Last month, Iran’s Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Farhad Dejpasand in a directive addressing the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) obliged the customs administration to take measures for facilitating customs processes. The directive set a deadline for IRICA to take the necessary actions.

The directive was in line with improving business condition for the enterprises and promoting foreign trade. Some of the items included in the directive come as follows.

- Setting up a strategic committee within two months to take necessary measures for stable promotion of electronic systems and expediting the process of data registration and permit control

- Improving the system of commodity code

- Revising management indices especially for production units and basic and necessary goods

- Putting the declarations of basic and necessary goods in “green path” for rapid clearance

- Developing the single-window system (a trade facilitation idea enabling cross-border traders to submit regulatory documents at a single location and/or single entity)

Also, following a previous directive by President Hassan Rouhani, IRICA is providing new facilities for importers of basic goods which makes them able to clear their commodities in less than an hour, as last month announced by IRICA Deputy Director Mehrdad Jamal Orounaqi.

The official said that for the basic goods such as meat, system formalities and clearance procedures will be carried out in less than an hour and importers can transport their goods soon after.

Expediting and facilitating customs processes had been already started in Shahid Rajaee Port, Iran’s largest container port located in the southern province of Hormozgan, before issuance of the mentioned directives.

In late June, the acting head of Hormozgan Customs Department announced about 10 measures taken by the customs office of Shahid Rajaee Port for expediting and facilitating the clearance process especially for the commodities required in the production sectors.

Making the remarks during a visit of some parliament members and IRICA senior officials to the port, Hossein Saeedi mentioned offering round-the-clock customs services and conducting required processes related to the exports and transit declarations day and night as one of the most important actions in this due.

While all these measures are some good news for the businessmen and enterprises, they have also brought some fruitful results.

On Monday, IRICA announced that the time of customs operations has decreased 46 percent for the imports and 39 percent for the exports processes in the country in 2019.

Now IRICA hopes that through more supports of the government and parliament it could play some more prominent role in expansion and facilitation of trade especially during the time of sanctions, reduce economic pressures on the country and support production and exports.