The National Bureau of Revenue has announced the imminent implementation of the final phase of the distinctive mark system (digital stamp)

The National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) has announced that the final phase of the Digital Stamp Scheme will begin on December 24, 2023. The scheme requires digital stamps to be valid and activated on all products available for possession, trade, supply, or sale in local markets, including electronically heated tobacco products (EHTP), jirak, chopped or pressed tobacco for pipes, chopped or pressed tobacco for dokha, and chopped or pressed tobacco for cigarettes. The NBR urges importers and traders to deal with appropriate quantities of the specified tobacco products and avoid storage without digital stamps to be cleared before the final phase begins.

The Digital Stamps Scheme aims to track excise goods from manufacturing to consumption through digital stamps, protecting against the circulation of counterfeit or illegal products. The scheme began with the first milestone on May 14, 2023 when the system was made available for placing orders for Digital Stamps, followed by banning the import of specified tobacco products into the Kingdom of Bahrain for Customs clearance without valid and activated digital stamps as of September 17, 2023.