An update of Customs Modernisation Release 2 will be implemented at participating Customs branch offices on 24 September 2011. Amongst several enhanced features and bug-fixes, a set of new Customs status codes are included to provide improved visibility for traders as concerns the processing of their goods declarations on the Customs’ system. A year ago, few would have anticipated a fully automated process. This undoubtedly signals less and less human contact between trader and Customs with a gradual, but purposeful intention to re-focus Customs’ effort towards trader management and post clearance audit – in other words before and after the transaction. While some would contest the phasing out of customs human intervention and intuition, this is unfortunately trade-off that needs to be made in order to ensure that scarce resources and skills be freed up to address the new non-transactional facet of the modernisation programme. Another significant fact is that while all these changes occur on current existing systems. Future transition to a more modern integrated technology solution should therefore pose no significant impact to trade as the bulk of the work and effort is being accomplished in these early phases.

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