Five months after the regulations for the creation of the Single Window of Procedures for the Colon Free Zone were approved in Panama, businessmen are asking for their implementation to be accelerated.
The Dominican Republic's free trade zones guild promises to reduce response times with the implementation of the Single Window for Foreign Trade of the General Directorate of Customs.
Simplifying procedures, transparency and security of processes, reduction of response times of requests, reduction of costs of stationery and office equipment, are some of the benefits that will enjoy for companies in areas with the implementation of the Single Window, informed the union.
In Panama, the Colon Free Zone established requirements for the issuance of special permits for the marketing of cigarettes, tobacco products and pharmaceuticals.
By means of Resolution No.008-2019, published in La Gaceta Oficial on April 25, 2019, it was informed that companies will have a maximum term of 120 calendar days to comply with the requirements of special permits for import, transfer, marketing, export and re-export of cigarettes and tobacco products.
In Panama, the regulations for the creation of the Single Window of Paperwork and its procedures to expedite trade in the free trade zone were approved.
"The Board of Directors of the Colon Free Zone (ZLC) approved the resolution that regulates the creation of the Single Window of Paperwork (VUT) and its procedures to expedite trade in the free trade zone, reported the manager of the free trade zone, Manuel Grimaldo," explained the ZLC.
From April, exporters and companies established in Panama's free trade zones will be able to carry out online procedures such as Declaration of Commercial Movement, Certification of Origin and Determination of Origin.
The companies in free trade zones that will be able to perform the three new online procedures will be those governed by Law 32, explained the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) in a statement.
During the first half of this year, it is expected to implement in Guatemala the single window for the facilitation of imports, which would operate through an electronic platform.
The Ministry of Economy reported that to implement the single window, there is already a working group in which representatives of the productive sector and authorities of the portfolios of Health and Agriculture to agree.
Starting in June, companies in the Dominican Republic will be able to request permission to import medicines, cosmetics and hygiene products through an electronic platform.
The Ministry of Health reported that "... the authorization application process will be carried out only electronically at the national level, through the SIGA portal of the Foreign Trade Single Window module and will be issued by the Ministry of Public Health via the Directorate General of Medicines, Foods and Health Products (DIGEMAPS)."
As part of a pilot plan in Nicaragua eight companies have started using the Foreign Trade Single Window system, a platform that allows pre-customs procedures to be carried out.
The window that is expected to start operating in the middle of the year will allow for procedures to obtain permits and documents needed to export or import to be done online, including payments in banks and institutions via an online platform.
With the implementation of the VUCE 2.0 system, approvals of import permits managed by companies in the food, medical, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors in Costa Rica are set to be accelerated.
From a statement issued by PROCOMER:
San José, December 7, 2017.Companies in the food, medical, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors that operate in Costa Rica will have greater ease in acquiring their raw materials and finished products, now that the VUCE 2.0 system will implement a 24/7 approval system for import permits (technical notes) for those sectors.
The new maritime single window promises to speed up the transhipment process, improve port exit times and reduce the use of paper through a digital system.
From a statement issued by the Panama Canal Authority:
From today, the Panama Maritime Single Window (VUMPA) will operate for ships arriving as of Sunday, September 24, according to Jorge L. Quijano, Canal administrator.
Although the paperwork that needs to be submitted to the Ministries of Health and Environment is now more streamlined, entrepreneurs are proposing the implementation of a single window in order to further speed up procedures.
Companies in the construction sector say that there is some improvement in the speed with which the procedures are managed in the Ministries of Health and Environment, but there is still a need to improve the time it takes to obtain a license.To achieve this, constructors have proposed the creation of a single window where all procedures can be centralized.
The Panama Maritime Authority and the governing body of the inter-oceanic canal have agreed to create a one-stop shop to expedite procedures and boost maritime trade.
From a statement issued by the Maritime Chamber of Panama:
In the development of the twenty-fifth session of the Cabinet Logistics, held in the Yellow House of the Presidency of the Republic, the Interinstitutional Cooperation Agreement was signed by the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) and the Panama Canal Authority Panama (ACP), for the development and implementation of a Single Maritime Counter System of the Republic of Panama, (VUMPA).
The procedures required for making investments of over $500,000 outside of Managua can now be made through a single window that includes all entities.
The Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) has announced that the window is already operating in Managua, and will allow companies to make investments in the departments in the interior of the country, centralizing all of their paperwork in one place, without having to manage multiple processes in different institutions.
By mid-year the Single Window for Foreign Trade could be functioning, enabling online procedures to be used for obtaining permits and documents required for export or import.
The Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (MIFIC) announced that in May pre customs formalities for exports and imports in Nicaragua will be able to be done online through the Foreign Trade Single Window (known as VUCEN in Spanish).
A bill has been presented that aims to create a single digital window for obtaining operating licenses, social security numbers and taxpayer codes in one day.
From a statement issued by deputy Otto Guevara Guth:
Members of the Libertarian Movement caucus have presented Draft Law No. 19,913 entitled "Reform of the Municipal Code," which aims to:
1. Convert licenses or municipal permits for an economic activity within an applicant's right in order to verify that the regulatory plan supports the activity in the corresponding area.
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