The advances that El Salvador has made in terms of process digitalization this year have been positioned in our logistics world as a rebirth of the automated interconnection of customs procedures. For decades we were anchored to an era of paper that seemed endless, but the modernization strategies that have been implemented have achieved - in addition to promoting centralized tax collection - a rebirth for digital transformation.
There was an objective that had previously eluded customs in the Central American region, and this common point was the time factor. By democratising technology, El Salvador provided its users with easy access to technical knowledge, with the creation of highly intuitive digitalised and self-managed processes, achieving fiscal equity; all of this translated into a reduction in clearance times at the country's Customs.
In the framework of the meeting of the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee (1) The event took place from October 22 to 24, and experiences were exchanged on the use of the Single Window for trade facilitation. El Salvador stated that its platform seeks to simplify and modernize the process of customs procedures in the country and in the region. (2).
The main idea is the interaction between importers, exporters and customs authorities in synergy, to reduce clearance times, through validations that are made by interconnecting the digitalized customs network and its actors in the permitting area. Processes that previously took days for a stamp and a signature on a letterhead, now take a matter of seconds to receive these interactions; among the digitalized and interconnected procedures are:
- Permitting of phytosanitary and zoosanitary records.
- Permissibility for medicines.
- Permits for the importation of flora and fauna.
- Advance declarations at border posts.
In addition, El Salvador Customs has centralized its Online Services (3) which, by carrying out all the procedures electronically, reduce the use of paper. This gives us Green Customs where we protect our environment from the customs field and gives us the advantage of more agile processes. At the same time, the centralization of information provides us with a single access point to check the status of the procedures and receive relevant information quickly and efficiently. By having all these factors working simultaneously, we guarantee interoperability, which facilitates coordination between different government entities and companies, optimizing customs clearance and reducing waiting times.
In conjunction with the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) (4), General Director Benjamín Mayorga, Leader of Customs of El Salvador, has promoted the implementation of new technologies for both the actors in the logistics world and for its human talent, which, following the idea of modernization, centralizes all customs procedures in new tools. The strategy is to create automated, highly intuitive and centralizing customs systems; the objective is the same: the agile clearance of the actors in the logistics chain through customs control implemented by technology. Among the modernizations implemented during this year we find the following:
- QR readers for processing customs documents, which have benefited in detecting false documents to combat merchandise smuggling.
- Real-time traceability of all customs documents.
- Zebra-style mobile devices where human talent has the first form of a Portable Customs for agile processing.
- Customs Logistics Hub is a centralizer of automated customs procedures for integrated border posts PFI.
- The next adoption is of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies for a more controlled flow of commerce.
For the first time in this era, we are on the eve of a digital rebirth; El Salvador Customs has awakened to modernization, it is the vision of the Salvadoran government of President Nayib Bukele, which by demonstrating this interoperability and confidence in new technologies, allows to improve the trade environment, attract investment and promote more efficient and competitive trade.
1. World Trade Organization – Members address digitalization and capacity building at meeting on trade facilitation. https://www.wto.org/spanish/news_s/news24_s/fac_24oct24_s.htm
2. El Salvador – One-stop shop. https://www.ciexelsalvador.gob.sv/ciexelsalvador/quienes-somos
3.El Salvador Customs – Online Services. https://sitio.aduana.gob.sv/servicios-en-linea/
4.IDB – Inter-American Development Bank – El Salvador boosts its tax collection with the digital transformation of tax and customs administrationhttps://www.iadb.org/es/historia/el-salvador-impulsa-su-recaudacion-con-la-transformacion-digital-de-la-administracion
Graduate in Customs Economics from the Universidad Nueva San Salvador. Specialist in Continuous Improvement and Customs Processes, General Directorate of Customs of the Republic of El Salvador.
