The Egyptian Customs Authority

The Egyptian Customs Authority Is a department connected to the Egyptian Ministry of Finance whose responsibilities include collecting fees and taxes as well as regulating the movement of goods imported into and exported from the nation. Handling all shipped goods in accordance with the standards for examination in all customs authorities' inspections.

The main duties of the Egyptian Customs

  • Gathering all taxes, tariffs, customs, and other levies that importers and exporters have paid to customs in line with the customs tariff law and other pertinent laws.
  • Preventing tax evasion and securing the payment of fees that protects state revenue.
  • Monitoring the status of raw commodities free from customs taxes in warehouses in seaports and airports.
  • Monitoring the movement of the inventory in public and private warehouses that are permitted to hold imported items.
  • A dedication to following directives, guidelines, and standards set by Egyptian ministries and other governmental agencies.
  • Fighting smuggling through customs ports on land, at sea, or in the air, whether it is occurring inside the country or outside.

The Egyptian Customs Authority is trying to improve customs performance in various customs sectors. Using new approaches like pre-release and widely implementing risk management strategies in numerous customs domains.

That’s why NAFEZA had been created in order to carry out the ideal work.

NAFEZA

The facility enables trade and transportation participants to submit consolidated data and paperwork at a single point of entry to satisfy all legal requirements for the import, export, and transit of commodities. If the information is electronic, each piece of information is only given once.

Numerous international organizations focused on trade facilitation have endorsed and are in agreement with this idea on a global scale. These organizations include the World Customs Organization, the Center for Trade and E-Business Facilitation, and the United Nations European Economic Commission (UNECE) (WCO).

Reengineering the National Single Window for Trade "Nafeza" is an integrated information platform that aims to integrate and coordinate procedures and information between Egyptian parties involved in foreign trade, Enabling the business community to submit all documents and transactions (customs/control/port) at once through a logistic services center or via the electronic portal) to fulfill all regulatory requirements relating to foreign trade.

The platform functions in compliance with global regulations and standards to simplify the processes for product release before converting the entirety of Egypt into a single logistics hub.

There are two key axes to the foundation of the national single window system for trade "NAFEZA":

  1. Using re-engineering techniques.
  2. Development of system components (digital portal, logistic apps, central system integration methods to feed data warehouses of pertinent authorities, logistics service centers, and information infrastructure).  

ACID Pre-registration system for shipments

Main information:

  • Beginning on October 1st, 2021, the pre-registration of shipments system (ACI) was put into place for all sea imports.
  • Beginning on May 15th, 2022, the pre-registration system (ACI) for air shipments will be implemented. 
  • As of October 1, 2022, air cargo will be subject to the required implementation.
  • Postal packages to which the ACI's pre-registration system for shipments has not been applied.
  • The postal parcel is a shipment with a maximum weight of 50 kg and a maximum value of 2000 USD or its equivalent in any other currency that will be
  • transported via one of the courier express mail shipping firms.
  • The legal requirements depend on when commodities are shipped from overseas to Egyptian seaports and airports.

Procedures for imports under the new system:

  1. Obtain an electronic signature and pre-registration of shipment data to be imported in order to obtain the shipment identification number by first creating an account on a NAFEZA platform (ACID).
  2. Submit documents and information about products electronically (at NAFEZA platform)
  3. The initial ACID for a customs entrance is good for six months. It is given out for every shipment individually.
  4. By virtue of electronic authorization from the owner, customs brokers may request an (ACID) number and continue with the customs procedures.
  5. HS CODE item data clarification and part number selection based on the nature of the entering item
  6. Each HBL has a unique (ACID) through a shipping agent, the HBL entry is added. For the issue of MBL with a Master ACID on NAFEZA.
  7. You can modify customs products on NAFEZA after receiving an ACID number, but you can't receive one after shipping from the point of origin.
  8. When registering for registration with Customs at stage 46 using the electronic portal, the importer must submit all necessary documents and electronically sign them.
  9. When a firm's sub-accounts are numerous, each importer may provide more than one electronic signature for that company.
  10. The tax number or commercial registry number in the nation of export that is used for a single export only is the exporter's registration number on CARGO X.
  11. At the CARGO X Block chain platform, the invoice document (PDF) and the structural data of the invoice (EXCEL) are sent together electronically.
  12. If there are many invoices, each invoice is issued in a distinct electronic envelope with its own document and structural data.
  13. If an updated or new file needs to be sent again, it must be sent in a new electronic envelope bearing the same (ACID) number.
  14. The (ACID) number must be written by the carrier on the MBL and the manifest.

Required documents for creating an ACI file:

  • Commercial Invoice
  • Packing list
  • The BILL OF LADING
  • Certificate of Origin
  • Shipper CARGO x details
  • All additional documents will be uploaded following an ACID problem 

What is THE BLOCKCHAIN SYSTEM – CARGO X

The Cargo X platform enables you to transfer ownership of papers such as title deeds and other documents that have been encrypted to the highest level of confidentiality.

It is built on a neutral, public blockchain that allows for an audit record of activities to be visible only to the participants while maintaining complete secrecy and full data, identity, and business relationship privacy.

Cargo X has been approved as the blockchain document transfer gateway for the Advance Cargo Information System by Misr Technology Services, the company that runs the national single window for Egyptian trade across borders.

The steps of the CARGO X blockchain

Exporters to Egypt must take the following actions:

Step 1: Exporter Must Sign Up for (THE BLOCKCHAIN SYSTEM - CARGOX) at https://cargox.digital/login.

Step 2: The exporter will first choose (GET VERIFIED) the CARGO X account.

Step 3: decide the payment package you'll send.

Step 4: Exporter receives an invoice from Cargo X via mail.

Step 5: Pay Cargo X Platform via bank transfer.

Step 6: After verifying your account, provide your registration number and ID number to the importer.

Step 7: Send the importer your contact details for the person in charge of the CARGO X registration (full name - national ID number - phone number - e-mail).

Step 8: The importer will supply you with an ACID number from (NAFEZA).

Step 9: This ACID number and further necessary information the exporter must include it on the shipment documents (B/L, packing list, invoice, and C/O).

Step 10: Exporter scan and load the original documents as PDF files along with the invoice's structural data onto (Cargo X) (excel sheet).

Step 11: Send originals to the importer.

What does the term "electronic signature" mean?

It is an electronic technique that enables data demonstrating the precise and unchangeable identity of the document signer to be attached to the document.

To authenticate documents that are sent back and forth between system users, automation systems utilize electronic signatures.

Government services through the Internet and financial, commercial, and administrative transactions all employ the electronic signature approach.

What benefits can electronic signatures offer?

  • Proving the identity of the signer with undeniable accuracy
  • Securing the data inside the documents against alteration or tampering during the process of trading between users of the system using the "encryption" method and comparing the fingerprint of the sent message with the fingerprint of the received message.  
  • Preventing unauthorized persons from dealing with electronically signed documents.  

How can I get the (NAFEZA) system's electronic signature service and activate it?

  1. Request an electronic signature certificate (e-Token) from any business that is permitted to offer the service.
  2. Get the electronic signature device (e-Token) from the service provider
  3. Enter the computer's electronic gateway for the (NAFEZA) system and the electronic signature unit (e-Token)
  4. To sign documents with your own signature, select the "Sign Document" button that will show up on various screens.