Catalog

Single-Stop Customs

by By Truman Becker (tbecker@adb.org)
Consultant, GMS Unit

EASIER MOVEMENT--Customs cooperation is being promoted as a means to facilitate trade

Developing intercountry transport networks in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and reducing the time spent at border checkpoints are integral to fully realizing the subregion’s development potential.

With this in mind, the GMS Trade Facilitation Working Group, meeting in 1999, has given priority to customs cooperation as a means to ease trade barriers—especially at shared borders in the GMS. As a first step, the GMS countries have agreed to pilot-test single-stop customs inspection procedures at selected border crossings. ADB provided assistance for the pilot-testing through a technical assistance grant.

Single-stop inspection means joint control by customs officials of harmonized customs inspection procedures through shared facilities or mutual recognition. The officials of countries with common borders help each other perform their duties by carrying out inspections jointly and simultaneously wherever possible. When physically adjacent frontier control posts are not possible, customs officers from one country are allowed to perform their duties in the other country. Alternatively, the countries may delegate their inspection and control duties to each other’s officials.

The pilot-testing of single-stop customs inspections includes

ONE STOP--Immigration will soon be smoother

• deciding on alternative modalities of joint controls at common borders;
• mutually recognizing procedures and practices, and delegating inspection authority;
• identifying facilities and capacities in customs offices at border sites;
• implementing workshops for customs officials and preparatory steps for increased automation and processing; and
• conducting a midterm evaluation of pilot-testing.

As of mid-2002, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Viet Nam are participating in the pilot-testing at the border crossings of Mukdahan-Savannakhet, Dansavanh-Lao Bao, Aranyaprathet-Poipet, and Bavet-Moc Bai. All pilot-test sites are on different economic corridors currently being developed.

The experiences gained from the pilot- test sites will be applied to the GMS-wide implementation of single-stop customs inspection procedures in the medium term. The GMS countries have also agreed to cooperate in the areas of single-window inspection and automation of customs transactions, thus laying the foundation for a modern customs system in the subregion.

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