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6,879 importers and customs brokers were accredited by BOC in the first half of 2022
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There were 100 non-existent importers’ offices/facilities out of 1,693 that AMO inspected, leading to denial of their application for accreditation
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The accreditation of 200 importers and 64 customs brokers were revoked or suspended as they were found to have violated Customs laws
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has accredited almost 7,000 importers and customs brokers in the first half of 2022.
A total of 6,580 were regular importers, 185 non-regular importers, and 114 licensed customs brokers, according to the BOC’s Account Management Office (AMO), which handles the accreditation.
The 2022 first-half figure is lower than the 7,351 accreditation applications processed in the same period last year, BOC’s mid-year report said.
BOC, in a statement, said the applications for accreditation were submitted through BOC’s Customer Care Portal, which allows online processing of application for accreditation. Last year, BOC shifted to online application to facilitate the accreditation process.
AMO also inspected 1,693 importers’ offices/facilities, of which 100 were found non-existent and led to the denial of their application for accreditation.
The inspection is consistent with efforts to physically check facilities and offices of applicant-importers to ensure their legitimacy and to avoid dummy accounts that may be used for smuggling and other illegal activities.
The accreditation of 200 importers and 64 customs brokers were revoked or suspended as they were found to have violated the provisions of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
BOC noted that the revocation and suspension of accreditation is part of AMO’s continuous monitoring and post-evaluation of importers and customs brokers.
The bureau said it continues to further automate its systems and processes to provide expedient service to the public while consistently implementing the no-contact policy in the agency.
BOC accredited a total of 18,881 importers and customs brokers for the whole of 2021.
