. Please get in touch if we can be of further assistance.
The Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1987 to promote and support the growth and development of trade and commercial relations between Ireland and the Arab countries. The Chamber was established under the auspices of the General Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture which is part of the Arab League and which has its headquarters in Beirut. All of the Chambers of Commerce in the Arab countries are affiliated to the General Union.
We fulfil our mission through the delivery of a range of unique services to Irish exporting companies and through the provision of information, advice, introductions, connections and business leads to companies in Ireland and in the Arab markets.
The Arab markets collectively are the most important trading block for indigenous Irish exporters outside of Europe and North America, and their significance grows year by year. They are attractive markets for Irish exporters for various reasons: they import many of the products and services which Irish companies can supply competitively; they have considerable resources to fund their imports; their rising population causes demand to grow year after year - and they are not far away.
All Irish exporters to the Arab markets are clients of our Chamber and they rely on our unique services to underpin their business in the region. Key among these services are the provision of our AICC Certificates of Origin as required by the Arab countries; the Certification and Legalization of all types of commercial documents; the delivery of a technical translation service to and from Arabic, and assistance with visas where required.
Our Chamber also organizes various events throughout the year to welcome visiting delegations, to deliver important information, to mark special occasions and to facilitate networking and interaction between our members and clients.
President: Enda Corneille
Activities & Services
Export Documentation
The AICC is a one-stop-shop for the checking, certification and legalization of commercial documents for the Arab markets. Only the AICC Certificate of Origin should be used for the 19 Arab countries we represent. We do not accept European Certificates of Origin. The Arab-Irish Certificate of Origin is issued by the AICC directly to its members and is also distributed through the local Chamber network throughout Ireland for non-members. All exports from Northern Ireland must be processed by our sister Chamber, the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce: www.abcc.org.uk
AICC Certificates of Origin must be certified by our Chamber following completion by the exporter. When there is a requirement for certificates and other documents to be legalized, the AICC will arrange this with the relevant Arab embassy. Kuwait, Qatar, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates insist that all shipments to their countries must be certified by the AICC and duly legalized. The Certificate of Origin is required for the following reasons:
- To meet customs authorities’ requirements
- It is a legislative requirement of the importing Arab country
- To comply with Letter of Credit or banking requirements
- It is proof of origin for importer
Certificates of Origin can be accepted in Arabic and French with an English translation.
eCertification
Tradecert
In association with Tradecert the AICC provides an On-Line Certification service. Once you are registered to use the system with Tradecert, you simply log in and enter all certificate and Invoice details. After your online submission to the AICC, we will apply our official Chamber stamp and signature digitally and then email you to confirm approval. You can then issue an AICC Certificate of Origin and Invoice right at your own printer.
Benefits of the online system:
- Documents created, submitted and reviewed by the chamber means your application takes hours rather than days.
- Completely remove courier/postal costs and travel associated with manual submissions, as all applications are created, edited, submitted and approved online.
- Reduce costs associated with human error as applications are editable online.
Please note that all shipments for Certification only can be processed On-Line by the AICC.
Embassy legalization
In many cases, documents requiring certification also require legalization by the relevant Arab Embassy. The AICC will arrange legalization following certification of documentation when required. Kuwait, Qatar, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates require all shipments to be legalized by their own Embassies. This legalization process is undertaken by our office. Documents requiring legalization are sent to the relevant Arab embassy and returned by courier on a daily basis.
Personal Documentation
Personal documents legalization service
As part of the process of travelling to Middle East countries to live and work it is a requirement to have certain personal documents legalized e.g. Academic Degrees, Marriage Certificates etc. which are issued from institutions located in the Republic of Ireland. The AICC works very closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and the various Arab Embassies to have all document authenticated and legalized as quickly as possible.
The Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce provides the following services;
- AICC Certification and Embassy Legalization
- Notarization by a Notary Public
- Authentication at the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade - DFAT
- English/Arabic translation or vice versa if required
- Translations
- Local, national and international courier
- Swift post
The AICC certifies and arrange legalization of all kinds of personal documents and certificates required in the Arab countries with the exception of Iraq and Oman as outlined on our site https://personal.aicc.ie.
In order to do this you will need to have;
- Access to a computer
- Access to a printer
- A valid email address
- Credit or debit card
Translations
Technical, legal and commercial Arabic/English and English/Arabic translations are undertaken to a very high standard. The following are just some of the documents that we translate:
- Certificates of Origin
- Commercial invoices
- Health certificates
- Customs import proofs
- Package insert labels
- Academic qualifications
- Birth certificates
- Marriage certificates
- Passport details
- Memorandum and Articles of Association
Certificate of Conformity
A Certificate of Conformity is always needed for Iraq, and often needed for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It is required for documents presented either for certification only by AICC or for legalization by the relevant embassy. The certificate must be obtained prior to shipment.
Iraq: Certificate of Conformity – required for all shipments (from 1 May 2011) (See below)
Saudi Arabia: SASO Certificate of Conformity - primarily electrical, electronics, automotive and chemical sectors
Kuwait: Certificate of Conformity - primarily for electrical, electronics and building materials
The exporter should apply directly to the relevant organization for Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Visa Service
This service is for members only.
The AICC can assist with obtaining single or multiple entry Arab business visas from Arab embassies in London and Dublin. For certain countries visas can be obtained on arrival at airport (see below). For most Arab countries the following is required:
- Passport valid for at least 6 months
- Letter of invitation from sponsor, duly stamped by their local Chamber
- Passport photographs x 3
- Company letter addressed to relevant embassy
- Visa application form, completed (printed) in black pen
Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade stamp
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade can authenticate/apostille documents issued in the Republic of Ireland that are to be used in other countries.
All documents to be authenticated should bear an original signature, seal or stamp from an Irish practicing public official or organization. All documents must show an Irish connection such as an Irish address where the person swearing the document is resident in Ireland. (Authenticating a document simply means confirming that a signature, seal or stamp appearing on the document is genuine.)
If you intend using Irish documents overseas, for business or personal reasons, you may be asked to have your documents authenticated/apostilled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. You should therefore confirm with the authority to whom you are presenting the documents what their requirements are with regard to authentication/legalization.
The AICC can arrange for the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) stamp as required for certificates/documents issued in the Republic of Ireland:
- Certificate of Origin, invoices and related documents
- Documentation including qualification certificates, marriage/birth certificates, company registration, power of attorney
- Passport translation for Libya
The AICC has daily courier services to and from the Department and the process takes approximately 48 hours.
Notarized Documents
Documents must be notarized if they are not originals. Some legal documents also require notarization including Power of Attorney and Agency Agreements for UAE and Yemen. The A-ICC works with a Notary Public to notaries documents. The service takes approximately two days.
Product Registration
Some Arab countries require products to be registered with their relevant Ministries before being exported. For example, pharmaceutical companies require a Certificate of Free Sale or a Certificate of a Pharmaceutical Product or other such certificates. The AICC can assist with the certification, legalization and, if required, stamping at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The exporter must complete the certificate from the the relevant authorities and submit to the AICC.
The AICC will then arrange the following;
- Notarization (if not original)
- Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade stamp, if required
- Certification
- Legalization
Company Registration
Some Arab countries require that Irish companies must be registered in that country before they can export their goods. The exporter must submit the completed signed company registration form to the AICC. This form can be obtained from your agent in the relevant Arab country.
The AICC will then arrange the following:
- Notarization (if not original)
- Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade stamp, if required
- Certification
- Legalization
Libya Passport Translation
IRISH PASSPORT TRANSLATION INTO ARABIC FOR LIBYA We offer a passport translation and certification service to business people with Irish passports who require an Arabic translation for visa purposes.
The service includes:
- Insertion of template in Irish passport
- Translation of required information into Arabic
- Certification of accuracy of translation by AICC
Under normal circumstances, this service is delivered to each applicant within 30 minutes during office hours. See the contact page for office hours.
Initiatives
SIAMAP 2017
The 13th Edition of the International Show of Agriculture, Agricultural Machinery and Fishing “SIAMAP 2017” will take place from 31st October to 5th November 2017 in the Kram Exhibition Park, Tunis, Tunisia.
SIAMAP 2017 is a platform for business, partnership and exchange of technologies with various agricultural stakeholders.
For further information about this event please check; www.siamap.com
Past Projects
Conference on Palestine, March 28th 2015
A conference organized by the SIPTU Global Solidarity Committee.
The Specialty Food Festival, 9 – 11 November 2014
If you are a specialty food producer or exporter, this event offers you a unique opportunity to expand your business in the Middle East.
This is a good time to start learning Arabic, September 2014
Being able to speak a little of the language of the country in which you are travelling or doing business can make a great difference.
The summer 2013 issue of The Arab-Irish Journal is now available, August 2013
A very warm welcome to the summer issue of the Arab Irish Journal, the second edition of 2013, from Mr. Ahmad R. Younis.
AICC Verification, July 2013
The embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Ireland has issued a formal notice to advise all exporters from Ireland to the UAE that they must use an AICC Certificate of Origin for all goods being shipped to the UAE, and that these certificates must be certified by the AICC before they will be legalized by the embassy.
Relationships Network
Focus on Morocco
The AICC was pleased to welcome the newly appointed Moroccan ambassador to Ireland, HE Mr. Lahcen Mahraoui, and his Deputy Head of Mission, Mr. Rachid Seghrouchni, to the Chamber on 17th January 2017 to discuss Moroccan/Irish trade and commercial relations and to consider new areas of potential opportunity in the coming years.
The SME Sector in Saudi Arabia
The AICC hosted a business dinner for the Deputy Governor, Research and International Affairs, of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, Mr Fahad Al Shathri Ph. D, and his colleague Mr Meshari Alkadhi, during their recent study visit to Ireland. Dr Al Shathri is also a member of the Saudi Government SME Commission, and he is especially interested in learning about Ireland’s experiences in developing the SME sector which has grown so successfully in recent decades.
United Arab Emirates- Soaring to the Future
Supplement from The Irish Independent December 1st titled ‘The UAE soaring to the future’ featuring an article about the AICC’s continued support of growth in Ireland – UAE trade.
UAE Award
The Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce attended the 45th United Arab Emirates National Day celebrations, which had approximately 550 guests in attendance.
President hosts a Garden Party focused on the Sustainable Development Goals
On 9 June, President Michael D. Higgins and Sabrina Higgins hosted a Garden Party to acknowledge Individuals and Organizations Working like the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce to Achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, agreed in New York in September, 2015.
INAUGURAL Iraqi-European Business & Investment Forum to be held in April
The first Annual Iraqi–European Business & Investment Forum will be held on 21-22 April, 2016, in Athens, Greece, under the theme ‘Iraq and Europe: Cooperation and Growth’.
Memorandum of Understanding signing between Chambers Ireland & The Arab Irish Chamber of Commerce; 5th Feb 2016.
Ireland and Jordan to co-operate in Public Sector Development
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin T.D., signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Ministry of Public Sector Development of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart in Dublin on May 27th 2015cs.
Saudi Arabia issues rules for opening up the Saudi stock exchange to foreign investors, 7th May 2015
Further to the Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers decision in its meeting held on 21 of July 2014, which permitted the Capital Market Authority (the CMA) to allow foreign financial institutions to trade shares listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (the Tadawul), at a time the CMA deems appropriate and pursuant to the regulations to be issued by the CMA, the CMA Board of Commissioners on 04 of May 2015 issued the Rules for Qualified Foreign Financial Institutions Investment.
Ambassador urges Saudi students to study in Ireland, Feb 23rd 2015
Tony Cotter, Irish Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has urged Saudi students to enroll in Irish universities because of their ‘excellent’ reputation.
Announcing a new Associate Membership between the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce (AICC) and the Irish Business Network (IBN) Dubai, October 24th 2014
The Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce (AICC) and the Irish Business Network (IBN) based in Dubai have come together to foster greater links between the Gulf Region and Ireland.
Irish Business Network: one woman’s experience in Dubai, July 2014
Dubliner Amanda Gavin has been living in Dubai for the past 18 months and has re-established her PR consultancy AMG Consulting there, gaining new clients, working for the Irish Business Network there and writing for the Arab Irish Journal about Irish businesswomen.
