INTRODUCTION

ASYCUDA is an acronym for Automated System for Customs Data. It is a Computerized Customs management system developed in Geneva by the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD), to assist countries in improving clearance of goods, increasing Government Revenue and providing fast and accurate external Trade Statistics.

The system modules consist of Declarations, Manifests, Accounting procedures, Warehousing and Import/Export Licenses.

ASYCUDA employs the use of the Single Administrative Document (SAD), which replaces the various Customs Entry Forms of the past. It comes with an advanced configuration system, which facilitates the management of an integrated National Customs Tariff irrespective of its structure, along with the fully automated calculation of all associated duties and taxes. The Customs Administration is able to define the mandatory and conditional data elements, the structure and the format such data should take (Numeric, Character, etc.), and the specification of validity checks that will be performed against it. Many of the modules such as the tariff functions provide on-line query facilities.

The Customs and Excise Department is responsible for collecting a large percentage of the Government's revenue and it is of paramount importance that the department functions efficiently in order to maximize revenue collection and decrease delays to the trade community.

ASYCUDA facilitates the following:

• Minimize delays in Customs clearance through simplification of procedures
• Increase revenue through more efficient calculation of duties and taxes
• Proper management of Development Exemptions
• Timely and more accurate production of Trade and Financial statistics.

The Customs and Excise Department is in the process of upgrading the current version of ASYCUDA to ASYCUDA++ which is designed to provide more functionality to the above-mentioned features and will in turn optimize Customs' processess.

Any concerns can be directed to:
The Comptroller of Customs
Customs & Excise Department
Caesar Ridge Road
Port Loyola Area
P.O Box 146
Belize City
Ph. 501-2-77092
Fax 501-2-77091
E-mail: comptroller@customs.gov.bz or cusnet@btl.net