Deputy Director General of the General Department of Customs Luu Manh Tuong inspects the declaration process on the digital border gate platform at Tan Thanh border gate, October 2022. Photo: H.Nu

Many problems arise, causing delay

The digital border gate platform to manage import and export activities and entry and exit vehicles by the People's Committees of border provinces to make information about administrative procedures transparent, facilitate businesses, support the management of import and export goods and means of entry and exit of authorities at the border gate area according to the Government's national digital transformation program.

However, the General Department of Customs has recently conducted a survey and worked with Lang Son Customs Department and import and export enterprises through border gates in Lang Son province on the digital border gate platform at Huu Nghi Tan Thanh border gate. As a result, implementing the digital border gate has many limitations, prolonging customs clearance time, increasing human resources and costs of enterprises compared to the previous time when the digital border gate platform was not launched.

Therefore, it has affected the delivery time of enterprises, caused overlaps in confirming goods in and out of the monitoring area between the customs electronic data processing system and the confirmation function on the digital border gate platform and overlaps in the function of confirming the results of the authorities on the digital border gate platform; and creating rights for other authorities at the border gate to decide the release import and export shipments from the customs area.

Consistency needed in designing the digital gate model

To effectively deploy the digital border gate platform at land border gates, the General Department of Customs requires border provincial customs departments to advise the Provincial People's Committee on many important contents to implement the digital border gate platform.

Notably, the border province's customs department needs to advise and clarify the purpose and legal basis of implementing the digital border gate platform; assess the current status of information technology applications in the digital transformation of each authority at each border gate. In particular, reviewing the functions of each authority following current regulations of law, assessing the impact of the implementation on people and businesses, and clarifying the administration of the digital border gate platform.

Also, the General Department of Customs noted that the units advising the Provincial People's Committee, before building the digital border gate platform, should submit a written document to the General Department of Customs about shared information criteria from the Customs' electronic data processing system with a digital border gate platform to ensure the confidentiality of information ò enterprises and national information security following the law.

Regarding the overall design of the digital border gate and the equipment of technical infrastructure at the border gates, the General Department of Customs said that, according to the provisions of the Customs Law, in the area of customs operations, the Customs agency is responsible for inspecting, supervising and controlling goods and means of transport and handling violations of the law on customs following Vietnamese law and international treaties to which Vietnam accedes.

Currently, the Customs sector is developing digital Customs with a smart customs management model associated with a digital border gate. The General Department of Customs will preside over the investment in equipping all machinery to serve the inspection and supervision at border gates, such as container scanners, baggage scanners, electronic scales, surveillance cameras, electronic barrier systems, and GPS camera systems to monitor the journey of means of transport on entry and exit, means of transport of temporary import for re-export or vehicles regularly crossing the border to deliver goods and GPS seals.

These systems will export data integrated with the cargo clearance system and management system of means of transport and unified for implementation on the National Single Window.

The General Department of Customs said that the Digital Customs and Smart Customs system would support information sharing with ministries and agencies at local and central levels. The customs declarant and the driver shall only declare information once on the system and transfer the data to the state management agencies at the border gate to carry out relevant administrative procedures according to the function and authority.

Thereby contributing to creating favourable conditions for import and export enterprises in customs declaration and clearance while helping authorities at the border gate capture information quickly to prevent and fight against smuggling, trade fraud and illegal cross-border goods transportation.

Therefore, to meet the management requirements for import and export goods and means of entry and exit according to the Smart Customs and Digital Customs model along with the implementation of the digital border gate platform, the General Department of Customs requires units advising and reporting to the Provincial People's Committee when implementing the digital border gate project, to receive approval from the General Department of Customs for the overall design of the digital border gate model, the digital border gate planning and the investment in infrastructure, equipment, machinery, information technology, software and warehousing system following the provisions of the Customs Law and current guiding documents.

In addition, the units need to advise on the planning and allotment of land at the border gate area so that the Customs sector will install technical equipment to serve the management of import and export goods, means of transport on entry and exit, and to prevent and fight against smuggling, trade fraud and illegal cross-border goods transportation.