Qatar General Authority of Customs simplifies customs processes
With the overall goal of making sure that customs procedures are simplified for everyone’s convenience, HE the Chairman of The General Authority of Customs (GAC), Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Jamal declared the importance of applying latest regulations and best practices for customs processes.
According to HE al-Jamal, the Authority aims to foster cooperation and build bridges of trust among various stakeholders as well as with partners and the general public. This was delivered during a speech at the annual International Customs Day (ICD) on January 26. With the celebration of this yearly event, the Authority is showcasing its keen determination and laser focus to provide complete economic development support. This will also showcase the vital role of the Authority when it comes to enhancing community security in the country as well.
In line with this, the World Bank issued an Ease of Doing Business Index that ranked Qatar at 77th place for 2020 worldwide. This is 6 places higher than its old ranking in 2019. With the continuing efforts of the working team, the Authority strives to improve its ranking and achieve better and better results in the many years to come. This is also in line with this year’s slogan of “Customs supports the promotion of sustainability for society and the world and achieving prosperity”.
HE the Minister of Finance Ali Sherif al-Emadi and HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti attended the ceremony.
The Authority has also concluded a variety of memoranda of understanding with various organisations for improvement. This includes the General Authority for Standardisation, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Ministry of Municipal and Environment. The said memoranda are to help improve and provide accurate assessments when it comes to the quality of the level of services offered at a number of customs outlets. The overall goal should be to reduce the release time and lower the cost of both import and export.
In order to make the procedures more convenient for everyone involved, the Authority is reviewing methods and legislations in moving the customs clearance process for imported, exported, and transit goods to electronic procedures. This will then effectively reduce the need for paper documents, essentially helping in reducing waste material. The clearance of goods in advance is also being reviewed, as well as the re-evaluation of customs services fees.
Included in this review of electronic procedures is the digitisation of steps taken to combat money laundering and terrorist financing crimes, as well as various agreements signed between the GAC and the Qatar Charitable Authority and the Qatar Financial Centre. There is also a strong co-operation with the Free Zones Authority in order to help create an attractive investment environment in Qatar and other fruitful commercial practices.
Plenty of these initiatives are with the aim of achieving the goals of the Authority’s five-year strategic plan. This will be made via the implementation of projects in accordance with a proper work plan made every year, along with follow-ups and evaluation of work performance.
About Us
Afreno is a Business Consultancy that draws on its long presence, over 10 years in fact, in the field of forming companies, while capitalizing on its impressive know-how at both local and international levels. This endeavor also extends to developing local partnerships and offering excellent opportunities in real estate.
Unlike any other Business Consultancy company in the State of Qatar, Afreno includes under its umbrella three closely-linked comprehensive services: business advice, legal negotiation and real estate possibilities. This means that any project, however complex, can be dealt with in all its aspects. Added to this is our wide range of reliable clients and trusted business contacts, plus our up to the minute awareness of what is going on in the markets, whether GCC or local. Your business venture will be backed by our in-depth knowledge, the valuable connections we have built over time, and our solid reputation, ensuring that you succeed quickly, whatever enterprise you are involved in. All this will be achieved with the minimum of stress; unsurprisingly Afreno has become the point of reference for anyone wishing to incorporate or grow their business in the local market.
