Settling quick clearance for shipments that are not surgical masks

illustration image. Source: Internet

In a recent report sent to the Central Economic Board, the General Department of Vietnam Customs addressed the issue of ensuring enough surgical masks for pandemic prevention and export.

Currently, in the context of complex developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of infected people and the number of people subject to isolation is increasing, the Government has declared the pandemic, so in the immediate period and in the long run, Vietnam still needs to provide necessary equipment for the prevention and control of the pandemic, including masks that are considered essential equipment.

However, in recent times, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has received a number of recommendations from businesses and associations about encouraging enterprises to produce and export all kinds of masks, excluding surgical masks.

Enterprises said that, in fact, the capacity of export production of antibacterial knitted masks of domestic enterprises is increasing, exceeding the domestic demand, meanwhile the demand of using face masks from abroad is increasing. With good prices, abundant raw materials, they are ready to meet the production needs of businesses and consumption.

The enterprise proposed that it should have a plan to promote enterprises to speed up the production of face masks and sufficient medical equipment to provide relief and fight against the pandemic, leading to a surplus in export, which also contributes to fighting the economic crisis of Vietnam in this period, contributing to creating jobs for workers.

Regarding customs procedures, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has issued a document to direct customs units to implement quick customs clearance for export shipments declared as face masks, antibacterial knitted masks and other types of masks which are not surgical masks as instructed in Official Letter 1431/TCHQ-GSQL dated March 9, 2020 and 2012/TCHQ-GSQL dated March 27, 2020.

However, in order to ensure the need of using face masks for domestic pandemic prevention and control, the General Department of Vietnam Customs recommended the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to coordinate with the concerned ministries and sectors to closely monitor the situation of manufacturing and exporting masks of domestic enterprises in order to propose to competent authorities to take appropriate management measures for boosting exports but ensuring domestic demand so that people can easily access them.

Previously, in Official Dispatch 1431/TCHQ-GSQL dated March 9, 2020, the General Department of Vietnam Customs directed provincial Customs Departments to carry out physical inspection of export shipments declared as a mask not serving medical use (code HS is 63079090); compared with the standards of medical masks TCVN 8389-2010 published by the Ministry of Science and Technology to define the actual goods.

Through physical inspection, if customs officials do not have sufficient grounds to identify goods as masks not used in medical use, they will request assessment at the Institute of Medical Equipment and Facilities (the Ministry of Health) or inspection organizations that fully meet the conditions for medical mask examination as prescribed to determine the category of exported goods.

Next, to simplify export procedures, on March 27, 2020, the General Department of Vietnam Customs continued issuing Official Letter No. 2012/TCHQ-GSQL to assign Risk Management Department and provincial Customs Departments to assess risk for the only selected shipments with suspected signs in order to conduct physical inspection, especially shipments of the exporter.

During the physical inspection of goods, customs officials should directly supervise the goods if they do not have enough signs according to the standards of medical masks TCVN8389-2010, it will be implemented customs clearance.

In case of detecting signs showing standards but declaring as other masks (not surgical masks), it will be taken samples for assessing at the Institute of Medical Equipment and Facilities or inspection organizations that fully meet conditions for surgical mask assessment in accordance with regulations.