The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) said that a year after the amendment of the country’s customs law, it has brought a number of benefits to local exporters.
GDVC said the Department of Customs Control and Supervision evaluated the effect of the law and pronounced it “has a positive impact on export activities and a number of customs operations.”
The Department of Customs Control and Supervision said, “After almost one year of implementing the Customs Law 2014, GDVC have issued 40 written documents to address the problems of the local customs departments and the business community.”
It added that most of the problems were “due to misunderstandings with the provisions of the Law and [lack of clarity] of the guidelines”
GDVC said the changes to the Customs Law as well as the issuance of other documents detailing implementation of its provisions “have [a] far and deep impact on export activities of enterprises” and the entire customs operations.
It noted how the law continues to enable customs procedures for export goods to be simplified, allowing for the faster submission of documents to customs authorities and reduction in the steps and time consumed in processing outbound shipments.
Moreover, GDVC said customs operations have been modernized and now incorporate the application of principles of risk management throughout the whole inspection and supervision operations. Post-clearance audit has also been strengthened.
It added that the “Customs Law has created conditions to promote and improve the efficiency of anti-smuggling [operations] and prevent [the illegal transport of] goods across the border.”
The agency’s organizational structure was also fortified, and Customs officers’ professional qualifications have been specialized for each field.
The law also makes transparent the rights and obligations of the customs declarants, organizations, and individuals involved.
But the agency admitted there are still problems, including those related to customs dossiers, the uneven implementation of polices among customs units, and difficulties in implementing the provisions for checking the liquidity profiles at the businesses’ location.
This, it said, is why it continues to hold conferences with enterprises for their comments on the new law and its guiding documents.
According to the site Vietnam Law Guide, Vietnam adopted Customs Law 2014 No. 54/2014/QH13 on June 23, 2014, and the law was announced publicly by the State President on July 10, 2014.
It said the regulation aims to “facilitate the application of modern customs management in accordance with international practices,” while ensuring political security and national security and sovereignty. It also seeks to attract foreign investment, improve the competitiveness of domestic and international businesses, and promote economic growth.
The Customs Law further stipulates fundamental changes to customs procedures from traditional to semi-electronic to ultimately full electronic mode; further simplification of customs procedures; creation of a legal basis for implementing customs procedures; and adoption of the national single-window mechanism.
The law also amends and supplements provisions of the Vietnam Customs Law 2005 to ensure consistency of customs legislation with relevant legislation such as the Law on Product Quality, Law on Food Safety, and Commercial Law.
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