May 13: The government is preparing to fully implement a one-door system to promote transparency and automation of foreign trade. The Department of Customs has connected all the concerned bodies to Nepal National One-Door System to make import-export paperless.

Surya Sedhai, director of the One-Door System Project Implementation Unit, said that the government will facilitate foreign trade by linking 40 bodies and concerned parties with each other.

The system was inaugurated on January 25 on the occasion of the International Customs Day. Sedhai informed that they have intensified the work of linking all the concerned bodies in this system.

Initially, the Food and Quality Control Department, Department of Livestock Services, Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center were included in the system. Lately, a memorandum of understanding has been signed with Nepal Rastra Bank and private sector organizations to bring them under a one-door system.

The government has also reached an agreement with the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Nepalese Industries, Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Nepal Handicrafts to integrate them into the system.

“These organizations issue certificates of origin in the export process. It has been agreed to provide such certificate through online medium,” Sedhai informed New Business Age.

A one-door system has been introduced to connect all service providers and service seekers related to import and export through online medium. The process of developing infrastructure work was started from 2019.

The full implementation of this system was scheduled for 2021/22 but it has been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The trial of this system was scheduled for last November which had to be put off due to the pandemic. The full implementation of the system has now been slated for upcoming November.

 According to the department, import and export permits, banking process, revenue payment, customs clearance among others will be completed via online platform in this system. Since all the required processes will be done online by importers as well as the government and private bodies, it is expected to foster transparency, says Shyam Prasad Bhandari, coordinator of the project implementation unit.

The department says it is focused on trade facilitation, increasing efficiency in revenue collection and making social security effective through the one-door system. The one-door customs clearance is an electronic platform designed to facilitate all stakeholders. This allows all parties involved in international trade and transit to submit documents and information from a single entry point.

Customs officials claim that there will be no direct contact between the service provider and the service seekers once the system becomes fully operational. This will save time and cost of trade. Likewise, the hassle of going to various agencies to get documents for import and export will also come to an end.