Qatar Customs implement strategic plan until 2022
Qatari customs implement a strategic plan until 2022, according to a report by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Within the Customs Union structure of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), national customs administrations have a high degree of autonomy.
Both the entry and exit of goods are supervised by the General Customs Authority (GAC) in Qatar, established under Amir Decree No. 37 of 2014.
The institution depends on the Minister of Finance and is financed from the budget of that Ministry.
The GAC is currently implementing a strategic plan for 2018-2022, in line with Qatar’s Second National Development Strategy (NDS-2).
The main objectives of the strategic plan are institutional capacity building and strengthening, particularly in the context of digital transformation and efficient logistics services.
It also includes the simplification of procedures, the elimination of bureaucracy, the review of customs services and related duties, and the streamlining of customs clearance.
Customs
Qatar has established a Single Window Electronic Customs Clearance (Al-Nadeeb) system, accessible through a portal on the GAC website.
The system can also be accessed from a mobile phone, by email, through the GAC contact center, or through in-person visits to the GAC.
The Al-Nadeeb system has 24 units that deal with specific aspects of the customs process, such as registration, advance clearance, declaration, manifests, inspection, risk management, express mail, unaccompanied passenger luggage, tracking the movement of vehicles, movement between ports, temporary entry, return of duties and post-clearance audit.
The system links users (importers, exporters, customs agents and carriers) with the 10 interested government ministries (Finance; Interior; Foreign Relations; Defense; Public Health; Trade and Industry; Transport and Communications; Municipalities and Environment ; Culture, Arts and Cultural Heritage; and Endowments and Islamic Affairs) and seven other government authorities and entities (the Qatar Civil Aviation Directorate, Qatar Airways, the Qatar Ports Management Company, the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) , the Qatar National Committee for the Prohibition of Arms, the Radio and Television Agency, and the Qatar News Agency).
One of the fundamental objectives of the single window system and of improving risk management is to reduce the percentage of inspections to less than 5 percent.
