CUSTOMS ACCREDITATION is a further step along the path of electronic data interchange (EDI) Ð bringing SA trading very close to the ultimate utopia of a paperless relationship with customs, according to Clive King, MD of computer freight system specialists, Jacobsen’s. “Using EDI to customs as a non-accredited agent still produces paperwork at the customs end,” he told FTW. “But, with accreditation, this is minimised. “The only document which still needs to be physically produced is the SA Reserve Bank’s (SARB) F178 Ð declaring incoming foreign exchange.” However, King added, customs is working with the SARB to clear this last vestige of paper in the export trading chain. “Conversely, the import side of the business is now theoretically paper free.” Accreditation and EDI working together would seem to be highly recommended, King added. “Our customers have reported nothing but good from this combination,” he said. Another advantage for customers that King stressed is that a clearance can now be done in a matter of minutes Ð not the number of days it was previously under the manual system, and before the accreditation of approved agents. “The purity of this whole procedure through an electronic link-up is to be admired,” he said. “It takes us through the clear air of electronic data interchange in our dealings with customs and removes all the clumsy areas of a manual system. “Customs accreditation has very distinct benefits for the forwarding/transport industry.”
