Customs Sector Launches Various Measures to Support Exporters, Importers

The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDC) recently held online meetings with many trade associations, priority enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises and directed provincial/municipal customs departments to make daily reports on situations and emerging matters to the GDC to have prompt solutions to ensure best export and import activities for enterprises.

The GDC has requested airport customs agencies to facilitate exit and entry procedures for travelers and work with local disease control and prevention agencies to quickly clear passengers, on the condition that disease prevention and control requirements are met and customs laws are respected. International airport border gates are requested to quickly clear goods, especially foreign aid to Vietnam for epidemic prevention and control, and Vietnam's aid to other countries.

As for border provinces, which have been severely affected by border-gate and trail closures, restrictions on customs clearance at international border gates, and congested goods at border gates, the GDC has instructed provincial/municipal customs departments to coordinate with local relevant agencies to conduct bilateral talks with competent authorities of partner countries to facilitate trade while controlling and limiting the disease spread, closely coordinate with relevant agencies, especially on the Chinese side, to relieve congestion in border areas, increase Vietnamese agricultural products to China, and facilitate import of components, raw materials, machinery and equipment for production. Hence, some provincial/municipal customs departments have actively implemented many solutions to facilitate businesses based on actual situations and GDC instructions.

In Lao Cai province, to ensure the rapid clearance of goods, local customs agencies have adopted support solutions to control passing vehicles by establishing vehicle fleets to transship commodities from border gate areas to given locations to help drivers avoid 14-day mandatory isolation applied to people on exit or entry, or allow oversized goods carried by transport means to go deep into the mainland for delivery.

In Lang Son province where exported goods, especially agricultural products, and imported materials were congested due to immigration restrictions that the two countries applied during the epidemic time, Lang Son Customs Department has directed local customs agencies to increase working hours, speed up clearance and regulate trucks passing border gates to reduce their loading and unloading time to avoid staying long in given Chinese yards; and collaborated with local forces to talk with Chinese authorities to reopen border gates, ensure safety against the pandemic, extend clearance time, and increase communications with border gate customs offices.

In addition, during March and April 2020 when enterprises had to submit final settlement reports on imported inputs and supplies for export-oriented production, the GDC instructed provincial/municipal customs departments to only check final settlement reports with signs of law violation.

By Hien Le, Vietnam Business Forum