Customs departments are the departments assigned by the government with an authority to execute the policies associated with the export and import, solicit customs duties and empower movement of people, goods, and cargo within and outside the country.

Scope

These departments have offices built all over the seaports, airports and border gateways that are mainly the exit and entry points for the cargo and people to move in and out of the country. Customs agencies are specifically trained to arrest and confiscate goods and make the most of the power that is similar to that of the police departments.

Customs and trade logistics

Every country launches its policy for Foreign Trade on a yearly basis, in order to stipulate the conditions where the goods are valid to be exported or imported. Customs department can execute the provisions under the customs rules, regulations and tariffs. Imports are allowed freely or a few categories may be allowed with due licenses. This is applicable to the items brought in for personal means and are imported by trade and business establishments entailing governmental and defense department.

Imports and Customs Clearance

Freight forwarders coordinate with the international transportation offer US customs clearance by Clearit USA to clients. This is referred to as customs brokerage. This entails keeping the necessary documents ready and their submission to facilitate exports or imports into the country that represents clients during the customs examination, assessment, duty payments and taking the delivery of cargo from the customs post clearance with the documents. The necessary documents are as follows:

1. Exports documentation
2. Purchase order from the buyer
3. Sales invoice
4. Packing list
5. Shipping bill
6. Bill of Lading or Airway Bill
7. Certificate of Origin
8. any special document needed or needed by financial institution
9. Imports documentation
   1. Purchase order from buyer
   2. Sales invoice of supplier
   3. Bill of entry
   4. Bill of lading or airway bill
   5. Certificate of origin
   6. Packing list
   7. Any other special document needed by the buyer or financial institution etc.

Customs agents keep a Shipping Bills document handy in the house for submission and the rest of the documents are collected from the client himself. Keeping a shipping bill handy entails Classification of cargo under a special category that is an important step in the process. The customs clearance agents are also referred to Carrying and Forwarding agents. They are duly registered by Customs to perform their job. Their role is to act on behalf of and representing the clients as third party agents inclined to customs clearance. They are linked via EDI with customs in almost every country and make the use of a documentation software to implement the complete process.