Selling IV cannulas and infusion sets in Egypt: a distributor and importer for manufacturers
Last verified:
For an IV cannula manufacturer, Egypt charges 5% import duty on IV cannulas (HS 9018.39.90.10) and on infusion and transfusion sets (normally 9018.39.90.90), and 0% on EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish goods (official tariff, NAFEZA). They are registered with the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) as medical devices, and a new sterile cannula or set is not released from the port until the registration is issued (EDA import guideline). Egypt imported US$39.20 million under HS 9018.39 in 2024 — a line shared with catheters and other cannulae — with Mexico the largest origin (World Bank WITS).
Buying in Egypt?
Hospitals, labs and clinics in Egypt can order from the UltraTeb online shop.
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Supply your products to Egypt — and from there to Africa and the Middle East — with UltraTeb Market Access.
Apply — 2 minutesUltraTeb Market Access is a zero-upfront-fee route into Egypt's medical market: UltraTeb registers, imports, markets, stores and sells your product, shares the risk, and pays you when it sells.
Buying IV cannulas and infusion sets in Egypt? Hospitals and clinics can see the range and ask for a quote on UltraTeb's B2B web shop: IV cannulas and infusion supplies on shop.ultrateb.com. The rest of this page is for manufacturers who want to sell in Egypt.
What are the key facts for IV cannulas and infusion sets in Egypt?
| Fact | Value | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| HS codes | 9018.39 IV cannulas other than for dialysis (national line 9018.39.90.10) and other cannulae, catheters and complete infusion or transfusion sets (9018.39.90.90 — no named line exists for sets); 9018.90.99.75 central venous pressure catheters (adjacent); 3917.39.10.90 tubing for medical instruments and appliances; 3917.40.10.90 plastic fittings; 3926.90.50.90 plastic clips and clamps for venous and arterial connections | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import duty (MFN) | IV cannulas 5%; other cannulae, catheters and sets 5%; central venous catheters 5%; medical tubing 3917.39.10.90 0% (but 3917.39.90.70 'tubes and hoses for medical uses' 20%); medical fittings 0%; plastic clips and connectors 2%. Whether a complete set goes under 9018.39 or 9018.90 is a broker decision | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import duty with a trade agreement | 0% for EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish origin on the 9018.39.90 lines. MERCOSUR List A: 100% reduction. AfCFTA: 80% or 40% reduction. Serbia: 25% reduction | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import VAT | 14% shown on the official tariff line. Law 149 of 2026 added a 5% rate for medical devices used to provide services; it is not confirmed that single-use supplies qualify, so we confirm your product's rate before pricing | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| EDA route | Full EDA registration as a medical device for sterile items of every class, held by a local importer or scientific office; every shipment also needs an EDA import approval issued before the goods ship. Certificates from non-reference countries such as China, India, Turkey or Korea must be legalised | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Typical class | IV cannulas Class IIa; gravity infusion sets Class I (sterile: Is); sets for infusion pumps and blood transfusion sets Class IIa; central venous catheters Class III — under the EU rules EDA follows | health.ec.europa.eu | |
| Trap: sterile release | A new sterile cannula or set is not released until the registration notification is issued | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Trap: no non-sterile bulk for blood-contact items | EDA does not release devices directly related to human blood as non-sterile bulk (gloves excepted). This matters for any OEM or local-assembly plan that imports unsterilised components or bulk transfusion sets for local packing | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Trap: where the goods ship from | Tariff rule ق4122 on the 9018.39 lines: goods imported for trade must ship from the country of origin or the producer's main centres | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Trap: tubing declaration wording | The same PVC tube can be declared at 0% (3917.39.10.90, 'for medical instruments and appliances') or 20% (3917.39.90.70, 'for medical uses'); the declaration wording drives the rate. The reading is ours, so we confirm it with the customs broker | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Local manufacturing | Yes, partly. An Egyptian producer states that it fully makes and assembles IV cannulas, importing only the needle, and also makes infusion sets; an official Exports Portal listing shows IV cannula capacity of 500,000 pcs a month. The evidence is company statements and self-declared listings, not a census | elbalad.news | |
| Public-tender preference | An Egyptian product with more than 40% local content is treated as the lowest bid if it is within 15% of the lowest foreign bid, so imported IV cannulas and infusion sets compete with that preference in UPA tenders | trade.gov | |
| Consumables made locally (industry estimate) | 60–65% of medical consumables, according to the Medical Supplies Division of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce (22 August 2026) | almalnews.com | |
| Egypt imports, 2024 (HS 9018.39) | US$39.20 million: Mexico 11.86M, China 7.91M, USA 4.16M, India 4.00M, Ireland 2.26M, Singapore 1.67M, Poland 1.43M, Italy 0.89M. The line mixes IV cannulas, infusion sets, all other catheters and many other items, and cannot be split | wits.worldbank.org | 2024 |
Duty and VAT from Egypt's official tariff (NAFEZA, Ministry of Finance single window). EDA route from EDA's import-approval guideline. Trade values are Egypt-reported CIF imports for the whole HS6 line (UN Comtrade data via World Bank WITS), not only medical use. Last verified 2026-09-25.
Last verified:
What does it take to sell IV cannulas and infusion sets in Egypt?
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Have the certificates ready
A CE certificate under the EU MDR — Class IIa for cannulas, pump sets and transfusion sets, Class Is for gravity sets — plus ISO 13485:2016, a Declaration of Conformity and a Free Sale Certificate. Standards such as ISO 10555-1 and -5 (peripheral over-needle catheters), ISO 8536-4 (gravity infusion sets), ISO 1135-4 (transfusion sets), ISO 80369-7 (Luer) and ISO 23908 (sharps-injury protection for safety cannulas), with sterilisation validation and ISO 10993 biocompatibility, support the file.
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Legalise them if you are outside the reference countries
Certificates from China, India, Turkey, Korea and other non-reference origins are legalised before filing. Certificates from EDA reference countries do not need legalising.
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Register with EDA through a local holder
Only an Egyptian importer or scientific office can file and hold the registration. A new sterile cannula or set stays in the port until the registration notification is issued, so the file comes before the freight.
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Get an import approval and ship from origin
Each shipment needs an EDA import approval before it ships, valid 1 year for the whole shipment and not divisible, and goods on the 9018.39 lines must leave from the country of origin or the producer's main centres (tariff rule ق4122).
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Clear customs and pay duty and VAT
5% duty on cannulas and sets, or 0% with a valid EU, UK, EFTA or Turkish proof of origin. Tubing and fittings shipped on their own need careful declaration wording, because the same tube can pay 0% or 20%. Import VAT follows on the duty-paid value.
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Sell to the right buyers
Private hospitals, UPA public tenders where the product can compete on price, and ICU, oncology and paediatric departments for safety and small-gauge cannulas and pump sets.
Who buys IV cannulas and infusion sets in Egypt?
- UPA tenders and framework call-offs. Since financial year 2025/26 these are tripartite contracts: the Unified Procurement Authority (UPA) issues the order and the requesting public hospital pays.
- Ministry of Health and university hospitals, buying through UPA.
- Universal Health Insurance and Health Insurance Organization facilities.
- Private hospital groups and private hospitals.
- ICU, oncology and paediatric departments, for safety and small-gauge cannulas and pump-specific sets.
Which tariff line does an infusion set go under?
No Egyptian line names a complete infusion or transfusion set. Sets are normally declared under 9018.39.90.90 at 5%, but the choice between 9018.39 and 9018.90 is a customs-broker decision (official tariff, NAFEZA). Tubing is the bigger trap: the same PVC tube is 0% as tubing 'for medical instruments and appliances' (3917.39.10.90) and 20% as 'tubes and hoses for medical uses' (3917.39.90.70). We agree the line and the wording with the broker before we price.
Do imported IV cannulas compete with Egyptian-made ones?
Partly. An Egyptian producer says it makes IV cannulas and infusion sets, and in public tenders a qualifying Egyptian product within 15% of the lowest foreign bid is treated as the lowest (US Commercial Service). The evidence we found suggests local cannula capacity rests on few makers, while infusion sets are more likely to meet local bidders — we have not checked this against tender results.
So safety cannulas, small-gauge cannulas and pump-specific sets are where we start, and the free market study checks your product against real demand and local prices before anything ships.
How does UltraTeb Market Access sell your IV cannulas and infusion sets?
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Free market study and pricing
We check where your cannulas or sets fit against local supply and price them for private hospitals and, where they can compete, UPA tenders.
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EDA registration, end to end
We confirm the class of each item, tell you which certificates need legalising, and prepare, file and follow the registration to the registration notification.
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Import, customs, duty and VAT
The import approval before every shipment, ACI and CargoX coordination, the tariff line and declaration wording agreed with the broker, clearance, and the duty and VAT paid by us. We tell you which origin document gets EU, UK, EFTA or Turkish goods in at 0%.
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Warehousing by lot and expiry
Stored and picked first-expiry-first-out, with your stock visible to you at all times.
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Marketing and distribution
Arabic and English product pages on shop.ultrateb.com and campaigns once EDA advertising approval is in place, our sales team calling on private hospitals and their ICU, oncology and paediatric departments, and bids in UPA tenders where your product can compete.
“We would rather carry the registration and the stock risk with you than charge you to get started. You pay nothing upfront, and we are paid when your cannulas sell.” — Mohamed Dabees, founder, UltraTeb
Frequently asked questions
What import duty do IV cannulas and infusion sets pay in Egypt?
IV cannulas (9018.39.90.10) and other cannulae, catheters and complete sets (9018.39.90.90) pay 5%. EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish goods enter at 0% with valid proof of origin, and MERCOSUR List A goods get a 100% reduction (official tariff, NAFEZA).
Is the VAT on IV cannulas 14% or 5%?
The official tariff line shows 14%. Law 149 of 2026 added a 5% rate for medical devices used to provide services, but the law speaks of devices, not supplies, and it is not confirmed that single-use cannulas and sets qualify. We confirm your product's rate before we price it, because tender prices include VAT.
Can sterile IV cannulas be imported while the EDA file is pending?
No. A sterile device filed for new registration is not released until the registration notification is issued (EDA import guideline), so the registration has to come before the first commercial shipment.
Can infusion sets be imported non-sterile, in bulk, for packing in Egypt?
Not for blood-contact items. EDA does not release devices directly related to human blood as non-sterile bulk (gloves are the exception), so a plan to import unsterilised components or bulk transfusion sets for local packing runs into this rule (EDA import guideline).
Do my certificates need to be legalised?
Only if they come from a country that is not an EDA reference country, for example China, India, Turkey or Korea: then the certificates are legalised before filing. See EDA reference countries.
Are IV cannulas made in Egypt?
Partly. An Egyptian producer says it fully makes and assembles IV cannulas and also makes infusion sets, and in public tenders a qualifying Egyptian product within 15% of the lowest foreign bid is treated as the lowest. The free market study checks where your product has room against local supply.
Who pays for registration, duty and VAT with UltraTeb Market Access?
We do. Registration, import, duty and VAT, storage and marketing are funded by UltraTeb, and you are paid when your goods sell.
Where can buyers in Egypt order IV cannulas and infusion sets?
On UltraTeb's B2B web shop: IV cannulas and infusion supplies on shop.ultrateb.com.
Sell your IV cannulas and infusion sets in Egypt — with zero upfront fees.
Send us your product and certificates. We check demand, local competition and the EDA route in a free market study, then register, import, store, market and sell. You're paid when we sell.