Compulsory pre-clearance of commercial goods to be effective May 1 —ZRA

The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has announced that it would start implementing mandatory pre-clearance of commercial goods effective May 1, 2024.

The authority cautioned that any consignment that arrived at the border without a Customs declaration would be subjected to a penalty of 1667 fee units (K500.10).

In addition, any false declarations or provisions of false information related to these importations and exportations would lead to punitive measures, including possible seizure of the goods.

This is according to the ZRA Corporate Communications Manager, Oliver Nzala, in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Nzala explained that this measure was meant to enhance efficiency and improve the turnaround time in clearance and movement of goods at all borders.

“This measure entails that Bills of entry for all imports and exports should be registered and processed on the ASYCUDA World system, at least five days before the goods arrive at the intended port of entry or exit,” he said.

Nzala indicated that communication had already been served to clearing agents, transporters, importers, exporters and the general public to the effect that no truck would be allowed into the customs area without documentary evidence showing that the goods had been pre-cleared.

He urged all stakeholders to comply with this requirement as ZRA was keen to lessen the time cargo was kept at the border.

He stated that under the pre-clearance facility, clearing agents or importers lodged the necessary importation documents with ZRA prior to the arrival of the goods into the country.

“When the goods arrive at the border, there would be less time taken to process the clearance, which usually is not the case when all processes are being time md at once.

“In this case, what will be done is the mere verification of the goods, and this reduces the time goods spend at one point before getting to the final destination,” Nzala concluded.

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