Gov’t to make exporters’ lives easier with licenses

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Officials and business representatives pose for a photo during the presentation of a new customs system, which bids to put an end to the hours-long time loss for exporters at the border gates. DHA photo

The Customs and Trade Ministry yesterday introduced two new licenses for exporters and logistics companies, which will speed up foreign sales.

The new system, which largely depends on trust in producers and carriers, is a “historic” change, Minister Hayati Yazıcı said during an event at which he presented the shift to business people yesterday.

One of the two landmark changes in the system is related to “authorized companies,” which have basically been granted the right to send their goods abroad easier and with fewer inspections. Even in cases where their goods must undergo customs checks, these firms will have privileges in terms of timing, the minister said.

Requirements

The category offers such exporters the opportunity to send their goods directly to the border gates, declaring to the world that the company involved is a trustworthy one, Yazıcı said.

Companies need to pass the following qualifications to receive the document:

Be trustworthy.

Have a traceable trading record.

Be financially strong enough to meet guarantee requirements.

Fulfill security and safety requirements.

Have been active for at least three years.

Be located in Turkey.

The implementation will cut 954 liras of customs fees, an average of 94 percent, Yazıcı said.

The system offers companies the chance to finalize the customs operations at their own facilities.

The Customs and Trade Ministry expects around 57 million euros of annual savings in exports to Europe alone, while studies on expanding the implementation to imports is continuing, Yazıcı said.

Global examples

A similar system is valid in the European Union, the United States, Japan and South Korea, and the shift will ease trade with these destinations, according to him. There are 11,564 such companies across European Union countries, with the U.S. and South Korea following at 8,166 and 342 respectively, according to data from the ministry. The European Union is Turkey’s largest trade partner.

The “permitted sender” implementation is another major change that supports the privileged exports authorization.

Carriers of such a document are authorized to collect the goods of their customers at their own facilities, upload them, and finalize the procedures without an overseeing customs official.

“This gives all [companies] the comfort of sending its exports more easily,” Minister Yazıcı said.

The carriers are obliged to undertake the required checks and inspections, but international carriers are able to apply for a “permitted sender” document if they have finalized at least 500 transit operations and fulfill all the requirements for an “authorized company” document.