According to the Indendent of Customs, Filadelfo Reyes, the plan will come into effect on August 2. "We want to facilitate foreign trade operations in customs with this new methodology," the official said.

He added that inspecting merchandise currently takes five to six days, but the plan is to to reduce this by 50% using information sent in advance electronically. "We will put more emphasis on those goods and importers which represent more risk," he added.

Source: prensalibre.com

More on this topic

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June 2016

Within three to four months the SAT plans to start implementing a selective "blue" process, which involves clearing containers so that they only go through one documentary process or warehousing goods inspection.

The measure aims to streamline the inspection process, free up space in ports and reduce waiting times, explained Werrner Ovalle, intendent of Customs.

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May 2014

Problems persist in the process of reviewing merchandise at the border posts in Amatillo and La Hachadura causing delays to cargo trucks.

Double review processes, recurring failures with x-ray machine inspection and the absence of a contingency plan for unforeseen delays has generated delays of between 19 and 23 hours for the approval of entry and exit of goods, said the Salvadoran Association of International Freight Carriers (ASTIC).

Regional Charge for Inspections with Scanners at Customs Offices

March 2014

The Tax Authority of Guatemala has denied the existence of a consensus among Central American countries to implement a unified charge.

The Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) of Guatemala denied that there is a consensus among countries to implement a one-time charge for reviewing scanned merchandise flowing through the region, as announced by the Directorate General of Customs of El Salvador.

Guatemalan Customs Announces Purchase of Scanners

November 2013

Authorities plan to purchase these devices for both sea and land ports, and to charge a flat rate per container.

This was announced by the chief of Interior, Mauricio Lopez. He added that the goal is for every container passing through these customs offices to pay between $15 and $20.