Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said in a statement on Tuesday that in response to the business community’s demands the trial period for the pre-registration of the Advanced Cargo Information System (ACI) in airports has been extended to the end of December.
He added that the system’s mandatory implementation will begin on 1 January 2023, instead of 1 October 2022.
Furthermore, Maait said that this decision aims to give importers, customs brokers, air freight agents, companies exporting to Egypt, and international multinational companies additional time to reconcile their affairs, register on the new system, and train on how to use it.
This would help in facilitating and mechanising procedures and expanding the prior customs release of goods before they reach ports, thus reducing the cost of goods and services and banning the entry of low-quality goods into the market.
Maait pointed out that the ministry is keen on providing a longer period of time for all foreign companies and exporters to complete their preparations to deal with the new system, especially in light of the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Europe on global supply and supply chains and the intensification of the inflationary wave.
With that, the ministry aims to ensure that users benefit from all the facilities offered by this system, reaching the highest levels of governance for commodity imports at Egyptian ports and adhering to quality standards for imported commodities.
For his part, Al-Shahat Ghatouri — Head of the Customs Authority — said that the authority continues to eliminate obstacles in the way of importers and their agents, as well as provide all means of technical support to them in order to facilitate their joining the ACI system.
Training courses are also held at the ministry’s headquarters and online for all parties involved in the customs system, whether the business community or the parties concerned with implementing the ACI system in airports.
Ghatouri also called on those who deal with the customs system and import goods from abroad through airports to quickly join the system through the online portal and benefit from the facilities offered by it.
He explained that importers and their agents should submit all shipment documents before shipping cargo at airports to obtain their ACID customs registration number ACID.
