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Officers of Yen Bai Customs Branch (Ha Noi Customs Department) inspects imports and exports. Photo: Ngoc Linh

Instructing over 400 specialized inspection documents

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the specialized inspection for imports and exports has been implemented continuously, especially the reduction of items subject to pre-clearance inspection, shifting from the pre-clearance inspection to post-clearance inspection, streamlining and cutting specialized inspection procedures, attaching HS codes to the list of goods subject to specialized inspection.

Applying risk management by increasing goods exempted from inspection; exempting quality inspection for goods eligible for import three times; shifting the method of food safety inspection from strict inspection for all imported consignments to applying three methods of strict, normal and reduced inspections.

According to the Customs Control and Supervision Department, in 2022, some legal documents on specialized inspection for imports and exports have been revised towards creating favourable conditions for businesses and cutting goods subject to inspection, such as Decree No. 13/2022/ND-CP dated January 21, 2022, Circular No. 10/2022/TT-BKHCN dated July 28, 2022, which provide regulations on expanding goods subject to exemption from quality inspection, and abolish regulations on measurement inspection for imported goods and implement post-clearance audit.

The Government’s Decree No.72/2022/ND-CP dated October 4, 2022, supplements and amends some articles of the Government’s Decree 60/2014/ND-CP dated June 19, 2014, and Government’s Decree No. 25/2018/ND-CP dated February 28, 2018 revises some articles of Decree 60/2014/ND-CP dated June 19, 2014.

The import of printing equipment will only be declared with the Ministry of Information and Communications via the National Single Window.

In 2022, the department continued to focus on instructing the implementation of legal documents on specialized inspection. The department has coordinated with ministries and sectors to guide over 400 documents and reported to competent authorities to direct ministries and sectors to revise problems.

The Customs also organized two working sessions to review and change HS codes of 67 specialized lists of 14 ministries under the Vietnam Export and Import Classification Nomenclature 2022 issued together with Circular No. 31/2022/TT-BTC dated June 8, 2022, of the Minister of Finance.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs has transferred the results of the review and standardization of the specialized list to the ministries and sectors for reference and completed the promulgation. However, the Customs Control and Supervision Department said many ministries have not completed issuing and updating HS codes for goods under the list of specialized management.

According to the Department, the specialized inspection still shows some shortcomings. For example, the legal documents related to imports and exports are not unified; inspection processes still see red tape; enterprises have to move many times and contact many State agencies.

In addition, some procedures are carried out manually; some procedures have been processed online but have not been implemented comprehensively, and some countries still require the submission of paper documents. This prolongs customs clearance time, causing difficulties for businesses amid the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Notably, some commodity groups are under management by many ministries.

Effectively implementing reform policies

According to the Customs Control and Supervision Department, in 2023, the department will coordinate with ministries, sectors and relevant units to reform specialized inspection. Furthermore, the department will perfect the legal document system on customs and specialized inspection, complete and implement the draft decree on management mechanisms, methods and procedures for quality and food safety inspections for imported goods, and the information technology system to meet the requirements of implementing new models.

The department will consult on projects on the development of decrees and circulars related to the specialized inspection; urge ministries and sectors to amend and supplement legal documents related to the specialized inspection assigned by the Prime Minister in Decision 1254/QD-TTg amended in Decision 1258/QD-TTg.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs will collaborate with ministries and sectors to review and standardize the list of import-export goods subject to specialized inspection enclosed with HS codes inconsistent with the Vietnam Export and Import Classification Nomenclature; review documents that still have problems, causing prolonged time and costs; and consult the business community and relevant agencies towards the comprehensive reform of specialized inspection for import and export goods.

Many commodity groups are under the management of many ministries. For example, some imported medicinal products are managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Health, and electrical cables are under quality inspection by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Science and Technology.