Solutions provided by Customs to improve efficiency of customs inspection for imported goods have prevented fraud.

Mobile container scanners operate at Tan Vu port (Hai Phong). Photo: T.Binh

Collecting information and assessing risks

The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) issued official dispatch 119 dated January 1, 2021 directing local customs departments to increase the efficiency of customs inspection and control.

Smugglers have gathered goods at border gates to illegally transport them inland; imported fake goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights, banded goods, and consumed goods subject to customs control, according to the GDVC.

The GDVC has requested local customs departments direct their branches to strictly comply with customs regulations and other requirements. Especially, focusing on some tasks such as declaring information about means of transport and imported goods before arriving to Vietnam’s territory, customs procedures, customs inspection and supervision for imported general goods and consumer goods, as well as customs supervision and control for goods in transit and temporary import for re-export business.

It has upgraded the information system to perform functions for the receipt, inspection and confirmation of manifest of import goods to control import and export activities across border gates, especially with consumer goods.

Also, Customs has applied risk control measures to enterprises importing consumer goods by land, air and sea ways. Classifying risk management for more than 550 enterprises across the country and assessing risks for goods imports under regime A11 and A12.

Customs authorities have detected 20 enterprises that have added declarations, leading to an increase in tax payable amount; discovered two violations and collected more than VND500 million, 10 shipments violating via sea, one case violating at the land way and one violation on the airway.

Enhancing efficiency of screening

The GDVC has focused on improving the efficiency of container scanners. It has issued provisions on the minimum screening norm, provided solutions to enhance the selection and applied risk assessment measures, and request on screening for goods that have not carried out procedures overdue for 60 days.

In the first half of 2021, the customs sector screened more than 64,000 containers; detected nearly 4,000 suspected containers, and detected violated 279 containers.

The GDVC has worked with the Ministry of Industry and Trade in identifying the backlog of goods to carry out procedures for revoking temporary import for re-export business codes. At the same time, instructing customs procedures for goods temporarily imported for re-export and transported via vehicles.

After six months of implementing solutions, Customs authorities have prevented fraud in permit for goods in transit, detected some suspected shipments and conducted physical inspections at entry border gates.

The number of suspected containers detected via screening increased by 4.78 times and violated containers rose by 1.75 times year-on-year.

HCM City Customs Department, Hai Phong Customs Department and Dong Nai Customs Department have discovered 124, 92 and 29 violating containers, respectively.