Doha: Acting Head of Customs Procedures Section at the General Authority of Customs (GAC) Hamad Abdulwahab Al Muhanadi has stressed the Authority’s commitment to ensuring that attempts to import counterfeit goods and merchandise into Qatar are thwarted at the entry.
In an interview with the monthly Customs newsletter, Al Muhanadi said through the Customs Procedure Section that the GAC standardises customs processes at ports “according to the unified manual for customs procedures at the first entry ports.”
Al Muhanadi told the newsletter that the GAC had simplified its website’s registration process for commercial and personal imports.
“There are two types of import (commercial and personal), and there are many controls in the Unified Manual of Customs Procedures on the GAC’s website. The traveller goes to the declaration (disclosure) to show their belongings. The simplified customs declaration is filled out if he has what he discloses, and the goods are subject to inspection following the risk criteria, then an exit permit is issued and the goods cleared,” he said.
Al Muhanadi also noted that the GAC is committed to protecting intellectual property rights per the unified customs procedure. He added that the Authority also prioritises adequate inspection of goods that must be tested before being permitted into the country.
He said these goods are inspected in partnership with registration authorities and deposited at the Customs warehouse until tests results are completed.
According to Al Muhanadi, goods stored in customs warehouses are kept for three months according to Customs Law No. (40) 2002. They are transferred to the auction committee and sold for the benefit of the Authority after the allotted time.
In other reports, the GAC recorded 249,646 total released data in February. The Air Cargo and Private Airports section completed 223,344 declarations, while the Maritime Customs Administration recorded 22,278.
The Authority’s data release efficiency remained at 98 percent per hour. The GAC transferred 23,894 declarations to other government entities, the newsletter stated.
China remained the top importing country, and India was the top exporting country.
