A new customs form is now in use for merchants, government announced Thursday.
The Trader Declaration Form, known as the HMC-12 Form, replaced the T-12 Form as of Jan. 2, according to Government Information Services.
Officially launched on Sept. 17, the HMC-12 is designed to modernise and expedite cargo clearance and revenue collection.
Customs Commissioner Wade Smith said the initiative will also increase transparency and accountability locally and internationally.
The change, he added, is in keeping with the Customs Management and Duties Act 2010, and it “will assist in collecting specific information that may be useful to our international counterparts, demonstrating both increased transparency and accountability on a local and international scale as well as to serve as an excellent statistical tool that will prove beneficial for BVI’s policy makers and investors.”
Customs officers and traders around the territory were trained recently in completing the new form.
Unlike the T-12, the HMC-12 includes registration of importers and additional details on the supplier, importer, transportation, carrier, port of arrival and shipment.
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