Import customs clearance is subject to changes announced by the Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal). The aim is to modernize the customs environment, making the flow of imported goods more dynamic, in addition to reducing the costs and the time of clearance. The new rules were published in the Official Gazette of the Union on the 14th: Normative Instruction RFB No. 1,759, of 2017, amending Normative Instruction SRF No. 680, of 2006.
These changes address terminologies and activities that, according to the agency, had been outdated for years, and incorporate innovations already implemented or in the final testing phase in the computerized systems related to customs clearance.
Maritime cargo – One of the changes is the inclusion of a new possibility of registering an import declaration (DI) before its unloading at the Federal Revenue Service clearance unit, when it concerns goods imported by waterway and the importer is certified as an Authorized Economic Operator (OEA), in the OEA – Compliance Level 2 or OEA – Full categories.
According to the Revenue Service, this change is important and provides greater speed in the release of maritime cargo, as it allows the OEA-accredited legal entity to register import declarations before the arrival of the cargo. After registration of the DI, the automatic parameterization of the declaration occurs, and the importer has information about the inspection channel even before the ship docks.
This delivery, according to the Revenue Service, contributes to the modernization of the customs environment by optimizing the flow of imported goods.
The new modality of import customs clearance, called ‘Over Water OEA’, will be regulated by an act to be issued by the General Coordination of Customs Administration (Coana).
Other highlights – Various advances in the import process were also incorporated into the rule, notably the possibility of correcting a DI that has already been cleared directly by the importer, replacing the current procedure in which the importer formalizes an administrative proceeding with a request for the Federal Revenue Service to carry out the requested changes.
In this way, the importer himself will make the changes directly in the system. This will generate gains in speed and efficiency for the inspection.
Another novelty is the electronic Physical Inspection Report (RVF), which now comes to be drawn up directly in the Workflow – a new work module for customs officials within the Single Foreign Trade Portal –, whenever a physical inspection of the goods occurs in import customs clearance, in preparation for the future jurisdictional division of clearance.
Fractioned delivery – It is also worth noting the new wording of article 61 of the Normative Instruction, which deals with the fractioned delivery of imported goods. In addition to the extension of the time limit for completing the entry of the lots subsequent to the first, from 15 business days to 30 calendar days counted from the beginning of clearance, the provisions of the article were rewritten to make it more comprehensible and to avoid confusion in its interpretation, according to the Revenue Service.
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