Customs to stop paper submission of Import Declaration under VSWIFT

Sixteen government departments are moving ahead to implement a VINCY Single Window For Trade Facilitation (VSWIFT), with the Customs and Excise Department aiming to go “almost” paperless in the future.

On Monday June 24, 2024, stakeholders from the 16 participating agencies met at the NIS Conference Room for the launch of VSWIFT under the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project which aims to improve digital processes for import and export, tax payments and document facilitation.

Comptroller of Customs and Excise Selwyn DaSilva, disclosed that under the VSWIFT system, by the third quarter of this year, the Department intends to do away with paper submissions of the Import Declaration Form.

“This will be a real game changer in the elimination of paper, and the need to come to the Customs to submit a declaration. Other procedures are currently under consideration to be automated.”

DaSilva explained that changes under VSWIFT will be rolled out in phases, over a 30-month period, also revealing that they are in the advanced stages of implementing payments also in the third quarter of this year.

“The business community can be assured that they will not have to wait until the year 2026 to experience what VSWIFT has to offer, as the benefits will be introduced in a phased basis.”

He said the digital transformation of the Department will see a move from one where staff are “heavily dependent” on paper, to “an almost paperless environment”.

“This will present huge cost savings for government and all the players involved for trade, as there will be no need for the submission of paper documentation for import, export and transit. For this electronic platform, business are not only guaranteed faster clearance time but also a more transparent, reliable and predictable trade system,” Dasilva explained.

VSWIFT Project Manager, Winston George, providing an update on the transformation project since the contract was signed in 2023, said they have completed the ICT Gap Analysis which is needed to determine the hardware and software requirements for the 16 agencies, and procurement for materials has been officially launched on June 24.

“Today marks the start of change management activities, and from July 1st, business processes analysis and re-engineering work is to be done with participating agencies,” George said.

He detailed the progress of VSWIFT in the various departments noting that the Tax Information Management System is at the contract negotiation stage for implementation of the new system, while requests for proposals have been launched for the upgrade of the Civil Registry and the UID system.

“We hope that by the end of the third quarter to begin implementation of this component.”

George added that the goal is to launch procurement for the Land Information System, and the Electronic Single Window for Land and Property Transactions in the third quarter.

“In another month or two we will launch procurements for the Citizen and E-payment portal, as well as the government data system. We are also engaged in the conduct of a cyber security assessment. This is critical to ring-fence all the systems and secure the privacy of citizens and their data as they use all the government platforms.”

Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves disclosed that under the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP), which is being rolled out in four Caribbean countries, St Vincent and the Grenadines has invested the most money, $3.2 million for digital transformation.