'Smart Services' Spur Customs Operations

Aug. 11, 2014
The integration of smart services among Dubai Customs' operations resulted in a 42 percent decrease of the number of over-the-counter (OTC) transactions

Aug. 10--DUBAI -- The total number of transactions performed by Dubai Customs during the first half of 2014 grew by 10 percent to 4.5 million transactions, compared to 4.1 million in the same period of last year.

Also, the integration of smart services among Dubai Customs' operations resulted in a 42 percent decrease of the number of over-the-counter (OTC) transactions.

Another factor which contributed to thie growth is Dubai Customs' transforming into the first fully smart government department.

With the entire customs services delivered through smartphones, customers can now submit their service requests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week wherever they are.

"The mounting growth in the number of delivered transactions echoes the nation's increasing economic performance," said Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, director of Dubai Customs.

"This is mainly due to the steady recovery of most economic sectors and the increase of foreign trade as a result of a growing demand for commodities necessary to meet the development needs of new and existent projects in all sectors," he said.

"We at Dubai Customs are committed to boosting our performance so as to keep up with the current local economic growth by ensuring timely delivery of goods without delay through advanced customs transactions that save traders' time and effort and reduce their trading cost," said the director.

Dubai plays a major role in global trade flows as a leading trading hub which connects regional markets to the outside world, he said.

"This is clearly reflected through the growth achieved in the number of transactions completed by Dubai Customs, which could not have been attained without the advanced infrastructure, favorable business environment and exceptional services offered by Dubai's ports, airports and roads," said the director.

"This upsurge is the result of the continued development and improvement strategy implemented by Dubai Customs," he said.

The department is keen on assessing its performance across the board to ensure the delivery of superior services and facilitations to customers. This provides a real added value to clients enabling them to increase their business returns, which positively impacts Dubai's capacity to attract investors and traders from all over the world and promotes its position as a global destination for doing business.

Ahmed Mahboob said the milestone in the first half of 2014 was accomplished through the deployment of its full resources and potentials to realize DC's strategic objectives which are in tune with the vision and orientations of Dubai Government aiming to deliver top-of-range smart services to customers.

"Dubai Customs is incessantly eager to leverage its level of performance across all its operations to render distinguished services and achieve utmost satisfaction among our clients."

Dubai customs' transactions are categorized into the following services: Request for Customs Declaration and Clearance, Request for Guarantees/Deposits Claims and Refunds, Request for Conveyance & Machinery Cards, Request for Inspection, Request for Client Registration (Request for Customs Code), Request for Manifest Registration, Request for Customs Opinion, Request of Appeal, Request for Customs Audit, Request for Awareness and Training Courses, Request for Letters and Certificates, Request for Transactions Report, Request to Record Trademark, Request for Trade Agency Registration, Request for Client Accreditation, Request for HS Code, Request for Customs Cases Follow-up, Submit Information via RAFED, and Contact Dubai Customs' Director.

Copyright 2014 - Arab News, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia