Customs supports businesses in customs clearance for shipments of medical supplies

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Medical shipments are quickly cleared by Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch. Photo: Thu Hoa

The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) has required local customs departments to ensure quick customs clearance for shipments of medicine, medical supplies and equipment for medical examination and treatment.

For example, it has requested customs branches of Tan Son Nhat International Airport and Noi Bai International Airport with a large volume of aid goods or goods imported by Vietnamese individuals to support hospitals and healthcare facilities, to clear these shipments within day.

In addition, the GDVC has told local customs departments not to require businesses to submit the list of medicine approved by the Ministry of Health for import goods as raw materials, medicine and supplies for the production of medicine and vaccines for Covid-19 prevention.

It has also asked border gate customs branches to check information in the manifest, providing information on the shipments and instructing enterprises in customs process and bringing goods for medical examination and treatment activities in a timely fashion.

Enterprises can bring shipments to sites for physical inspections that meet special preservation requirements of medicine, vaccines, and biological products.

According to Deputy Director of Customs Control and Supervision Department Dao Duy Tam, the GDVC proposed the Ministry of Finance to allow organisations and individuals to suspend the submission of some documents in the application for the import permit to shorten the time and process for imported medicine shipments.

It has asked the ministry to implement instructions in the Government Resolution 86. Establish a hotline connected between the ministry’s units and the GDVC to exchange information and remove difficulties for firms, receive information related to the permit and instruct local customs departments about handling customs procedures.

It has asked the ministry to speed up procedures for granting import permit on the National Single Window Portal to limit the submission of paper documents, meeting social distancing requirements.