The costs incurred by businessmen in Nicaragua, because of excessive procedures and low efficiency of foreign trade systems is 25% additional to the value of the goods, while in El Salvador and Costa Rica, amounts to 18% and 16%, respectively.
A study by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) specifies that the costs paid by businessmen in Nicaragua, because of excessive procedures and low efficiency of foreign trade systems is 25.3% additional to the value of the goods, followed by El Salvador with 18.3%, Costa Rica with 16.3%, Honduras with 15.8%, Guatemala with 14% and Panama with 9%.
From April 1st 2015 the only documents needed to send products to the Indian market will be the air declaration, the commercial invoice and bill of entry.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer):
India has decided to simplify procedures for imports, which will reduce costs and time and aims to improve the country's position in the ease of doing business list produced by the World Bank.
Central American countries need to implement a series of improvements in customs procedures in order to meet the requirements of the agreement for the facilitation of international trade.
Within two years, as part of the commitments made in the 2001 Doha Round of the Bali Agreement, signed in 2013 by 160 nations belonging to the World Trade Organization (WTO), including Central America, governments will have to harmonize their customs systems ensuring trade facilitation. However, to date institutional progress on issues established by the Agreement such as simplification, harmonization and automation of procedures for international trade have not happened, particularly in relation to the requirements and formalities for import, export and transit of border freight.
European business people have criticised errors made by customs officials in implementing the terms of the Association Agreement.
After three months of the entry into force of the Association Agreement between Central America and the European Union, a lack of knowledge on the part of customs authorities has complicated the implementation of the trade agreement, as explained by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Spain (CAMACOES) Italy (Camcig) and Germany.
Now we transport thousands of tons of goods in fast trucks, we dispatch proformas and invoices online ... and there are still customs agencies.
EDITORIAL
The controversy which arose in Guatemala over the proposed creation of the Agile Import Window (VAI by its initials in Spanish) is as old as the world. Not going too far back into the past, we know that when in the late nineteenth century cars began to circulate, in many places the speed of their movement was restricted so that they would not go faster than a horse and buggy, and there were many who protested that this invention would put drivers of carts out of work along with horses and cattle breeders.
Trade ministers from the region are promoting the regional recognition of sanitary permits by its digitization and online availability.
Trade ministers from the region analyzed uploading permissions to a web platform in order to expedite the process of trading regionally. The initiative would allow an exporter registered in Guatemala not to have to send physical documents to another Central American country in order to register.
The competitiveness of the economies of the isthmus is being impaired by the inefficiency of the bureaucracy in the management of customs offices in the region.
The bureaucracy at customs offices has become a serious problem for the Central American region. Among other things it generates increases in the costs of exporting because of the procedures that must be paid for, loss of perishable goods and delays in production in processes that have to wait for raw materials.
Unions in the region are asking their governments for more support for industry to help it to grow based on tax and customs systems that enable competitiveness.
Laprensa.com.ni reports that, "while there is no 24 hour, 365 days a year service at Nicaraguan borders, customs procedures remain dependent on cumbersome paperwork and the flow of vehicles on existing roads remains congested, you can not discuss a customs union, said yesterday Alfredo Marin, vice president of the Chamber of Industries of Nicaragua (Cadin).
Advances made in the past two years in the Central American customs offices are still not sufficient, and related costs amount to 38% of logistics costs.
The best advances have been made in customs processes relating to merchandise transported between Central American countries.
Investigating the topic Elnuevodiario.com.ni reports that "The biggest problem is imports from countries like the U.S.