UAE Customs Enhances Security and Economic Growth with Record Achievements
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security has highlighted the vital role of "UAE Customs" in bolstering community security, supporting economic growth, and achieving national prosperity.
This announcement coincides with International Customs Day, celebrated annually on January 26.
Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director General of the Authority, praised "UAE Customs" for its innovative and advanced customs systems. These systems have driven significant progress in digital transformation, operational efficiency, and customs seizures. Key achievements include streamlining customs processes, leveraging data-driven analytics, enhancing inspection technologies, and collaborating with strategic partners locally and globally.
Ahmed Abdullah bin Lahej Al Falasi, Acting Director General of Customs and Port Security, revealed a 49% growth in customs transactions in 2024, reaching 40 million compared to 26.8 million in 2023. The compliance rate with the Customs Procedures Manual hit 100%, and the average customs clearance time nationwide was reduced to just five minutes.
Efforts to combat smuggling, money laundering, and terrorist financing have been pivotal. In 2024, UAE Customs conducted 276 inspection missions and achieved 15,866 seizures, including hazardous materials and drugs. Advanced risk management systems and international cooperation have been key to these successes.
Additionally, the Authority achieved 100% compliance with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements and made progress on transformative projects like the "Afhas" system for cash declarations and the UAE Customs Platform, which is now 60.7% complete.
These milestones underscore UAE Customs' commitment to security, innovation, and economic development, further solidifying its role in safeguarding the nation and supporting its global trade ambitions.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Dubai Customs launches Masar33 to empower Emiratis in logistics
Dubai – Dubai Logistics Academy has announced the launch of the first cohort of the "Certified Specialist in Customs and Trade Operations" program, developed in collaboration with (Nafis). This initiative is part of Dubai Customs' ongoing efforts to support a sustainable economic environment by empowering and upskilling Emirati talent for roles in the private logistics sector and increasing Emiratization within the industry. The program spans 32 days, comprising 27 days of classroom training and 5 days of hands-on practical training. It is accredited by the UK-based Continuing Professional Development (CPD) institute, a globally recognized authority in professional education, underscoring the program's high quality and industry relevance. Key topics include: Customs procedures and the Unified Customs Law Mirsal 2 system Trade agreements and rules of origin Incoterms Trade documentation Customs valuation and compliance standards Land, air, and sea freight operations Supply chain security standards Basics of handling customs data Upon successful completion, participants will receive the Certified Specialist in Customs and Trade Operations certificate, qualifying them for a range of roles such as freight forwarding and clearance agents, import/export specialists, customs compliance officers, operations staff, and business development professionals. Mohammed Al Ghaffari, Executive Director, Human Resources Division at Dubai Customs, stated: 'This program is a key component of Masar33, one of Dubai Customs' strategic initiatives aligned with the economic and social targets of Dubai's D33 Agenda. It focuses on equipping Emirati youth with both academic knowledge and practical skills for long-term, meaningful integration into the private workforce.' He added: 'Partnering with the private sector is essential to building a qualified national workforce capable of leading our strategic industries. We've developed a fully funded, comprehensive training program that concludes with guaranteed job placements at leading logistics companies.'
Zawya
2 days ago
- Zawya
US importers turn to brokers to navigate Trump-era tariffs, at a cost
U.S. importers are increasingly relying on customs brokers to keep up with President Donald Trump's ever-changing trade policies. But booming demand for help in processing foreign goods has made these services more expensive, adding another cost to the tariff burden, industry players told Reuters. Customs brokerages, until recently an anonymous branch of the import ecosystem, handle the paperwork needed to process shipments and calculate tariff bills. Mom-and-pop brokers interviewed by Reuters say they are raising fees, while major logistics firms like Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx and Germany-based DHL are also adding staff to their customs compliance teams. Market research firms ballpark customs brokering as a roughly $5 billion industry in the United States. Hiring a broker is optional, but the increasing complexities of U.S. tariffs and customs regulations are leading more importers to shell out the cash. Independent brokers like Laredo, Texas-based JD Gonzalez are fielding dozens of questions daily from concerned clients struggling to understand what they may owe to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and whether to go ahead with shipments or hold off. Brokers are also spending more time and labor on customs forms than ever, and have in some cases implemented new IT systems. 'With all the new information we have to process, some of the automation we've used has been thrown out, so there's more work to do,' said JD Gonzalez, who is also president of custom brokerage trade group NCBFAA. The trend is part of a broader wave of corporate efforts to bolster trade compliance operations. Major companies, from Nike to Amazon to Lowe's, had published job postings as of Wednesday for trade and customs professionals. Nike was seeking a 'lead' for trade and customs, who would 'play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our trade compliance framework,' according to the post on Nike's careers website. Amazon, meanwhile, had at least 10 U.S. customs brokerage jobs listed on its careers website. Lowe's had three. Nike, Amazon and Lowe's did not respond to requests for comment. HIGHER FEES Independent brokers often base their fees on the number of codes they must enter to classify the contents of a given shipment. Known as harmonized tariff schedule codes, these line items help border officials distinguish car parts from children's toys, and determine proper tariff rates. Prior to Trump's frenetic tariff policies, fees ranged from around $4 to $7 per code. But Gonzalez said the extra costs brokers have incurred as they ramp up systems to handle the tariff changes have led some to increase fees by $1 to $5 per code. Gonzalez said he has raised fees 'nominally,' while Steve Bozicevic, CEO of A&A Customs Brokers headquartered in Seattle and Vancouver, said his company added $3 per product type being imported into the U.S. because of merchandise facing "tariff stacking," a phrase used when an item faces multiple tariffs. "We raised the rates for the U.S. because of the new and added complexity," Bozicevic said. The company has not raised rates for imports into Canada because there's "no new complexity," he said. United Parcel Service raised brokerage rates in December between $3.75 and $50 per import entry, depending on the country of origin. The move was part of general rate increases and unrelated to changes in tariffs, a UPS spokesperson told Reuters. FedEx's logistics arm increased its base customs brokerage rates by 4% in January, according to a company spokesperson. These bigger logistics companies, which include brokerage services in their broader shipping offerings, are also beefing up staff. DHL has upped headcount on its U.S. customs entry team by 30% since February, according to a spokesperson for the company's DHL Express shipping unit. FedEx had more than 40 open job postings on its customs and trade teams as of Tuesday, mainly based in the U.S., according to its LinkedIn jobs page. UPS had 10 similar U.S. positions open, according to its jobs website. FedEx is "adjusting our network to meet demand" in an evolving tariff landscape, which "includes hiring additional customs brokerage roles," the spokesperson said. UPS declined to comment on the job postings. Historically, tariff changes have been less frequent, say brokers, trade lawyers and other trade professionals, and they have come with weeks of lead time, allowing brokers to prepare for the change and provide logistical feedback to CBP. Compare that to last week's doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%, which Trump announced abruptly, forcing the U.S. customs department to quickly publish official guidance just hours ahead of a midnight change. "Many brokers clear shipments ahead of time, so then you have to come back and retroactively redo it and fix it," said Miami-based customs broker Ralph De La Rosa, whose company, Imperial Freight Brokers, was founded by his father 54 years ago. Even brokers who have not raised fees said their services have become inherently more expensive as the number of HTS codes has spiked. Importers slowed shipments into the United States after Trump's massive tariff announcement on April 2, after having frontloaded purchases earlier in the year to get ahead of an expected rise in duties. Imports of consumer goods, which include cell phones and other household items, decreased $68.9 billion to $277.9 billion in April from a month before, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Trump announced additional tariffs on steel and aluminum in June and in May threatened to impose 50% tariffs on the European Union. Adding to the uncertainty, a federal appellate court on Tuesday ruled that sweeping tariffs may remain in effect while appeals proceed, after a trade court ruled that the U.S. president overstepped his executive powers and blocked the duties. The appellate scheduled arguments for July 31. (Reporting by Arriana McLymore and Nicholas Brown in New York, Editing by Lisa Jucca, David Gaffen and Andrea Ricci)
Zawya
4 days ago
- Zawya
EAC ministers suspend new levies on high-risk products pending review
East African Community finance ministers have suspended the implementation of new levies on lubricating oils, aluminium bars and active yeast, which are considered high-risk products, and referred the taxation proposal to the regional sectoral committee on customs for further analysis. The committee on customs is expected to report back to the finance ministers during the next pre-budget consultations meeting in May next year, according to the resolutions of the meeting by the EAC Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (SCTIFI) held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 26-30 May. Read: EAC adopts new levies on 'high risk' products to curb unscrupulous tradersThe new rates had been planned to take effect from July 1 this year.'It was agreed that the matter be referred to the Sectoral Committee on Customs for further technical analysis and that the proposed specific duties be deferred pending the outcome of this review,' the report of the meeting states. During its 45th meeting held in November last year, SCTIFI adopted $0.46 per litre as a specific duty rate on lubricating oils so that the rate will be 25 percent or the $0.46, whichever is higher, and $700 per tonne as a specific duty rate on active yeast so that the rate will be 25 percent or the $700, whichever is higher. It also adopted $690 per tonne as a specific duty rate on aluminium bars, rods and profiles so that the rate will be 25 percent or the $ 690, whichever is higher. These duties followed a directive by the ministers of finance during the pre-budget consultations in May 2023 that required member states and the EAC Secretariat to identify high-risk products and assign a specific duty rate to address issues related to under-invoicing and undervaluation. The suspension of the proposed rates is expected to allow Tanzania more time to complete consultations with the relevant stakeholders on the proposed rates. It is also expected to allow the sectoral committee on customs to relook at additional factors such as whether the products are imported from the same country or countries of export and whether the imports occur at or about the same period. Read: Slow progress on harmonising standards affecting EAC tradeDuring the pre-budget consultations last month, Tanzania said that national consultations with relevant stakeholders had been concluded and highlighted the need to address a few outstanding issues before adoption of the proposed specific duty rates. The meeting agreed that a re-analysis should be undertaken to determine the identical nature of the products based on a number of parameters, such as the percentage of aluminium content relative to other metals in the alloy, the proportion of base oil relative to other additives or constituents (lubricating oils) and the material composition of the product (Active yeast). The finance ministers also noted that additional factors such as whether the products are imported from the same country of export and whether the imports occur at or about the same period should be considered. Customs valuation is a major feature and concern of modern customs tariff systems since it is important for assessment of customs duties for purposes of generating revenues or as a means of encouraging and protecting domestic industries. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. ( James Anyanzwa
