Improving Customs Transit Systems

In the Islamic Countries



The imposition of national security requirements (guarantee, bond, a deposit of duty,

etc.) to cover the potential duties, taxes and other charges at risk while the goods are in

transit through each territory;



Reduce the Customs requirements deriving from national transit procedures. The

transit system should avoid the necessity - expensive in manpower and facilities - for

physical inspection in countries of transit other than checking seals and the external

conditions of the load compartment or container;



Use of Customs Risk Management to focus on high-risk consignments; and also



Provide simplification for Customs authorities arising from the fact that the

international transit operation is covered by a single transit document, which reduces

the risk of presenting inaccurate information – or data discrepancies- to different

Customs administrations.

2.2.4.2

Best Practices

ASEAN ACTS Best practices

- The ACTS aims to improve the ASEAN customs efficiency and

transparency in transit by improving Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation initiative

through the utilization of information technology and by developing an advanced, web-based

transit system.

ACTS is aimed at supporting the exchange of structured messages among the Customs

Administration in the ASEAN Region by managing the movement of goods in transit. Such a

system does not intend to replace, but to complement the current and future national Customs

systems in transit procedure and to assist human controllers in ASEAN countries. Guarantee

management and the management of risk are the key components of the system.

The benefits of ACTS

are:



Access to the ASEAN Customs Transit System to all authorized traders in accordance

with mutually agreed and pre-defined criteria, without discrimination;



Electronic communication between traders and Customs authorities, as well as

electronic communication among Customs authorities of Member States for each step

in the application of ASEAN Customs Transit procedure;



Single regional Customs transit declaration;



One transit guarantee valid for all ASEAN countries, provided by approved guarantors

from the financial sector;



Simplifications and exemptions from standard requirements for authorized compliant

traders based on risk profiling.

International Goods in Transit (TIM) Best practices

- The operation of the TIM platform

basically depends on the level technology acquired by each participating country; the CAs is

ADB, 2012, Trade and trade facilitation in the Greater Mekong Sub region; Chapter 4: Trade Transit System in the GMS—

Can It Work as Proposed? Des Grimble and Gordon Linington; (p.93)