34th PAPU Administrative Council

24 May – 3 June, 2015, Khartoum, SudanPAPU/AC/QIBD/STCWG/2015 - Doc N°

INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN CUSTOMS AND POSTAL AUTHORITIES

(Agenda item N°6b)

Subject
FACILITATION OF INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN CUSTOMS AND POSTAL AUTHORITIES: TOOLS AND BEST PRACTICES / References/paragraphs
--WCO-UPU Postal Customs Guide
-WCO-UPU Memorandum of Understanding
-The Revised Kyoto Convention
-Guidelines on Cooperation between Customs
-authorities and postal administrations
-The WCO Framework of Standards (SAFE)
Decision expected
--Take note of the document;
--the QIBD to request the AC to recommend to member countries, the need for compliance with the provisions of the guidelines to prevent mail circulation disruption and to enhance the relationship between the post and customs authorities
  1. Introduction

Both Customs and postal authorities pursue common goals to ensure and facilitate free and secure movement of global trade while abiding by the fundamental principles of freedom of transit and customs clearance of postal items.

As carriers of mail, posts have an obligation to submit to their respective customs authorities, all mail items containing goods which are conveyed internationally. Likewise, customs authorities are obliged to clear postal goods as fast as possible to ensure minimum inconvenience to the postal customers.

In view of the above, both postal and customs authorities need to work together and to establish a close working relationship to ensure efficient customs clearance of postal items and to facilitate the overall security of the international mail transportation network.

  1. Tools

The following are some of the tools which member states should take cognizance of and make reference to, in order to facilitate communication and interoperability between postal and customs authorities and strengthen their relationship:

  1. The World Customs Organization (WCO)- Universal Postal Union (UPU) Postal Customs Guide

The WCO-UPU Postal Customs guide is an information source for Posts and for Customs staff dealing with postal customs clearance. It is intended as a means of acquainting postal staff with the various aspects of the postal supply chain’s customs component and with the different WCO standards, instruments and tools. For customs authorities, the guide is to help staff responsible for postal customs clearance to become more familiar with the postal processes involved in the international exchange of mail.

  1. Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between World Customs Organization (WCO) and Universal Postal Union (UPU)

The MOU between WCO and the UPU is a formal recognition of the need for cooperation between customs authorities and postal administrations. It provides a basis for Guidelines on how Customs authorities and postal administrations might cooperate in the prevention of smuggling through the post.

  1. Guidelines on Cooperation between Customs authorities and postal administrations

These guidelines incorporate measures that postal administrations should take to reduce or inhibit the use of the Post for smuggling and also, measures which customs authorities should take to enable postal administrations to contribute more usefully to customs’ efforts and to encourage them to participate in the battle against the illicit trafficking of prohibited goods.

  1. The Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) Specific Annex J, Chapter 2

This part of the RKC provides simplified customs clearance procedures for postal traffic. It complies with the universal service obligation and the concept of a single postal territory. It has11 standards with regard to customs procedures, the use of information technology between the Posts and Customs, appendices on MOU between WCO and UPU and, recommendation concerning the framework agreement between the Postal operator and the Customs authority. It spells out inter alia, roles of customs and posts, the regulatory framework, the operational environment and safety and security issues.

  1. The WCO Framework of Standards (SAFE)

The framework of standards is to facilitate and secure global trade. It sets out minimum standards for the security and integrity of mail among others. It should be compatible with prevailing legislation on security of mail.

  1. Other tools

There are a number of other tools that members can use to ensure better understanding of both customs and postal operations. They include:

-Risk management compendium for Customs;

-Postal Export guide-prohibited and restricted articles

-Postal Export Guide-Customs matters Guide

-List of prohibited items

-Letter and parcel compendia and EMS Operational Guide.

The entire above are available either at the WCO or UPU websites.

  1. Best Practices between Posts and Customs

For a smoother relationship between Posts and Customs, the following practices are necessary:

  • Formation of national Joint Post/Customs Committees at the national level to

-ensure efficient customs clearance of postal items;

-adopt a joint strategy to combat smuggling of drugs, money laundering, counterfeit goods, illicit materials and other contraband;

-facilitate a productive exchange of information between the two parties with a view to encouraging the resolution of problems at the national level;

  • Establishment of contact points and organization of regular consultative meetings for ongoing exchange of information
  • Adoption of a formal Memorandum of Understanding at national level to encourage greater cooperation between the two agencies and ensure that the relevant details are publicly available.
  • Implementation of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) between customs and posts;
  1. Recommendations
  • Use the guidelines in the tools mentioned above to facilitate communication and interoperability between customs and posts.
  • The Security standards within the SAFE Framework should form the basis of the security policy within postal administrations.
  • Include important information regarding customs declaration forms on websites and in any other publications customers may use.
  • Make use of the UPU –CUSTOMS EDI messaging system (the Customs Declaration System) to exchange electronic data with Customs authorities.
  • Agree with Customs authorities to offer specific training for postal staff in methods of identifying drugs and other dangerous goods,
  • Take advantage of the UPU Trainpost Customs package to train staff on customs issues
  1. Conclusion

By working in partnership, postal operators and Customs authorities can develop a greater understanding of each others’responsibilities and work together to design an operational process that facilitates international trade through efficient customs treatment of international mail.

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