Official Dispatch No. 3166/TCHQ-DTCBL dated May 12, 2017 of the General Department of Customs on strengthening control of high-risk containers

THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
THE GENERAL DEPARTMENT OF CUSTOMS 

Official Dispatch No. 3166/TCHQ-DTCBL dated May 12, 2017 of the General Department of Customs on strengthening control of high-risk containers

Recently, the General Department of Customs has promulgated and implemented Plan No. 7790/KH-TCHQ dated August 11, 2016 on strengthening control of high-risk containers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong City.

During the implementation progress, the General Department of Customs has evaluated the Plan’s implementation. According to achievements and drawbacks in the Plan No. 7790/KH-TCHQ dated August 11, 2016; the General Department of Customs shall keep analyzing and determining centrally containers posing high risks of smuggling or trade fraud for close inspection, control, and surveillance as well as make use of online surveillance equipment to be provided for customs authorities, especially mobile surveillance vehicles. The General Department of Customs requests above departments to comply with the following regulations:

1. Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department

- Intensify online surveillance applied to physical verification of goods at the places where cameras have been connected or mobile surveillance vehicles have been used so as to record moving pictures and monitor places where cameras have not been installed, and then transmit moving pictures to the online surveillance division affiliated to Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department

- Take charge of implementation and provide guidelines on implementation of this document for relevant entities.

- The online custom surveillance division affiliated to Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department shall continue collecting information, investigate, analyze, and process data to be obtained from the customs system so as to decide on containers showing signs of violations or doubtful about posing high risks to be put in the list of containers subject to central surveillance which is submitted to Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department for approval, and then forward to Risk Management Department. The Risk Management Department shall establish criteria for red channel, and focus on declaration made by the enterprises, use the surveillance camera system  or mobile surveillance equipment in cooperation with Sub-department of Customs of provinces/cities in order to monitor the physical verification of goods showing signs of violations to promptly prevent and clarify the violation.

- The online surveillance division affiliated to Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department shall, according to its functions and tasks, analyze information specified in the declaration (green, yellow, or red channel) and customs operation system to evaluate, consider, and determine doubts about violations, and then comply with regulations prescribed in Decision No. 888/QD-TCHQ dated March 17, 2017 on promulgation of regulations on officers on duty and online surveillance in the customs sector.

2. Risk Management Department

Upon receipt of a list of containers subject to sentinel surveillance transferred from the online custom surveillance division affiliated to Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department, Risk Management Department shall establish criteria for physical verification to be performed by Sub-department of Customs applicable to the list of container numbers, bill of lading numbers or business identification numbers at the request of Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department and guidance on risks on the e-clearance system.

3. Departments of Customs of provinces/cities

- Direct affiliated Sub-departments of Customs to cooperate with Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department in complying with this document and the following:

+ With regard to containers which have been chosen by Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department and transferred to Risk Management Department to establish criteria for red channel for the purpose of surveillance physical verification for which the risk instruction phrase “cooperation with Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department” is available in the e-clearance system, the relevant Sub-department of Customs shall cooperate with Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department as required.

+ With regard to declarations to be classified for green, yellow and red channel for which risk instruction phrase “cooperation with Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department” is not available in the e-clearance system, if a notice of containers showing signs of violations is sent from Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department, the relevant Sub-department of Customs shall cooperate with Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department in taking actions in accordance with Decision No. 888/QD-TCHQ dated March 17, 2017 on promulgation of regulations on officers on duty, online surveillance in customs sector.

+ Take charge and cooperate with relevant authorities in the administrative divisions to facilitate the online surveillance and ensure that people, facilities and equipment to be employed in that process will be safe.

- Strengthen the inspection and control of items such as iron scrap, plastic scrap, groceries, food, cosmetics, milk, baby nutrition, functional foods, old machinery, ceramic tiles, fabrics, and strengthen the post-customs clearance inspections of automobile spare parts, glasses, etc.

- Arrange and assign cargo checkers qualified for workload to ensure that the inspection and control of imports and exports is carried out as prescribed.

 For the General Director

The Deputy General Director

Nguyen Cong Binh