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The Bureau of Customs and the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, renewed their partnership to advance digitalization of cross-border e-commerce in the country
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Through the partnership, BOC and ITC will map the end-to-end cross-border e-commerce clearance processes at BOC-Port of Clark and BOC-Ninoy Aquino International Airport
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The findings will help identify practical improvements in customs procedures, risk management, and digital system
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The renewed partnership is under the UN-backed Joint Programme on Inclusive, Competitive, and Responsible Digital Philippines and will support BOC’s efforts to modernize customs processes, facilitate legitimate trade, strengthen border security, and enhance revenue collection
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, have renewed their partnership to advance digitalization of cross-border e-commerce in the country.
Through the partnership, BOC and ITC will map the end-to-end cross-border e-commerce clearance processes at BOC-Port of Clark and BOC-Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the two collection districts handling the biggest number of airfreight and e-commerce shipments, BOC announced.
The findings will help identify practical improvements in customs procedures, risk management, and digital systems, BOC said in a statement.
The renewed partnership, under the UN-backed Joint Programme on Inclusive, Competitive, and Responsible Digital Philippines (Digital-PINAS), will support BOC’s efforts to modernize customs processes, facilitate legitimate trade, strengthen border security, and enhance revenue collection.
BOC and ITC in November last year launched Digital-PINAS Output 3.2 Project, aimed at modernizing and streamlining e-commerce processes in the Philippines.
In line with the broader agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration to advance digitalization and facilitate trade, BOC and ITC, in collaboration with relevant government agencies and stakeholders, aim to make cross-border trade processes clearer, more efficient, and more accessible to micro, small, and medium enterprises, while strengthening inter-agency coordination and supporting the wider adoption of digital trade across sectors.
READ: BOC creates 2 offices for modernization, policy development
During ITC’s high-level courtesy call to the customs bureau on September 21, BOC Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group deputy commissioner Atty. Agaton Teodoro Uvero emphasized the need for customs procedures and systems to keep pace with the continued growth of e-commerce.
Discussions during the meeting focused on international developments in de minimis treatment, the BOC’s existing manual processes for e-commerce clearance and statistical reporting, and the need to harmonize customs procedures across relevant freeports and economic zones.
BOC also underscored the importance of distinguishing between high- and low-risk shipments and developing clearance procedures that are responsive to the unique characteristics of e-commerce transactions.
BOC said it will continue working to enable businesses to participate in e-commerce with greater ease while maintaining effective customs controls as trade volumes continue to grow.
READ: BOC sets rules on cross-border e-commerce goods clearance
Currently, BOC’s rules on cross-border e-commerce goods clearance procedures are provided under Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 01-2025, which covers the processing, clearance, and release of imported goods to be brought into the country by means of online trading platforms and e-retailer website encompassing business-to-consumer transactions as defined in Republic Act (RA) No. 11967 or the Internet Transactions Act of 2023.
In view of the increasing volume of e-commerce transactions and the corresponding clearance of goods in various ports, and after the observance of “the absence of an effective registration or accreditation system to properly identify legitimate E-Commerce operators and freight forwarders”, Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno last July ordered the implementation of interim measures to ensure the proper processing, assessment, and clearance of e-commerce shipments.
BOC has yet to issue guidelines and procedures, and the conditions for the accreditation of the various e-commerce stakeholders.
Relatedly, South Korea’s Customs Uni-Pass International Agency earlier said it is proposing to establish a dedicated e-commerce processing system for BOC.
