Dubai handles 5.7 million customs declarations in first quarter of 2023

DUBAI: Dubai has witnessed an increase in customs declarations, with the number reaching 5.7 million in the first quarter of this year. This means that Dubai Customs’ digital platforms have the capacity and efficiency to process about 63,000 customs declarations daily, Dubai Customs officials revealed on Monday.

Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director-General of Dubai Customs, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, said, “The Smart Workspace platform accelerates and facilitates customs declarations, reducing the processing time to less than four hours, saving 1.4 million work hours for companies. Inspection appointment requests increased to 176,000, a 16.5 per cent increase compared to 151,000 requests in the first quarter of the previous year.

“Mirsal 2 is a revolutionary and comprehensive smart customs system, created and developed by Dubai Customs to facilitate and streamline trade, enhance community and economic protection, and elevate the level of services provided to customers. It is a qualitative leap in the history of customs work due to its enormous capabilities and modern technologies, as well as its inclusiveness of various customs procedures.”

Developed according to the standards and requirements of the World Customs Organisation and the best practices of global customs systems, Mirsal 2 provides a range of customs services to traders, including registration, clearance, licensing, and electronic payment procedures, without the use of any paper. The continuous updating of the Mirsal 2 system is a crucial starting point for providing fundamental advantages to traders, enabling them to achieve real added value that enhances their returns from business operations by shortening the time and effort required to complete customs transactions. In fact, the system is capable of completing 98 per cent of transactions without any human intervention, resulting in a 98 per cent satisfaction rate among users of electronic and intelligent customs services.

He said the government department has provided intelligent platforms that enable clients to carry out customs services from anywhere in the world at any time. During the first quarter of this year, the completion rate of transactions through digital channels reached 100.