When a commodity enters or exits the country and enters the customs area, a series of activities called customs declaration and customs clearance begin. The clearance of imported goods from abroad, according to regulations, requires permits, documents, and records that must be presented to customs. After paying the relevant duties, clearance is issued for the release of the goods. These documents are divided into three categories: documents related to the goods, documents related to the owner of the goods, and documents related to the owner’s representative. The customs clearance process involves several stages, including: preparing and registering import or export documents either physically or electronically, calculating amounts such as commercial profit, customs duties, tax base, customs tariff, and facilitation measures provided by the government to importers and exporters, among others.
Complete description of customs clearance methods:
1- Registering the declaration through the customs system
The first step in customs clearance involves completing the import declaration and registering the information in the country’s customs system, which is done via the EPL system. The import declaration, along with other documents such as a copy of the trade license, warehouse receipt, bill of lading, clearance permit, certificate of origin, purchase invoice, currency purchase declaration or letter of credit, proforma invoice, import registration permit, packing list, customs insurance, and others, must be prepared by the owner of the goods or their representative.
2- Receiving the code in the Identity Verification Department
The Identity Verification Department is the customs technical department that reviews the received documents and, upon approval, registers the registration number, also known as the code. After receiving the code, the declaration is stamped and sealed.
3- Inspection and Evaluation of Goods
Based on the designated route for the shipment, the goods are inspected and evaluated. If the goods fall into the red or yellow categories, they require control, and therefore, the package is opened and examined by a customs appraiser to verify it against the documents. After this stage, the shipment is reviewed in the valuation department, where the declared value, customs records, and other methods of determining value are assessed.
4- Obtaining the necessary permits
Depending on the shipment type and if required, permits such as standards, health certificates, quarantine certificates, licenses for telecommunications and radio equipment, and others are obtained in this stage.
5- Payment and issuance of the clearance document
After the amount payable is determined by customs, the owner of the goods deposits the fee into the customs account, and consequently, a green customs clearance permit is issued for them.
6- Warehousing and issuing the receipt
Once the necessary settlements with the transportation company are completed, and upon receiving the warehouse receipt and other required documents, customs issues the loading permit. Additionally, a fee for warehousing is collected from the owner of the goods by the person responsible for storing the cargo.
7- Exit of goods
The final stage in customs clearance is receiving the warehouse exit slip from the customs warehousekeeper. After verifying the green customs clearance permit and stamping the exit seal, the slip is issued, allowing the owner of the goods to bring their vehicle into customs for loading the imported cargo.