Businesses Can Use One Digital Signature for Tax Declaration, Customs Procedures

 

Currently, when registering to use e-customs procedures, each company is granted an electronic customs declaration account. However, many companies are not fully aware of their responsibilities for securing e-customs declaration accounts and leave their accounts at risk of appropriation or change without the knowledge and control of owners. This will lead to a lot of risks for businesses like failure to log in their accounts for declaration or illicit use by other parties like declaring prohibited goods.

 

Once using digital signatures for electronic customs declaration accounts, enterprises will help customs authorities to verify online declarers easily. Data sent are guaranteed accuracy and security, hence avoiding declaration information counterfeiting for digital signatures have been authenticated by certified public digital signature providers. Digital signature ensures convenient and quick transaction process between customs authorities with businesses to meet high safety and accuracy requirements.

 

The General Department of Vietnam Customs is maintaining two methods of declaration: Using digital signatures and not using digital signatures to facilitate companies across the country to complete customs clearances quickly. Nevertheless, with digital signatures, companies only need to take two minutes to perform this operation and bring long-term practical benefits to the business community.

 

To address potential congestion at the time of deploying digital signatures in e-customs procedures, the customs sector simultaneously applies two measures, namely technology and management. Regarding technology, the General Department of Vietnam Customs decentralises the power of checking data and signature compliance to the Provincial/Municipal Departments of Customs, thus reducing the workflow on its information technology system. Regarding management, the customs sector has now established a digital signature deployment support team affiliated to the Department of Information Technology and Customs Statistics to answer any concerns and support enterprises.

 

When digital signatures are used, only persons in charge are entitled to use encrypted digital signatures. When information is transferred and signed, persons without the responsibility will not be able to open it. When digitally signed customs declaration documents of enterprises are sent to customs offices, this information will be forwarded to authentication agencies for verification before it is opened. Hence, the document security will be guaranteed at a very high level. In addition, digital signatures also have the function of non-repudiation because digital signatures will help verify if enterprises repudiate their declared forms. When digital signatures are used, both declarers and recipients have encryption keys. If digital signatures are sent to an incorrect address, recipients without the key will not be to open the communication. In addition, technology firms also have very effective security solutions to digital signatures. At present, eight digital signature solutions providers are licensed by the Ministry of Information and Communication and they basically meet basic security requirements of enterprises.

 

The service fee for digital signatures is provided by service providers. Customs agencies have no connection to the feeing. Digital signature service providers will agree with enterprises on the fee. Currently, the fee is about VND1.5 million, including a token key - a user authentication device. The fee varies amongst service providers. Last but not least, a company can use one digital signature for tax declaration and customs declaration, thus helping it cut costs.