Update new regulations related to sale of duty free goods

Duty free store at Noi Bai Airport. Photo: N.Linh

Currently, the operations of selling duty-free is stipulated in Decree 68/2016/NDCP of the Government about business conditions, warehouses, places of doing Customs procedures, regrouping, Customs inspections and supervision.

Accordingly, about the business conditions for duty-free, there are some new points. Specifically, in order to get certificates that allow businesses to operate and sell duty free goods, companies must meet the conditions for location, such as: In the isolation area of an international gate on the road, railway station and seaport type 1; quarantined areas and restricted areas of international airports. On aircraft operating international flights established and operated under the laws of Vietnam. And duty-free warehouses located in the same position with the duty-free shops or in isolated areas, restricted areas, or in the operation area of ​​Customs outside border gates.

In addition, enterprises must have software that meets the following criteria: Management of goods import, export, storage in duty free shops in accordance with each item, the object of purchase, the Customs declaration; meet the requirements of backup, data output to serve reports, statistics, storage and connected directly to the network of the Customs agency.At the same time, there should be CCTV systems to observe all positions in duty-free warehouses, and duty-free shops; the images observed at all times of the day (24/7), etc.

Evaluating the implementation of the new Decree after a period of implementation, representatives of enterprises in doing duty free business under the Hanoi Customs Department management, said that, Decree 68/2016/ND-CP agreed on several provisions related to business operations of duty free goods are stipulated in many different documents. Thus, the implementation of regulations is more favorable to enterprises.

However, enterprises also reflected some difficulties related to the list of export goods for doing business on the spot, there are many types of goods and diversity. Hence, it is very difficult for enterprises to update HS codes; or in some form related to the operation of duty-free sales on board that need to supplement English text, etc.

At the conference, representatives of the Customs Control and Supervision Department (General Department of Customs) also informed to enterprises on a number of new points in Customs management for duty free goods which expect to be issued in the near future by the Government, replacing some legal documents amending this operation; in that, there are specific regulations for specialized inspections, quality inspection on goods sold in duty-free shops.