Pratap John/Chief Business Reporter
Qatar’s single window automated customs clearance facility – Al Nadeeb has been praised by the World Customs Organisation (WCO), which says the country has become a “highly efficient, safe and globally recognised trade-friendly” country.
Al-Nadeeb was officially launched in September 2013 to deliver “better communication and integration” with the trade community and in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the country’s Digital Inclusion Strategy for a “fully e-government”.
As Al-Nadeeb is rolled out and more transactions processed, the WCO noted that the “average clearance time” is decreasing.
“The system has also been improved to provide a better user interface and new value-added services,” WCO said.
In a recent report, the World Customs Organisation said that in 2014, Al Nadeeb clocked some 31,821 registered users, whose average clearing time was “one day and 16 hours”.
On the other hand, the number of registered users was 37,630 in 2013, whose average clearing time was “two days and 12 hours”.
Al Nadeeb already allows traders and clearing agents to pay duties and submit declarations online. Traders are also able to authorise clearing agencies online and to follow up on the status of their customs declaration, round-the-clock.
Moreover, the system displays real time information, which enables shipments to be tracked while providing updated revenue data, thus facilitating the monitoring of import and export costs. There is also a call centre (that can be reached at 136) providing 24x7 service.
In addition, users are able to access a “personal smart card” to monitor all their import / export movements.
Al Nadeeb, noted the World Customs Organisation, will add new services such as customised reporting, data integration and clearing agent management module in the coming months.
The automated single window customs clearance facility will provide “customised” trade reports to the business community and ministries and government agencies currently utilising the system. The reports will include import / export volumes, the amount of duties paid, payment channels and the most imported / exported goods categorised by the Harmonised System (HS) codes.
In the coming months, WCO said, customs clearing agents in Qatar will be able to upload information on the goods they are clearing, such as item lists, invoices and certificates, in any standardised file format (XLS, PDF and XML). The system will adapt the files and input the information directly into the customs declaration.
Clearing agents being Al Nadeeb’s primary users, Qatar Customs has developed a dedicated module for them, which provides the following services; online registration, licensing approvals, issuing licenses, systems training and system use reports.
“Al Nadeeb has developed significantly over the last few years with positive new advances and feedback from both the government and the private sector. Considered a flagship e-services project, it is an integral element in the ongoing development of the services offered by the country, resulting in Qatar becoming a “highly efficient, safe and globally recognised trade-friendly country”.
Qatar’s efforts have led to an improved ranking in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) – increasing its ranking to 29 with a “Customs Score” of 3.52 / 5 in 2014 compared with 55th rank and a score of 2.25 / 5 in 2010.
