Customs marked major milestone achievement in the first quarter of 2015, where it launched two services, namely pre-arrival declaration service. The service was officially inaugurated during the special ceremony held to mark this year’s International Customs Day, by the chief guest Minister of Tourism Honorable Ahmed Adeeb.
Pre-Arrival Declaration Processing Service will eliminate the current practice of manual entry of manifest by Customs Officers and will allow the consignees to present the documents to customs for processing even before the goods arrive in Maldives, thereby facilitating the quicker release of import shipments.
The newly introduced service is intended to reduce delays in declaration processing speed by 80%, which so far has shown positive results. The change of process has been a long awaited trade facilitation measure, which has been among the major demands from the importers and traders. The service also would help importers and traders to reduce significantly the amount of demurrage charges, which the port handlers would charge at the expiry of the 10-day demurrage free period.
