Strengthening customs inspection and control through information analysis of the manifest and checkingwith the actual imported and exported goods have contributed to effectively preventing smuggling and trade fraud at land border gates.

Customs strengthens goods analysis to quickly identify violations. In the photo:
Kim Thanh II Land International Border Gate (Lao Cai): A.V

Prevent smugglers from taking advantage of policies

Through customs control and supervision of imported and exported goods at land border gates, Customs has detected a situation that several businesses take advantage of open and facilitating policies to carry out smuggling and trade fraud, the Customs Management and Supervision Department said.

Notably, businesses take advantage of facilitation by the customs agency such as businesses being allowed to make customs declarations before goods arrive and the customs declaration is valid within 15 days ofthe opening date and receive the result of channel classification after making the declaration to perform fraud.

If the declaration is classified into the Green Channel, businesses will import and export goods differently from those stated in the declaration. If the declaration is classified in the Red Channel, businesses will follow the declaration or cancel the declaration to respond to the Customs agency.

In addition, firms also exploit customs permission on not declare information in advance about goods to gather goods at land border gates and wait toillegal transport them to the inland; to import goods banned from import, counterfeit trademark goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights or import goods in which information are not in accordance with the customs declaration such as type, quantity and value.

Or firms take advantage of open management mechanism for customs regime oftransit or temporary import for re-export to sell goods under customs supervision or export them to a third country but then illegally re-entering Vietnam.

From the analysis of these acts as well as the practical experience in customs control and supervision for import and export activities, the General Department of Customs has asked the provincial and municipal Customs Departments to follow regulations of the customs laws, tax laws and other regulations aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of customs inspection and control.

In addition, customs departments of the provinces and cities which have land and inland waterways border gates have directed their border-gate customs branches to request vehicle drivers to declare information about vehicles and imported goods before bringing the goods into Vietnam such as name, quantity, weight and amount.

The Customs Management and Supervision Department said under the direction of the General Department of Customs, the customs agency will not allow vehicles and goods to enter border gate areas without sufficient information as in the statement of imported goods in Articles 66 and 69 of the Customs Law.

At the same time, imported goods shall be classified into physical inspection channel (100%) for department stores and consumer goods according to customs import regimesA11 and A12.

Or the customs agency shall conduct a physical inspection for cases of showing signs of sign of import of goods on the list of goods banned from import, temporarily suspended from import; showing signs of fraud in type, quality, quantity, weight, code, value, origin and intellectual property; or the value of the goods, the payable tax amount are not consistent with the weight or type; the shipment has many types with different purposes of use; or weight of goods declared on the customs declaration is less than the capacity of a standard container or the tonnage of a means of transport.

Strict management enhanced

The implementation of a series of measures to strengthen inspection and supervision via the information analysis of manifest and checking with the actual import and export goods have contributed to effectively preventing smuggling and trade fraud across land border gates.

The above measures have prevented the evasion of transit permit for goods requiring permits upon transit. Customs has also discovered some consignments showing signs of violation and conducted 100% physical inspection at the import border gate and attacheda positioning seal after the inspection. The number of positioning seals used to monitor goods has increased significantly at local Customs units. Up to now, 6,015 positioning seals have been used.

The Customs agency has detected the situation that smugglers made declaration at the inland customs agency instead of the border customs agency for suspect consignments.

Facing this problem, in addition to strengthening inspection and supervision measures, the customs agency must continue carry out synchronous solutions like improving the spirit and responsibility of customs units in the supervision and management of operations; clearly defining the responsibilities of each unit and level in implementing the instructions of the General Department of Customs.

With regard to goods in transit and temporarily imported for re-export, the General Department of Customs requests provincial or municipal customs departments to direct their border-gate customs branches to analyse information of goods in transit and detect the shipments showing signs of hiding banned goods, goods in transit requiring a permit but failing to have a permit, goods infringing intellectual property rights, and goods not declared and goods subject to physical inspection (100%). The shipment must be affixed with an electronic seal to be transported to the export border gate.