As the world becomes increasingly globalized, the frequency of influx of imports and exports becomes increasingly high with each year. Thus certain policies and rules are made as a check and balance to these goods by the customs of each country.
However, sometimes due to all the clearances, declarations and the immense amounts of red-tapes to be filled in can be overly tedious and complicated. This would very much slow down your process of delivering your goods across the globe on time, adversely affecting your business. Hence a good solution would be to engage a team of experienced customs brokers and entry writers who are well versed in tariff and custom laws to help you achieve your business’s service excellence.
What do custom clearance brokers do?
Liaising with multiple agencies
For goods such as perishables like food, they require to have clearance from the relevant agencies before entering the country. An agency such as Singapore’s Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) or any other equivalent in other countries would be an example. Also, they are to ensure that all the goods meet all rules and regulations before being allowed into the country.
Filling in of clearance documents
Before sending your goods across the borders be it by sea, land or air, you would expect to fill in countless of details about your goods in order for the customs to allow your goods to pass through. One example would be the Importer Security Filing rule made mandatory by the US in 2009. It is where at least 24 hours before your goods are loaded onto a vessel; you would have to submit ten specific data elements along with 2 other elements provided by your carrier. Hence custom clearance broker will be more than experienced to fill in these data on time and ensure that these information gets to the US Customs and Border Protection agency in time.
Helping with your customs bonds
If the net worth or value of all your goods are higher than a certain value, you will need a customs broker to be your guarantor. This is to ensure that all taxes, duties and other miscellaneous fees will be paid on time to the government. Hence, a custom clearance service provider can secure your transaction with a broker’s bond thus speeding up the customs clearance process.
Binding classification rulings
By engaging a custom clearance agency, these experts can aid you in seeking a binding classification ruling for your goods which is a very complicated process. In other words, it means to ensure that your goods are ruled as a specific tariff classification. This results in the same duty rates being applied to your goods, regardless on which port of entry you choose to use. This will not only free you of lots of hassle, it also enables you to project long-term costs more easily.
Benefits of engaging a custom clearance broker
Fast and Convenient
Constantly worrying about getting your goods across the customs requires a large amount of time, costing you precious time away from your core business operations. By having customs clearance services, the hassles of paperwork and procedures will be well taken care of, allowing you to focus on your main activities.
At the same time as these agents are experts in the paperwork and stresses of the customs, your clearance processes will be greatly shortened. This would allow your goods to transit more smoothly and swiftly, reaching your customers even faster, giving you an extra edge in the market.
Great advisors
As experts and veterans in the field of customs clearance, they do have rich experiences and knowledge which they can offer. They can offer useful advice on taxes, tariffs, duties and other miscellaneous fees, along with the latest updates so that you can plan your shipments more efficiently. They can also advice you on whether you meet all the regulations and the appropriate changes to be made if otherwise.
Cost Efficient
The cost of engaging custom clearance services can be lesser than the extra money you have unnecessarily spent on taxes or import/export fees that can be avoided. Also, these custom brokers will cut any unnecessary costs you might come across if you should choose to handle on your own.
Should I engage freight forwarders for custom clearance services?
Why choose M&P International Freights as your custom broker?
M&P International Freights takes our customer services very seriously. Our goal is to provide the best possible service and solutions for our customers. We will ensure that your needs are more than satisfied and we are willing to go the extra mile for you. We are confident that you will be pleased with our customs clearance services and we hope that you will allow us to be your preferred service provider.
Our customs brokers are licensed and are experts in tariffs and custom laws and they would be able to foresee and avoid any potential obstacles during customs clearance. We know that transporting your goods across the globe is extremely vital to you and we are willing to be there to aid you in doing so.