Customs agents could do specialized inspection procedures on behalf of the shipper

Professional activities at the Customs Branch North Thang Long Industrial Park (Hanoi). Photo: N.Linh

Document No. 4077 / BKHCN-resettlement of the Ministry of Science and Technology was transferred to the Product Quality Management Department; Sub-Department of Standards Metrology and Quality of the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government stated that in the process of implementing specialized inspection for goods imported under the management responsibility of the Ministry of Science and Technology, a branch accepts the Customs agent on behalf of the shipper to perform specialized testing procedures for imported goods under the agency contract.

Importing enterprises must give written notice to the State inspection agency that the Customs agency is the authorized importer, including the following information: Name of agent; address; phone number; fax number, e-mail, stamp, authorized person, the signature of the person authorized, authorized scope; authorized goods; the period of authorization.

At the same time, the import enterprise must commit to take responsibility for the quality of goods by authorized agents that perform specialized testing procedures. In particular, when they want to change the authorization, they shall promptly inform the inspection authorities.

Earlier, the Ministry of Finance submitted to other Ministries documents to determine the legality of Customs agents formalities on behalf of shippers to perform the procedure on a specialized test.

Through most of the situation, the Ministry of Finance found that the specialized management agencies have not yet accepted the Customs agent procedures on behalf of shippers performing specialized testing procedures for exports and imports. Hence Customs agents procedures also having limited operational capacity can not meet the requirements of customers on the implementation of specialized inspection procedures.

In order to facilitate import-export of goods, the Ministry of Finance proposed the following idea: The text should have directed the agency, unit or attached to the authorization or specialized test performed for export and import agents accept Customs formalities on behalf of shippers to perform specialized testing procedures for goods exported and imported under an actual agency contract. Specifically, the acceptance of digital signatures and electronic documents for the case carried out by procedures and accept electronic signatures and seals to perform procedures by manual methods, directly at the offices of the agencies and units.

At the same time, the review of regulations on specialized inspection procedures in the legal context to amend and supplement the provisions specific direction about who performs specialized testing procedures for exported and imported goods including: shippers, agents in the case of agents authorized for doing Customs procedures to goods clearance under agent contracts.