Only 2 - 5 minutes to declare the import/export of agricultural products

E-customs clearance

To ensure smooth operations at border gates in the northern province of Lang Son, especially international and national border gates, and create a favorable business environment for businesses, organisations, and individuals, the Management Board of the Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone have advised and submitted to the provincial People's Committee to promulgate border gates’ rules.

Accordingly, regulations on working time, overtime duty, working location, working order, and a list of administrative procedures are specified. Requirements on uniforms, insignia, working style, and attitude of functional forces at the border gate as well as responsibilities of agencies, organisations, and individuals who enter, depart and work at the border gate areas are also added.

To publicise and ensure transparency of administrative procedures, and create favourable conditions for individuals/organizations engaged in import and export activities to access and connect with state agencies, digital technology has been strongly promoted in Lang Son.

Digital transformation gradually helps improve service quality, increasing the volume of goods cleared for import and export through border gates in the area.

The management board cooperated with the province’s Department of Information and Communications and specialized agencies to apply the digital border gate platform at Huu Nghi International Border Gate and Tan Thanh Border Gate from February 21, 2022.

The management board also studied, developed, and submitted to the Provincial People's Committee to issue a Decision on the process of using the digital border gate platform in Lang Son province. The implementation of the platform has initially been effective, showing the image of a government "facilitating, acting and for the people".

Digital transformation not only creates a solid infrastructure for the rapid and sustainable development of the border gate economy but also ensures transparency and prevents negatives and risks of revenue loss to the state budget. 

The transformation also provides tools to help leaders make policies, reduce costs, and reduce risks for import-export businesses.

Currently, the digital border gate platform is running stably, businesses have mastered the online declaration of information, and the time to declare information of enterprises is very fast just about 2 to 5 minutes. 

Imported agricultural products and goods always keep the best quality when reaching consumers. All trucks declare online on the digital border gate platform before entering the border gate and the entire customs clearance process is handled on the digital border gate platform.

As a result, from February 21, 2022, to October 15, 2022, Huu Nghi International Border Gate saw 59,656 tickets for vehicles that carry imports, 14,841 tickets for vehicles that carry exports, and 46,179 tickets for Chinese vehicles. 

At Tan Thanh border gate, there are 27,341 tickets for import vehicles and 31,610 tickets for export vehicles.

In addition, the Border Gate Management Centre implement cashless toll collection for transshipped vehicles according to the Resolution of the People's Council of Lang Son province.

In the last two months of 2022, which is also the harvest season for fruit and agricultural products in Vietnam and other countries like Thailand and the Lunar New Year Celebration of Vietnam and China, the demand for exchange, purchase, and sale of imported and exported goods to serve the production of enterprises, as well as the consumption of the people of the two countries, will increase sharply.

It is forecast that the number of goods heading to the border gates in the province is very large.

Therefore, the management board will continue to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies and units to actively master the import and export situation of goods and then, propose the Provincial People's Committee solutions to create the most favorable conditions for customs clearance of goods, especially fruits and agricultural products of Vietnam.

In the first ten months of the year, the management board organised 19 online talks between Vietnamese agencies and the People's Government of Pingxiang town, the Management Board of the Pingxiang general tax-suspension area, People's Government of Ninh Minh District; sent 41 working letters to exchange and agree on a plan for goods delivery and receipt at border gates in line with the pandemic prevention and control measures and customs clearance facilitation measures to increase customs clearance capacity at border gates.

Plant quarantine at border gates plays an important role in ensuring product safety and protecting domestic production, creating a reputation for exporting products to foreign countries.

The Sub-Department of Plant Quarantines Zone 7 and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Plant Protection Department have actively reduced administrative procedures, shortening the time of import and export for enterprises' shipments thanks to online public services.

Now, businesses do not have to go directly to the border gate. They can register for quarantine online and then send it directly to the system. After that, the plant quarantine officer will directly receive the dossier and return the results according to the KPI at the specified time on the system.

Nguyen Thi Ha, Director of the Zone 7 Plant Quarantine Sub-Department said that the application of online public services for receiving plant quarantine registration has greatly improved, reducing half of the time.

For example, customs clearance of goods used to require about four hours to complete but now, it is shortened to a maximum of about two hours to clear the shipment, thus saving manpower for State agencies, saving customs clearance time and costs for businesses, and promoting agricultural exports. 

At the same time, the phytosanitary certificate fully meets the criteria of other countries and is also consistent with the current administrative reform requirements.

In general, from the end of April 2022, the customs clearance in Lang Son has had more positive signals after Vietnam agreed with China to deploy the contactless delivery method at the border gates of Tan Thanh, Huu Nghi. 

The efficiency of customs clearance for export and import goods through border gates in the province is increasingly improved. Up to now, the goods transported to the border gates are cleared within the day, and the inventory at the end of the day is very little, mainly vehicles that arrive late, not in time for customs clearance.