Bahrain Launches Digital Stamps System

Bahrain’s National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) has launched a digital stamp scheme to track excise goods, including tobacco products, from manufacturing to the point of consumption, reports the Bahrain News Agency

The goal of the scheme is to protect consumers from counterfeit or illegal products, limit attempts to smuggle excise goods into the kingdom, and ensure the effectiveness of government revenue collection.

Implementation of the digital stamps will take place in phases in collaboration with Customs Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, and the Ministry of Health. There will be three phases. The first phase will focus on cigarette products. The second phase includes implementation on all imported products through customs clearance, and the last phase includes implementation in local markets.

Registration for the scheme is required by excise payers who import tobacco products and their relevant supply chain organizations from production to the release of the products to the local market, according to the NBR.

The NBR held two virtual workshops to help prepare stakeholders for successful implementation of the digital stamps.