In El Salvador, since May 28, it is possible to carry out the digital procedures for the Electronic Authorization of Import Visas for medicines and medical supplies.
With this new system, response times will be reduced and supply of drugs and medical supplies will be guaranteed during and after Covid-19 pandemic, informed Central Reserve Bank (BCR).
Local authorities plan to implement at the end of 2019 the service of Advance Declaration, which will serve for the generation of a Virtual Customs platform for exports, which would be operational in the first half of 2020.
Gustavo Villatoro, director of Customs, told Elmundo.sv that "... The advance declaration itself will be used by the exporter to generate the required customs documents.
After two years of non-operation, El Salvador's government and business associations agreed to reactivate the institution dedicated to decision-making on customs matters and trade agreements.
The private sector was represented by the Presidents and Executive Directors of the guilds ASI, COEXPORT, CAMARASAL, CAMAGRO, AMCHAM, CAMTEX and ADES, which are part of the Inter-union Commission for Trade Facilitation (CIFACIL) and participate with voice and vote within the Committee, informed the Salvadoran government.
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%.
Since the new computer system was implemented in El Salvador, it is estimated that waiting times for imported goods moving in the Port of Acajutla have been reduced by up to 60%.
The General Directorate of Customs (DGA) reported that since November 15 last year is in operation the computer system "Sidunea World", which aims to reduce the steps in the process of importing goods.
Since November 15th, Acajutla's customs office in El Salvador will operate with the computer system "Sidunea World", which will reduce the process of importing goods.
From the statement of the Ministry of Finance:
November 12th, 2018. Because of several months of work by Customs, on November 15th, the General Directorate of Customs (DGA) consolidates the progressive implementation of the computer system known as "Sidunea World", which means starting with the development of the urgently needed "Paperless Customs" in El Salvador.
The first stage of reduction of procedures that the Salvadoran government plans to implement in the coming months will include eliminating duplication of procedures between entities.
A proposal has been made for registration of companies to be certified directly in the National Center of Records, eliminating the high cost of certification through means of notaries.
An article on Elmundo.sv notes that Jaime Campos, executive director of the Regulatory Improvement Organization (OMR), created by FOMILENIO II, said that El Salvador "...
Salvadoran industrialists claim that with the presidential veto of the administrative simplification law, the country has lost a valuable opportunity to improve the already deteriorated business climate.
EDITORIAL
With the veto of the Administrative Simplification Act, the Salvadoran government is sending a clear message to the business community and to society in general: There is no interest in paving the way for the private sector to generate more jobs and, consequently, more wealth and socioeconomic development.
Trade in goods in the region is showing signs of recovery with an increase in exports to third-party trading partners and an increase in intraregional imports.
From the Trade Monitor report by the Economic Secretariat for Central American Integration (SIECA):
Central America, July 10, 2017.Trade in goods in Central America shows signs of recovery with an increase in exports to third-party trading partners and an increase in intraregional imports, according to figures from the most recent Central American Trade Monitor for the first quarter of 2017.The main results derived from the Monitor are as follows:
Which goods can circulate freely and through which border posts, what procedures need to be done and other details about how the customs union functions.
From a report by Agexport:
1. From now on exports to Honduras will technically be treated as transfers and imports as acquisitions.
In the first five months of the 2016/2017 harvest the volume sold abroad fell by 9% compared to the same period in the previous cycle.
The figures from the Salvadoran Coffee Council (CSC) show that between October 2016 and February this year, 133,324 hundredweight of coffee was exported, below the 146,252 exported in the same period in the previous harvest.
In Costa Rica the exporter's union has stated that complying with the new regulations of weighing containers will raise costs and affect their already deteriorating competitiveness.
The new rules for certifying the weight of maritime cargo to be adhered to under the SOLAS convention will come into effect on July 1, 2016, and Costa Rican exporters are already raising their voices to denounce the impact it will have on their cost structure.
Simplification of the import process in Acajutla and a reduction in delivery times of goods for export are part of the changes announced by the Ministry of Finance.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance:
The Ministry of Finance, through the Directorate General of Customs, announces the implementation of measures that will improve the flow of goods, transit and people and in turn, reduce the time it takes to carry out procedures for Salvadoran exports, all in order to decongest borders and make controls more agile:
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.