The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) has asked local customs departments to implement solutions to expedite customs clearance and support businesses amid the pandemic.

Customs officers of HCM City Customs Department inspect goods via scanners.

Removing goods congestion at Cat Lai Port

According to Deputy Director of Customs Control and Supervision Department Dao Duy Tam, the GDVC has provided six key solution groups, including solutions for facilitation in customs procedures, supervision and control for imports and exports; solutions for supporting procedures for exports of agricultural products across northern border provinces; solutions for quick customs clearance for imports as medical equipment, modern medicine, vaccines and biological products for pandemic prevention and control; solutions on tax policy and tax collection and payment for imports and exports; solutions for the administration and arrangement of human resources for customs clearance; solutions for developing policies to support import and export operation amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Customs has allowed firms to submit e-documents in customs dossiers for customs clearance and set up working teams to support and handle problems related to customs procedures for imports and exports, and listed the name and mobile phone number of officers who are on duty 24/7 of the general department and local customs department to customs branch levels to perform quick goods clearance.

The GDVC has allowed Saigon Newport Corporation to transport goods from Cat Lai Port to other seaports under the same system of the corporation in HCM City and in Binh Duong and Dong Nai to remove congestion at the port and support customs clearance for firms without moving to HCM City to receive goods.

The GDVC has requested local customs departments not to impose fines for violations of time limits for carrying out customs procedures due to force majeure.

Customs has allowed firms to submit e-scans of Certificates of Origin, form AK, KV to enjoy special preferential tax rates under the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and Korea (VKFTA).

The customs has suspended inspection for operation as customs brokers at firms. The Customs only check dossiers submitted by firms to extent or recognise eligibility for operation, Deputy Director Dao Duy Tam said.

Customs has suspended inspection for goods preservation at lock-down areas until these areas lift lockdown orders.

The GDVC has required the Post Clearance Audit Department to suspend compliance inspection and assessment for firms that have no signs of violation to create conditions for firms to focus on solving difficulties, maintaining production and business activities.

It has also asked units in the whole sector to strengthen information collection and risk assessment to take measures to supervise imports and exports and prevent the abusing the preferential policies for violation.

Units are asked to expedite the information collection and analysis of information for the assigned plans; expand investigation and verification of goods with fake Vietnamese origin exported to the US, EU and India to make plans for post clearance audit and carefully prepare inspection plans when the pandemic is under control, ensuring the completion of assigned tasks in 2021.

Quick customs clearance for pandemic prevention and control

Customs has made great efforts to ensure quick customs clearance for imports as medical equipment, modern medicine, vaccines and biological products for disease prevention and treatment.

The GDVC has instructed the quick customs clearance for aid and donations, gifts from foreign countries or goods imported by domestic organisations and individuals to support or donate to the Government, the Ministry of Health, and local governments.

Customs branches at international airport are asked to facilitate customs clearance for imported vaccine batches and allow imported to submit the test sheet of medicine and medicinal ingredients with the electronic signature of the manufacturer in customs process.