Firms to be accustomed to e-customs priorities

According to the Vietnam Customs’ Customs Modernisation and Reform Board, a pilot e-customs programme has been devised.

Under which, from early 2011, at least 50 local and foreign companies in Vietnam will be prioritised in e-customs formalities, customs declaration in digital forms and online registration.

“Enterprises will be able to undertake customs procedures in the most convenient manner.

Their goods will get customs clearance very quickly,” said the board’s head Le Van Ninh, adding that the move was also expected to help attract more foreign investment.

“Only companies equipped with e-customs systems, claiming big export turnovers, having easily-managed export and import products and a transparent financial picture will be selected for the programme,” Ninh said.

The programme is part of Vietnam’s efforts to realise its e-commerce potential and help enterprises lower their costs, enhance their competitiveness and coax more foreign partners. It also helps the local customs sector to catch up with the world’s customs standards, according to the Vietnam Customs.

Ninh said companies should make application forms which include their business situations, financial software and their self-assessment of business performance. Then the forms would be sent to municipal or provincial customs departments, which would appraise the applications and submit them to the Vietnam Customs.

Consequently, the Vietnam Customs would directly examine the companies’ performance before issuing the final decisions about granting special e-customs priorities to the companies.

At present, such priorities are exclusively given to the US-backed Intel Products Vietnam Company.

Recently, a memorandum of understanding about implementation of the programme was clinched between Intel with Ho Chi Minh City’s Customs Department.

The chip maker believed the priorities would be an important step towards attracting more investments to Vietnam.

Ninh said Taiwanese electronics maker Foxconn also asked the prime minister for such a special privilege. However, its proposal remained under consideration.

He said that the South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung’s similar proposal to the prime minister “may be” approved in the coming time.

“All these companies engage in high technology and are investors with safe investment. Meanwhile, this programme is initially focused on such high-tech companies as them. Locally-owned companies must make greater efforts to be listed in the programme,” Ninh said.

“At present, besides Intel, a company wanting to get such a priority has to be approved in written form by the prime minister,” he said.

Special e-customs programmes have been implemented for decades in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, China and the Philippines. For example, Singapore has 500 enterprises enjoying e-customs priorities from the city state’s customs agency.