Ho Chi Minh City Customs takes the lead in cooperating with customs brokers

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Operations at Saigon port Zone I Customs Branch. Photo: T.H

First time signing a cooperation agreement with customs brokers

Deputy Head of Management Supervision Division of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Le Van Trien said Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and Interlink Joint Stock Company have signed a cooperation agreement on mechanism of information, support and Customs – business partnership. This is the first time Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has signed a cooperation agreement with a customs broker.

The goals of this signing are promoting and facilitating commercial activities as well as import and export activities of the business community to be equal, healthy and compliant with the customs law.

Establishing a customs - business working group as a positive nucleus in improving the quality of customs - business partnership;

Guiding and supporting enterprises to comply with provisions of the law on customs and prevent violations of customs laws;

Improving the performance of the customs agency, making customs operations transparent and improving the quality of administrative process in customs; and improving the cooperation capacity of enterprises with the customs agency.

According to the agreement, in the first year, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and Interlink Joint Stock Company will implement the first solution as information in the development of customs-business partnership.

Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department shall provide Interlink Joint Stock Company with information in many different forms, including: Guiding, supporting and answering problems arising in customs clearance in a timely fashion; sharing, updating and providing information on new laws on specialised inspection of imports and exports;

Exchanging, updating and providing information on new policies and laws on customs management, goods clearance, cooperation plans and programmes between customs and business community; providing information to prevent acts of violating customs laws.

If the first solution achieved good results, the parties shall consider and discuss the second solution as rulings. The two parties shall organise rulings at the request of each party; and monitor the implementation of solutions after rulings.

Contents of the second solution as rulings include: Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department will hold talks and discussions with Interlink Joint Stock Company to find optimal solutions to issues related to performing task of state management in the field of customs and optimise the efficiency of import and export activities.

In particular, removing problems, improving service, renovating management methods, applying scientific and technological advances, and perfecting customs law and policies; applying science and technology in imports-exports, transit and developing public services; introducing solutions to remove and solve congestion, arising problems, obstacles, obstacles affecting customs clearance and the import and export of goods.

Tripartite cooperation model

There are 400 businesses in Ho Chi Minh City with customs broker certificates. To promote the effectiveness of customs brokers, in addition to expanding the cooperation agreement with customs brokers, in the future, Ho Chi Minh Customs Department will introduce solutions to develop and improve the quality of customs brokers for 2019 - 2022 under the direction of the General Department of Customs, with the goal of developing professional, reliable, qualified customs brokers which play an increasingly important role in customs declaration and customs clearance.

In particular, focusing on objectives, including: perfecting policies and laws on brokers; facilitating export and import activities through brokers; supporting brokers to improve their capacity and quality of implementing customs procedures; promoting cooperation between customs, businesses and brokers; making broker’s operation transparent; and improving management efficiency of brokers.

Ho Chi Minh City Customs will build a cooperation model of customs - brokers–enterprises in support, use and supply of brokerage services; organise consultations and dialogues with customs brokers, import-export enterprises and related parties to solve problems in customs clearance.

In the short term, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department will hold a meeting with the business community involved in operating customs brokers in the city on August 13,, in which the department will talk cooperation model of customs – customs broker- enterprises, as well as deploy a plan to develop and improve the quality of customs brokers; talk and answer problems of the community of customs brokers in the operation.

Customs sector sets target to make customs brokers more professional

Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department is also the first unit deploying the Logistics Scheme to reduce congestion of goods at Cat Lai port with a cooperation model between the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and customs broker of Saigon New Port Corporation and import and export enterprises for quick clearance of goods at Cat Lai port. In particular, there is customs clearance right at the pier without unloading of goods on the yard. This model is being expanded to import-export enterprises.