Recently, the General Department of Customs (GDC) issued Official Letter No. 5502/TCHQ-GSQL dated November 8, 2024, to guide customs procedures in the case of goods in transit that undergo a change in transport method while in Vietnam.
The GDC’s opinions are as follows:
Requirements for customs sealing:
Goods in transit, for which the transport method is changed in Vietnam, must be loaded into a container and sealed with customs seals from the entry port to the exit port.
Requirements for customs declarants:
- The declarant must file one separate transport declaration for each leg of the journey from the first entry port to the final exit port (Article 51 of Circular No. 38/2015/TT-BTC).
- The declarant must submit a “request letter for changing the transport method” to the Customs Sub-department where the transport method change occurs and the relevant Customs Sub-department assigned with monitoring duties, using the form in the Appendix of Decree No. 59/2018/ND-CP. Form available here.
- The declarant must also notify the Customs Sub-departments at both the entry and exit ports for tracking and coordinating supervision.
- If approved, the declarant must receive and submit the handover minutes to the Customs Sub-departments where the transport method change occurs, the Customs Sub-department assigned with monitoring duties, and the Customs Sub-department at the exit port.
Transport time:
Transport time is calculated for each segment of the journey, with a maximum of one day for distances under 500 km, and a maximum of three days for distances of 500 km or more.
(According to Official Letter No. 5502/TCHQ-GSQL dated November 08, 2024)
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