Study Tour on Pre-Arrival Processing and Risk Management

Cambodia’s years of economic growth and transition have led to a significant surge in cross-border trade and placed increasing demands on the resources of the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE), due to the complexity of customs procedures required to facilitate the transfer of goods in and out of the country. Against this backdrop, GDCE has committed to move forward for improvements in Pre-arrival Processing (PAP) and Risk Management (RM) procedures and subsequently install modern PAP and RM systems in line with international good practice.

As part of the ongoing cooperation activities with GDCE, ARISE Plus Cambodia – in collaboration with Thai Customs – organised and facilitated a study tour for a GDCE delegation to Bangkok 15-17 October 2019, for technical exchange meetings with their peer customs officials in Thailand (at Customs Headquarters, Laem Chabang Port, and Suvarnabhumi Airport), experts from the World Customs Organization’s Regional Office for Capacity-Building in Bangkok, as well as with Bangkok-based company representatives of DHL and Maersk, who have extensive experience in handling customs procedures around express consignments and maritime cargo respectively. The meetings were also accompanied by port and airport facilities tours and featured a presentation on TradeLens – a trade software that has the capability to store and share advance cargo information for pre-arrival processing and efficient risk management.  

The meetings and tours benefited GDCE in terms of regional learning and exchange of first-hand insights and experiences on the background, development, and implementation of Thailand’s PAP and RM, particularly their procedures around both maritime and air cargo. They also provided good inspiration for GDCE to move forward with their own plans and activities to further develop their respective systems.