How does the implementation of the online public services of customs via National Public Service Portal work?

Le Duc Thanh – Deputy Director of Customs IT and Statistics Department (General Department of Vietnam Customs)

Recently, which online public services of customs have been connected to the National Public Service Portal? Why did Customs choose to connect these services first?

The General Department of Vietnam Customs has just connected two online public services, namely "cancel customs declaration" and "additional declaration".

These two services were chosen because they have been provided online 24/7 nationwide since March 1, 2017 by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Secondly, these are services that are performed regularly by people and businesses. From March 1, 2017 to the beginning of March 2020, there was a total of nearly 230,000 dossiers related to these two online public service made. In particular, there were 95,201 dossiers of "cancel customs declaration" and 134,507 dossiers of "additional declaration".

Thus, to ensure effective implementation, the Customs sector has chosen to connect the online public services which are ready in terms of technology have a large number of dossiers and greatly affects the business community.

How do business performs online public services of Customs on the National Public Service Portal?

Through the National Public Service Portal, enterprises will follow five steps, including: Step 1 - enterprises log in the National Public Service Portal; step 2 - choose the procedure to apply; step 3 – submit dossiers; step 4 - look up the results of the application status on the National Public Service Portal; step 5 - the Customs authority receives and processes the results on the system.

What are the benefits of connecting the online public service of Customs to the National Public Service Portal for enterprises?

Online public service always brings many benefits to businesses.

Firstly, businesses can carry out administrative procedures anytime, anywhere and by any device.

Second is reducing costs for businesses by not using paper documents and reducing travel time because they do not have to come to the Customs offices.

Thirdly, improving publicity and transparency in the implementation of administrative procedures.

At the same time, contributing to implementing e-government.

The connection of online public service to the National Public Service Portal gives people and businesses more options to implement administrative procedures in customs, besides implementation through the online public service system of Customs sector as at present.

In particular, the integration of the online public service of the Customs sector into the National Public Service Portal will help people carry out many procedures through only a single focal point. Meanwhile, previously, enterprises had to access the system of Customs authority to implement online public services, then they had to log in to other agencies' systems to implement other online public services managed by that agencies.

It could be said that the connection of online public service of Customs and ministries and sectors into the National Public Service Portal was an important prerequisite for centralising administrative procedures of State management agencies (via online methods). Thereby, helping people and businesses carry out many administrative procedures at the same time through only a single focal point.

Besides the two newly-established online public services, which services will the Customs sector connect to the National Public Service Portal?

In 2020, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has registered to connect 60 online public services to the National Public Service Portal. For example: "Customs procedures for goods brought into and out of transshipment ports", "Customs procedures for goods traded by mode of transhipment", "Procedures for establishing inspection places at the foot of the work or the warehouse of the project, the place of manufacture".

To implement this, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has been working with the Government Office and information technology enterprises to develop plans. Based on the plan, we evaluate specifically to ensure the connection is met. Since then, reporting to the Ministry of Finance to have a support mechanism to gradually connect other online public services as planned.