Ressano Garcia border revamps road clearance procedure

With foreign

trucking

companies making

up 80% of the

transporters moving export

goods via South Africa and

Swaziland to Mozambique, the

Mozambique Revenue Authority

(MRA) is proposing changes to

the clearance of goods passing

through Ressano Garcia.

The changes – designed

to reduce congestion at the

crossing – were recently

outlined in a briefing session

facilitated by the Maputo

Corridor Logistics Initiative

(MCLI).

Currently South African

companies are required to

present a cargo manifest to Sars

before leaving South Africa,

while the importer of the goods

provides a declaration to the

MRA through the offices of a

clearing agent.

The World Customs

Organisation (WCO) best

practice indicates that the

transporter should make the

declaration as the importer does

not transport the goods and

should not have to present a

cargo manifest.

The intended changes will

not only bring the process

in line with the WCO

recommendations, but will

improve the customs procedure

and curb smuggling and tax

evasion, according to an MCLI

briefing note.

The implementation of the new

process will be preceded by a

pilot project.

Amendments and exemptions

have been made to Mozambican

customs law to make provision

for foreign

companies to

be allocated

a nine-digit

NUIT number

which codifies

the company’s

details.

All foreign

transporters

carrying

exports into

Mozambique

by road will

require a NUIT number to

access the single electronic

window to generate a cargo

manifest.

Together with the NUIT

number, the transport company

will receive a letter and a card,

both of which are obligatory

requirements when dealing with

the MRA.

Currently goods are cleared

without a

cargo manifest

document,

which has led

to an absence

of

accountability

of the

goods being

transported

and the

documentation

required by

Sars cannot be

reconciled to the documentation

required by the MRA.

The new procedure will

address this anomaly. Each

truck will also be issued with an

identification number to access

Km4, and will pass through

the entry point for Km4 on the

truck bypass road at Lebombo.

The identification number

will allow customs to access

the scanning image of a truck’s

contents and will obviate the

need for double scanning.

No truck will be able to cross

into Mozambique without this

identity number.

The transporter will be in

a position to issue the single

customs manifest with the

company NUIT credentials and

it will allow declaration of all

the goods loaded on one truck.

After completing all the

mandatory fields the system

will generate a road manifest

number which can then be

handed over to the importers of

the goods.

The process will also require

the NUIT number of the

importer of the goods, which

must be obtained from the

exporter.

The necessary training

of individuals to draw the

single cargo manifest will be

facilitated by MCNet.

The time frame for

implementation will be

announced following successful

completion of the pilot project.

The MRA has requested

transporters who are interested

in participating in the pilot

project to apply through the

MCLI.

INSERT

All foreign transporters

carrying exports into

Mozambique by road will

require a NUIT number to

access the single electronic

window. 

CAPTION

Border changes designed to reduce congestion.