As of July 1, the HQ36a online public service system has connected 22 administrative procedures at level 4, showing the great efforts of Customs sector in promoting administrative reform, customs modernisation, and facilitating the business community.

Customs operation at Thai Binh Customs Branch. Photo: Thai Binh

Handling nearly seven million dossiers

In the first months of 2021, the entire Customs sector promoted the reform and control of administrative procedures, maintaining its first ranking on Public Administration Reform Index (PAR index) among the General Department of Vietnam Customs’ departments and the Ministry of Finance’s units, and increasing the PAR Index score.

Twenty-two administrative procedures that have been connected the online public service system at level 4, are recently revised procedures, including the procedures for granting a certificate of eligibility for duty-free shop business; the procedures for revocation of the certificate of eligibility for duty-free shop business; procedures for certifying of petrol and oil warehouses eligible for customs inspection and supervision, Director of Customs IT and Statistics Department Le Duc Thanh said.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) has provided 209 online public services at level 4, 90% of total administrative procedures connected to the IT systems, such as the VNACCS/VCIS system, the National Single Window Portal, the e-payment system, the HQ36a online public service system.

From January 1 to June 15, 2021, Customs has handled online around seven million dossiers via these systems.

It has integrated and connected 72 online public services to the National Single Window Portal at https://dichvucong.gov.vn. By the end of 2021, Customs will provide more 26 online public services to the portal, Thanh said.

Expediting administrative reform

The deployment of online public services is an outstanding result of information technology application by the Customs sector in the first months of 2021, Thanh said.

The Customs sector has focused on administrative reform. The GDVC has issued plans for administrative reform in 2021, plan for administrative procedure control in 2021, and action plan for implementation of Resolution 02 of the Government.

The GDVC has also assessed the PAR Index in 2020 of the Ministry of Finance. It has documented and determined its PAR Index in 2020 and rectified the deployment of the administrative reform after marking the index in 2019.

The GDVC has submitted to the Ministry of Finance to announce five revised administrative procedures in Circular 27, notify eight new procedures, eight revised procedures and abolish four administrative procedures in Decree 18/2021.

Many out of the total 243 procedures managed by the Customs have been newly issued to internalise a number of trade agreements acceded by Vietnam, and strengthen the electronicisation of administrative procedures.