The Saudi Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority has approved the rules for practicing the profession of customs clearance, which replace the guide for practicing the profession of customs clearance issued on Jumada II 20 1439 AH.
The authority stated that the rules for practicing the customs clearance profession included making a number of amendments related to some services related to the customs clearance sector, including the cancellation of fees for issuing and renewing a customs clearance license at 3000 riyals, canceling the fees for adding a branch (export and import) at 1000 riyals, and canceling the fees for adding Branch (Transit) at 1000 riyals.
The authority stated that the amendments to customs clearance services also included the cancellation of the bank guarantee requirement, which was one of the requirements for establishing the incoming and outgoing customs clearance activity, which ranged from 100,000 riyals to 200,000 riyals, according to what was reported by the Saudi Press Agency, SPA.
The rules stipulated that the requirement for a bank guarantee be limited only to the establishment of a transit activity, with a value of 50,000 riyals as a minimum, inclusive of all customs ports.
The amendments also included the abolition of the mandatory presence of a main headquarters in the nearest city to the customs port through which the clearance activity is to be carried out, as it is only required that there be at least one headquarters to carry out the customs clearance activity.
In the Kingdom, the obligation to appoint an independent employee who has completed the customs course in customs clearance at each customs port has also been cancelled. At least one employee in the facility who has completed the customs course is sufficient.
The rules for practicing the profession of customs clearance aim at documenting the procedures and requirements related to the profession, through the stages that the goods go through, whether they are related to the import, export or transit of goods. Manage the relationship between the authority, customs clearance facilities and customers, by defining the obligations of the facility and the authority.
The authority indicated that the issuance of these rules achieves raising the level and efficiency of the customs clearance sector, which is a strategic partner in supporting the authority’s goals towards facilitating trade in accordance with the Saudi Vision 2030, in addition to the authority’s endeavor to develop the customs clearance profession and raise the level of commitment, by providing the best services that It will improve the competitiveness of the customs clearance sector, develop customs policies and legislation and supervise their implementation, and provide services that contribute to raising the level of customer satisfaction, which contributes to stimulating investment in the system of this sector.
