In a workshop in Asharqia Chamber:
Customs Authority: "the application of customs clearance profession guide is going to take place next month."
14 Amends on the Guide and expanding the powers of companies.
The General Authority of Saudi Customs has set a date for the implementation of the new manual for customs clearance profession, which was issued by the Authority to be a reference for all employees in this field.
Asharqia Chamber hosted an expanded workshop on Thursday, April 19, 2018 that entitled, "Manual to Practice The Profession of Customs Clearance." Bandar bin Rafi al-Jabri, a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber, Abdulmohsen Al-Hammad, Director of Licensing Department at the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, and a number of customs loyalists were attended this workshop, which was taking place at the hall of Sheikh Hamad al-Gosaibi in Asharqia Chamber.
In the welcoming speech, Bandar Al Jabri, a member of the Board of Asharqia Chamber, said that the Kingdom has moved from the 49th to 25th level in the world and the region's first in the logistics performance index. It requires the introduction of new and improved organizational formulations that facilitate the movement of goods and stimulate the investment environment in various sectors.
He added that the issuance of a manual to practice the customs clearance profession comes in the light of the Kingdom's rapid growth towards the development and modernization of the structure of the national economy and the tendency to maximize its logistics position in the world in line with the vision of the Kingdom of 2030 by facilitating the movement of goods exported. It regulates the work of the customs agents; it is one of the most important steps to regulate the work environment within the Saudi Customs in order to achieve the national aspirations towards a new start in industry, export and re-export to all countries of the world.
The manual is going to include the rules regulating customs clearance, the mechanism of its operation, and all the customs and legal procedures related to it. Al-Jabri said that this manual indicates a sincere desire to develop the procedures of practicing this profession and those who perform it, optimize their performance, and then raise them to the level of aspirations. The issuance of the manual is considered as a qualitative initiative that reorganizes the custom clearance workers and motivates them to raise efficiency and improve performance.
During the workshop, the Director of the Customs Control Department at the Authority, Eng. Khalid Al-Arj, said that the new manual, which will be implemented early next month, is in line with the strategy of the Authority to reduce the period of inspection witnessed by the workers in this field clearly. In fact, it is part of a number of initiatives implemented by the Authority at present in coordination with all concerned governmental and civil authorities.
He stressed that the Authority is living in a transitional stage that hopes to further develop in all fields, including the customs clearance profession, because the custom clearance professional is "our partner in success." He added, "he is also our partner in the preparation of this guide, which we hope will reflect the customs work through aiming at improving and enhancing the Kingdom's situation in the global economy." The goal of the guide is to regulate the practice of clearance, regulate the procedures for issuing, renewing, and canceling customs clearance licenses, in addition to controlling customs clearance activity on the movement of importing and exporting goods and reducing customs violations. The Guide also contributes to increase voluntary compliance and clarifies the procedures involved. He said that the Authority is in full coordination with all concerned bodies such as the Department of Transportation, the Saudi Ports Authority, as well as the Ministry of the Interior to control the violations.
Mohammed Al Dokan (from the Customs Control Department at the Saudi Customs) presented a visual presentation in which he reviewed the vision and objectives of the Authority. He stressed the Authority's keenness to keep abreast of developments and achieve additional gains for the national economy and transforming them into a global logistics platform.
He revealed the existence of 1764 customs clearance offices throughout the Kingdom, according to the statistics of last year 2017, where more than 11 thousand custom clearance professional work. There are 3319 licenses in the Kingdom since the launch of the system.
Al-Dokan said that the new manual includes additional amendments to the mechanism of work of the custom clearance professionals, which were identified in 20 addresses. It was launched on the portal of the General Authority for Customs. The most important of which is the identification of the bank guarantee for the professionals of the value of 300 thousand riyals and the institutions of 200 thousand riyals. Institution in the name of individual could be established with the value of the institution's guarantee. He pointed out that the bank guarantee allows the custom clearance professional to work in more than one branch.
Al-Dokan said that the applicant must obtain a customs clearance license for individuals. The individual must submit to the Customs Authority through the customs portal to request approval for granting him a customs clearance license. The applicant must be a Saudi or a GCC national under the national identity, residing in the Kingdom, and 21 years old and has a high school diploma or equivalent, or is exempted from the requirement of educational qualification holders of the license before the issuance of this manual, and be able to carry out customs clearance.
The manual also stipulated that the customs clearance work and import and export activity should not be combined.
Regarding the fines, Al-Dokan said that the Authority is seeking to classify the agents according to the workspace, and the number of branches and compliance with the instructions. He stressed at the same time that there would be inspection tours carried out by the Authority after the application of the manual in order to verify the application of instructions and reduce the violations.
