Customs provides effective solutions to assist businesses amid Covid-19 pandemic

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Deputy Director of GDVC’s Customs Control and Supervision Department, Dao Duy Tam.

Facilitating progress and ensuring an uninterrupted supply chain

The spread of disease has seriously affected big cities and localities such as HCM City, Binh Duongand Dong Nai, said by Deputy Director of GDVC’s Customs Control and Supervision Department, Dao Duy Tam at a virtual seminar held by Customs News with the theme: “Customs accompanies businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Social distancing measures and the suspension of non- essential activities have had a major impact on export processing and production of businesses, and goods circulation and transportation. The risk of supply chain disruption and production stagnation is very high.

According to Deputy Director Dao Duy Tam, the Customs Control and Supervision Department has proposed solutions to remove difficulties for businesses and create favorable conditions for import and export activities to prevent interruption of supply chain.

The GDVC issued an official dispatch to allow firms to submit scanned copies of some documents in customs dossiers like the permit or certificate of quality inspection for quick customs clearance, and provide additional original documents after goods are cleared.

The department has advised the GDVC to direct local customs department to establish support teams to handle problems in the customs process for import and export goods, as well as ensure customs clearance the same day.

The teams are set up at three levels from the general department to the local level with the participation of leaders and key officials of units.

The GDVC has allowed the Saigon Newport Corporation to transport goods stuck at Cat Lai Port to other ports and ICD in HCM City, Dong Nai and Binh Duong provinces to reduce congestion at the port, helping businesses in the two localities carry out procedures at customs offices in their areas and not have to move to HCM City to receive the goods, the Deputy Director said.

Striving to assist businesses to return to normal operations

In addition, the GDVC asked local customs departments to consider not fining enterprises that carry out customs procedures late because they cannot receive goods in force majeure situations.

For agricultural products, especially fruit exported across land border gates, the GDVC directed customs departments in northern border provinces and cities to expedite customs clearance and release to avoid congestion at border gates, ensuring quality of exports agricultural products.

The authority asked departments to suspend inspections for customs brokers’ operation at their premises. Customs only checks applications submitted by brokers for the extension or recognition of eligibility for operation.

For goods taken for storage, the authority asked local customs departments to suspend the inspection of documents for goods storage that businesses have not yet submitted within 30 days such as certificates of quality inspection or specialised inspections; proposed ministries to soon issue inspection results for businesses.

According to Deputy Director Dao Duy Tam, the GDVC’s solutions have contributed significantly to stabilising production activities of enterprises and helped them to return to normal operation.