With declarations of goods in transit accounting for a large number of the total number of import and export declarations through the border gate, to effectively manage and prevent abuse of this customs regime for smuggling and trade fraud, Tay Ninh Customs Department has implemented many solutions to inspect, detect and prevent banned goods through transit.

Customs officers at Xa Mat border gate inspect goods in transit. Photo T.D

Potential risks

Many traders have taken advantage of the customs regime of goods in transit, re-export and bonded warehouse goods from Vietnam to Cambodia to conduct smuggling, commercial fraud and illicit transportation of banned goods and conditionally imported goods across the border.

On May 20, at Xa Mat international border gate, when supervising goods in transit from Cai Mep Port (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) to Cambodia, Xa Mat Border Gate Customs Branch worked with the Customs Enforcement Team and the Drug Prevention and Control Team under Tay Ninh Customs Department to discover a container of goods in transit carrying infringing goods including powdered milk, speakers, amplifiers and watches.

Xa Mat Border Gate Customs Branch said as declared by Minh Huy SG Import-Export Trading Service Co., Ltd. (the firm opened an export declaration at Cai Mep Port Customs Branch), the shipment is departmental items, 100% new, made in the US, weighing over 20 tonnes. However, when inspecting the actual goods, it was found that Minh Huy SG Import-Export Trading Service Co., Ltd. inaccurately declared a large number of milk products in transit and did not submit a certificate of the quarantine of terrestrial animals and products thereof in transit through Vietnamese territory according to the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The above shipment contained dozens of used speakers, amplifiers and watches. These are goods on the list of prohibited goods per regulations. Xa Mat Border Gate Customs Branch is conducting a physical inspection of another transit shipment that also shows signs of violations similar to this shipment.

Nguyen Du Duc, Deputy Director of Xa Mat Border Gate Customs Branch said goods in transit through the Xa Mat border gate are mainly goods transported from the main border gates of Cai Mep (Ba Ria-Vung Tau), Cat Lai and Tan Son Nhat airport (HCM City) with an average of about 15 containers per day. The main items are consumer goods, apparel, cosmetics, supplementary foods, etc.

In addition to facilitating goods clearance for businesses, Tay Ninh Customs has implemented many solutions to inspect, supervise and strictly manage goods in transit at the Xa Mat border gate, especially key items to identify violations of customs procedures as well as promptly prevent prohibited goods from goods in transit

Customs officer at Moc Bai border gate inspect the positioning-seal of goods in transit.
Photo T.D

Strictly control the border gate

Moc Bai border gate Customs Branch carries out customs clearance procedures for about 300 means of transport of import and export goods per day. The amount of declarations of goods in transit accounts for about 80% of the total declarations. This place is also considered a hotspot with potential risks and risks about taking advantage of transit to transport banned goods and goods infringing intellectual property rights across the border.

Deputy Director of Moc Bai Border Gate Customs Branch Nguyen Van Cuong said to carry out supervision and management of goods in transit, the branch has carried out many solutions to tighten management and limit risks such as when receiving export declarations in transit, if there are goods on the list of risk management or key goods, customs officers will report them to the branch’s leaders for instruction on taking measures to monitor and manage shipments such as escorting and transferring the shipments to Cambodia to avoid the goods being returned and illegally entering into Vietnam; regularly exchange information with customs branches where the goods are declared to find information about the shipments; and receive information from other Customs branches for key shipments in transit through Moc Bai border gate.

In addition, amid the complex Covid-19 pandemic in Cambodia, to realise the "dual goal" of both effective pandemic prevention and control, and facilitation to customs clearance, the branch has arranged officers equipped with anti-pandemic equipment to inspect and supervise goods at the border gates.

For drivers, they must wear protective suits, masks and be under disinfectant according to regulations, when the vehicle arrives at the border gate, the vehicle cabin is sealed by the health agency and when the vehicle passes the milestone to unload goods or change containers to move to Vietnam, they will be disinfected by the health agency. At the workplaces of the Customs force, they are equipped with masks, gloves and antiseptic fluid, and recently, the branch has been equipped with six disinfection machines by Tay Ninh Customs Department at the places for receiving dossiers.