DUBAI: Despite the global economic slowdown, Customs has managed to score a significant rise in the number of the transactions processed in the first quarter of this year. Official figures show that the oldest department in the emirate of Dubai processed 2.241 million transactions in the first three months of 2016 as compared to 2.217 million over the same period last year.
The Customs transactions comprise 19 main services provided through 23 inland, sea and air port customs centers distributed all around the Emirate of Dubai. These transactions have been delivered through six channels, including Dubai Trade, B2G, Dubai Customs portal, and mobile and smart phone applications.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the Chairman and CEO of DP World and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, said the growth shows the UAE economy started the year on a strong footing. “The growth is also due to the comprehensive work strategy implemented by Dubai Customs to harness all available resources to deliver top-notch services and create initiatives that facilitate legitimate trade and make customers happy.”
Director of Dubai Customs Ahmed Mahboob Musabih forecasts an even more noticeable and continuous increase in the number of processed transactions for the rest of the year, due to Dubai customs’ improved ability to process transaction faster than ever.
“Dubai Customs has assumed an active role in customs business development regionally and internationally. We are committed to assessing our performance in all areas, to upgrade our services and ensure our clients enjoy an added value that helps them boost their revenues.” The Smart Workspace is one of these developed sources which is meant to make customers happy by cutting down the time they need to fill in a Customs declaration from 15 – 20 minutes to only 1 – 5 minutes, Bin Sulayem stated. “The fact that 6.83 million Customs declarations were submitted in 2015 shows the importance of this tool.”
Dubai Customs was among the first organisations in the Middle East to adopt the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme. “It helps establish strategic partnerships that ensure better security and facilitation of global trade.” Dubai Customs, via the B2G system, offers its host of services through various channels, spanning an official website, smart apps, and others, he elaborated. “The 24/7 integrated system enables businesses, FZ companies, freight forwarders, airlines and Customs brokers to submit declarations online with easy transactional processing and E-payment taking place directly between both parties, in a timely efficient manner.”
The Risk engine is a smart system fed with shipment information from diverse channels. “Dubai Customs’ Intelligence Department collects, links and analyses information to determine and address potential risks.”
The safe transactions (i.e. risk-free) are evaluated by the Risk Engine and cleared electronically without any human intervention in less than two minutes. “The system is a great tool in facilitating trade flow without compromising community safety.” Bin Sulayem said the Virtual Corridor is a unique procedure that was launched by Dubai Customs in 2015 in collaboration with the Department of Economic Development in Dubai, DP World, JAFZA, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai Logistics City, Dubai Airports and Dubai Trade.
“The Virtual Corridor is the approved automated customs procedure to facilitate goods transport between two Dubai Customs centres by Dubai roads only, connecting the point of entry to the point of destination in the emirate.” The procedure enables hassle-free goods transport prior to their clearance under Cargo Transfer requests, he explained. “It makes the entire process more streamlined, time-saving and cost-efficient without any financial burden.”
Deposit-related financial burdens have been considerably minimized by some Dh160 million after the Virtual Corridor was implemented, he underlined. “More than 31,626 transfers of cargo through the Virtual Corridor have been processed since its launch in August 2014 till the end of January 2016.”
Bin Sulayem said the mobile app runs on smartphones offering Dubai Customs full range of services to customers 24/7 nonstop wherever they are. “The app helps customers to access 27 main services to cut down the transaction processing time.”
As for the Smart Claim and Refund System, it provides a centralised platform to streamline and simplify refund and claim procedures of guarantees deposited under duty-suspended cases. “It identifies revenue leakage in the refunds given by Dubai Customs, as well as develops and delivers People, Process and Technology (PPT) solutions to support the same.” The system also is meant to help Dubai Customs calculate refunds in a more accurate and simplified manner.
