Asycuda World |19 August 2013

Customs procedures for clearance of express mail and courier

Clearing agents or courier companies are responsible to submit their declarations in the Asycuda World system with pertinent documents for clearance of express mail and courier. It is the responsibility of the airline companies or agents to register the manifest in the Asycuda World and to provide master airway bills (AWBs) for courier companies .The clearing agents or courier company will be able to access the manifest to prepare their bills of entry.

What are the requirements for the consignments under the different categories?
The clearing agents or courier company must follow the guidelines in regards to consignments under each category (using IM4 and Extended procedure 4000)
• Consignments under category 1: These are parcels declared as containing “Documents” without commercial value. Consignments under this category must be declared using HS code 49119990 and must use the national procedure code “DOC” (Document).  The value must be the same as declared in the AWBs and the requirement with the bill of entry is one house AWB containing a consolidation of all parcels labeled “DOCUMENTS”.

• Consignments under category 2: These are goods without commercial purpose, low value and not dutiable because of their nature and/or use. Non-dutiable goods will use the commodity code applicable to the goods and the national procedure code: ”NON” (non-dutiable). The value must be the same as declared in the AWBs. The requirement with the bill of entry is one item for each house AWB with parcels containing documents and goods without commercial purpose, low value and not dutiable.  

• Consignments under category 3: These are goods for commercial purpose, high value and dutiable. Goods in this category must follow applicable rules, in strict application of normal importation procedure and must use the relevant national procedure code in line with the type of importation.  The requirement with the bill of entry is a house AWB for each final consignee and each describing the content of the particular AWB in reference to the third category. A print out of the AWB will replace the original AWB attached to the parcel. The original AWB with the invoices and other relevant documents must be submitted to the importer/clearing agent for clearance purpose.

What are the clearance procedures for express mail and courier?
The clearance procedures for express mail and courier are according to the category of consignments as described above:  
• Consignments under category 1:  These follow a fast process and all necessary documents must be scanned, and registered with the declaration in the Asycuda World. After registration, couriers can print the “Release Order” and submit all documents to Customs.  Bags labeled as “Documents” will be inspected and released provided that no discrepancies are found. However, if any discrepancy is found during inspection the release procedure is stopped and an e-query is created and solved by normal procedure for any importation.

• Consignments under categories 2 and 3: The courier company or clearing agents must register the bill of entry (at least one bill of entry for non-dutiable goods, and all necessary bill of entries for dutiable goods) with all scanned mandatory documents such as invoices, and e-permit for all restricted goods. All the documents will be evaluated and if no error is found then the bill of entry will be assessed, followed by payment of duties.  Non-dutiable goods must be identified using the code 4000 NON in every item of the bill of entry.

During the assessment of the bill of entry, if errors are found an e-query will be created and sent to the broker to ensure that the appropriate modification is done on the bill of entry:
• The courier company or clearing agent will receive a list of suggested modifications and if the query is accepted then the declaration is modified, the bill of entry is re-routed to the green channel and then followed by payment of duties.

• If the query is not accepted, then the bill of entry is set to stand-by while the courier company or clearing agent corrects the discrepancies, providing additional supporting documents and escalating to the necessary level. Once the discrepancies are corrected a message is sent to the courier company or clearing agent to proceed with the necessary payment of duties.

• A hard copy of the documents, including the payment receipt must be submitted to the Customs officer. Please note that incomplete documents will not be accepted and will be returned. The next stage is the release of the goods depending on the selectivity for inspection. For example if the bill of entry has been routed to Red channel physical examination of the goods will be done. A message will be sent to the declarant for an appointment for the inspection.

For more information
You can contact the Seychelles Revenue Commission on 4293737 or email us at commissioner@src.gov.sc  or contact us at the following address: Seychelles Revenue commission, PO Box 50, Orion Mall, Victoria. You can also download the guide Get Started as an Asycuda World user on SRC website: www.src.gov.sc