Companies that are certified as AEOs are able to reduce paperwork and are given priority at customs offices.
Like Costa Rica and Guatemala, Panama is now using the AEO program. Companies interested in obtaining certification should contact the National Customs Authority.
From a statement issued by the Presidency of Panama:
A program to certify private sector companies dedicated to foreign trade and which is regulated by customs rules was launched on Wednesday by the Government of the Republic of Panama, through the National Customs Authority (ANA).
The union has exhausted dialogue with the regional government of Chiriqui and is a blockading the border preventing the movement of freight carriers in Central America.
The provincial government in Chiriqui has failed to prevent Panamanian carriers, organized by the National Chamber of Cargo Transportation in Panama, (Canatraca) from indefinitely blocking the passage of trucks across the border in Paso Canoas (information at time of going to press at 3:30 p.m).
Costa Rican customs offices do not have enough staff to handle the flow of cargo from Panama to the rest of Central America.
While on the Panamanian side there are about 25 people to process documents from carriers, on the Costa Rican side there are only 5 staff members to carry out these duties.
The situation occurs at a time when "the international freight activity going from Paso Canoas to Central America has increased by 50 % ...