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The Bureau of Customs Account Management Office has accredited 18,881 stakeholders in 2021
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The number is broken down into 16,053 regular importers, 483 non-regular importers, and 2,345 licensed customs brokers
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A total of 1,168 sites or offices were also inspected, 279 of which proved to be non-existent and were denied their application
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For violation of provisions of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, the accreditation of 690 importers and 220 customs brokers were revoked
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Account Management Office (AMO) has accredited 18,881 stakeholders in 2021, broken down into 16,053 regular importers, 483 non-regular importers, and 2,345 licensed customs brokers.
A total of 1,168 sites or offices were also inspected, 279 of which were found to be non-existent, which led to the denial of their application. The inspection of offices and facilities of applicant importers is meant to ensure they are not dummy accounts that may be used for smuggling and other illegal activities.
Moreover, 690 importers and 220 customs brokers had their accreditation revoked last year for violation of the provisions of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
BOC said the revocation is part of AMO’s continuous monitoring and post-evaluation of importers and customs brokers.
The 2021 figures were higher than those in 2020, when BOC processed the accreditation of 17,160 importers and customs brokers, and revoked the accreditation of 575 importers and 148 customs brokers.
Last year, AMO, which handles the accreditation, shifted to online application in a bid to facilitate the accreditation process. BOC said the implementation of online application for accreditation, as well as the establishment of Customer Care Centers in collection districts, “continues to provide expedient service through implementing Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero’s directive of no contact policy while promoting trade facilitation.”
