Amid the turbulence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the customs agency has introduced many solutions to support businesses in customs clearance to bring goods to business and production.

HCM City Customs officers inspects imported and exported goods at Cat Lai port.
Photo: T.H

Customs implements “three-on-the-spot” model

Many Custom officers are assigned to implement the “three-on-the-spot” model (living, working and eating at the workplace) to handle customs procedures for businesses.

In May 2021, when the pandemic broke out in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh, and Bac Ninh Customs Branch had customs officers testing positive for Sars-CoV-2, the branch immediately arranged human resources in accordance with the anti-pandemic plan to conduct customs clearance while ensuring pandemic prevention.

The indirect contacts voluntarily stayed at the headquarters of the unit to perform customs work and fight the pandemic. Therefore, despite the pandemic, all activities at Bac Ninh Customs Branch during this time took place smoothly.

In this fourth wave of the pandemic, the southern provinces, especially those that have many industrial parks like the Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Binh Duong are seriously affected by the pandemic, Customs units in these areas have urgently developed plans.

To ensure the safety of customs officers in charge of customs clearance, some affiliated units under the HCM City Customs Department have implemented the "three-on-the-spot" model.

All officials and employees at border-gate and outside border-gate customs branches make great efforts and are determined with the common goal of pandemic prevention and customs clearance.

Many customs units across the country have flexibly developed plans to arrange civil servants to perform the task of customs clearance of import and export goods while ensuring pandemic prevention at their units.

Timely solutions to clear flow of trade

When the pandemic broke out, many local governments implemented social distancing, meaning import and export enterprises have faced difficulties in submitting paper documents.

To support declarants in customs clearance while ensuring pandemic prevention, the General Department of Customs has allowed enterprises to submit scanned copies of some documents in the customs dossier as prescribed, such as permits or certificates of quality inspection so that enterprises can immediately carry out the clearance of goods and submit the originals after customs clearance.

The General Department of Customs has also quickly issued documents to facilitate the C/O submission, accept scanned copies or photocopy of C/O form KV, AK issued by Korea, submitted by the customs declarant in the form of attachment to the import customs declaration through the customs electronic data processing system without requiring the customs declarant to submit the paper documents.

Efforts to clear the flow of import and export goods have shown the active participation of the Customs authority.

After receiving feedback of Saigon Newport Corporation and proposals of the HCM City Customs Department on the risk of cargo congestion at Cat Lai port, the leaders of the General Department of Customs directed the Customs Control and Supervision Department to urgently study and offer solutions to remove difficulties for businesses, avoid congestion and not affect the loading and unloading activities at the port; exit and entry of means of transport.

The General Department of Customs issued Official Dispatch 3847 on August 2 to solve the cargo congestion at Cat Lai port, allowing Saigon Newport Corporation to bring goods from Cat Lai Port to seaport or dry port areas in the same seaport system of the Corporation in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.

Deputy General Director of General Department of Customs Mai Xuan Thanh chaired a meeting to remove obstacles to speed up the circulation of goods at Cat Lai port.

According to Deputy Director of Customs Control and Supervision Department Dao Duy Tam, loading, unloading and transportation activities have returned to normal. This shows that the solutions issued by the General Department of Customs have brought practical efficiency. They not only solve the congestion and Cat Lai port but also help enterprises in Dong Nai and Binh Duong provinces take goods in their areas and ensure the flow of goods and pandemic control in accordance with the Government’s policy.

In addition, the General Department of Customs issued other solutions to support businesses, such as issuing an official letter to guide local customs units to consider not sanctioning administrative violations for businesses delaying carrying out customs procedures on time as prescribed by law because they cannot receive goods in a force majeure situation. Or suspending physical inspection of the conditions for the operation of the customs agent at the enterprise and only conducting documentary checks to extend or recognize the eligibility for operation of the Customs agent.

Regarding the clearance of goods including medical supplies, equipment, drugs, vaccines, and biological products for the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic, the General Department of Customs has directed local customs units to quickly clear the goods the same day.

The solutions offered by the General Department of Customs have made a significant contribution to stabilizing production activities of enterprises and helping enterprises recover in the "new normal" state.