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PH starts electronic exchange of customs documents with Brunei, Indonesia
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The Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia may now electronically swap Association of Southeast Asian Nations customs declaration documents (ACDD) using the ASEAN Single Window
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The live exchange started on May 13
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Philippine ACDD exchanges with Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore has also begun
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Full implementation of the ACDD exchange will start as soon as the relevant customs memorandum order is issued
The Philippines has started electronic exchange of customs documents with Brunei and Indonesia using the ASEAN Single Window (ASW), according to the Bureau of Customs.
The ASEAN Secretariat has emailed member states of the live exchange of the the Association of Southeast Asian Nations customs declaration document (ACDD) by the Philippines with Brunei and Indonesia on May 13, BOC said in a statement.
The ACDD is a multipurpose document used to facilitate exchanges of export declaration information among ASEAN member states.
The document includes 15 mandatory information parameters extracted from the export declaration.
BOC said prior consent from exporters is needed before an electronic exchange of ACDD can take place.
On the importing side, the ACDD aims to provide better visibility to various intelligence, enforcement, and monitoring systems of Customs by providing advanced information and supporting risk targeting and profiling activities.
The Philippines, through BOC, joined the live electronic exchange of customs documents earlier this year with the following ASEAN member states: Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand on January 21; Malaysia on January 25; and Singapore on January 31.
READ: 4 ASEAN countries launch live online customs declaration exchange with PH
Full implementation will start upon the issuance of the relevant customs memorandum order, BOC said.
Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Vietnam are expected to join the ACDD live operation this year.
The ASW is the regional initiative to speed up cargo clearance and promote regional economic integration by enabling the electronic exchange of border documents among the 10 ASEAN member states.
In December 2020, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Singapore started exchanging the ACDD through the ASW, followed by Malaysia and Thailand on March 31, 2021. The remaining ASEAN member states were expected to join the live operation within 2021.
In August 2021, BOC said it had completed bidding for its ACDD System. When implemented, the system would enable the Philippines to electronically exchange ACDD on the ASW and help the country digitize trade processes and maximize the potential of intra-ASEAN trade.
Aside from the ACDD, the ASW allows electronic exchange of trade documents such as the electronic Certificate of Origin Form D under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, and the swapping of electronic phytosanitary and animal health certificates that ASEAN countries plan to exchange soon.
Currently, electronic certificates of origin can be exchanged by Philippine exporters with other ASEAN member states. BOC and other government agencies are working to onboard all trade regulatory government agencies (TRGA) on TradeNet this year to allow online application for import and export permits. TradeNet is the country’s national single window, which is a prerequisite to connect to the ASW.
Earlier, BOC said 21 TRGAs were already onboard TradeNet, while more than 50 will be onboard this year.
