Improving Customs Transit Systems
In the Islamic Countries
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and exports. Its objective is to facilitate the border crossing of goods based on the
implementation of measures of commercial facilitation and border control that allow:
 Implicit reduction of time and cost in transits;
 Ensure effective and efficient control of people and goods circulating through the region;
 Greater competitiveness through the harmonization, optimization, and simplification of
customs procedures;
 Increases the revenue collection and above all, improve security by applying the risk
management.
Figure 9: TIM Concept
Source: Author’s compilation
The International Transit of Merchandise of Central America (TIM) is partially inspired by the
EU NCTS. The TIM is an IT system for the management and control of the transit of goods that
includes the creation of unified border control; implementation of information technology to
interconnect CAs in the process for CTR tracking; a modernization of system by means of which
the various and different forms are replaced by a single one - the information of multiple
agencies (including Customs and OGAs); and stronger cooperation among regional agencies.
2.2.2.4 TIM implementation phases
El Salvador was the first country to implement the TIM system gradually as a transit territory
over the period 2011-2013 for consignments originated in El Salvador. This gradual
implementation was to “learn on the fly” that standardized and harmonized the procedural
variations in CTR. The TIM was first primarily applied on export and transit operations starting
in San Bartolo, Comalapa, Santa Ana, Ajacutla, and the Free Trade Zones, going through La
Hachadura or San Cristobal to Guatemala and Mexico and through El Poy or El Amatillo to
Honduras and Nicaragua in 2011. Previously, at the Amatillo BCP between El Salvador and
Honduras, it was necessary to present 12 sets of paper documents. After the implementation of