Dubai Customs has launched the “virtual account” project as a new and innovative choice to facilitate the payment processes of the department’s clients of various categories who use the CDR account. The new system allows clients perform their payment processes using a new banking system.
Dubai Customs has announced this initiative on the sidelines of its participation in GITEX during which Nadya Abdullah Kamali, Acting Executive Director HR, Finance & Administration, voiced Dubai Customs’ keenness on actively participating in GITEX 2012 in line with the progress it has achieved long time ago whether in terms of systems used by employees or services offered to around 130,000 clients in various trade, economic, shipment and logistics sectors.
Kamali also pointed out that the “virtual account” is among Dubai Customs’ initiatives , aiming at facilitating and upgrading the services offered to clients and saving their time and energy, explaining that the new electronic facility is a bank account number linked with the CDR account and has been developed as an alternative channel to pay instalments in an easy and comfortable manner. The virtual account, which is a continuation of Dubai Customs’ broad services to clients, can serve as an important tool to improve the customs collection service.
In addition, Kamali indicated that the “virtual account” enables clients to carry out their payment processes using the 24-hour Internet banking services with the possibility of making the payments also through the banks’ branches or their ATMs scattered throughout the country which will lead to alleviating the efforts of referring to the department’s counters to pay their financial obligations through the CDR account facility.
Kamali also explained that the department is currently using the CDR account facility through which the customs departments sends its demand notices to clients who pay their liabilities through the counters of the department’s customs operations either in cash or cheques. For this reason the department has innovated the “virtual account” to serve as an alternative payment system that is as easy as possible.
Through the “virtual account”, Kamali said, clients of the customs department can pay their financial obligations either by using the electronic banking services and they can deposit cash or cheques in the banks or their ATMs.
Kamali also explained that the “virtual account” facility will be beneficial to clients in several aspects, including the ability to pay instalments while at work using the online banking services and thus reducing time and efforts. Plus, Kamali said, creating virtual accounts does not need too much effort or any paperwork from clients as it can be performed through the Internet without the need to come in person to the department and this is much safer especially when it comes to paying big amounts of money through the department’s counters.
Among the other advantages of the “virtual account” facility, Kamali said, is the ability to pay the customs duties no longer through the department’s counters but through the 24-hour Internet banking services or the electronic collection machines scattered through the state. The “virtual account” facilities are free of charge for both the clients and assure them more security and protection for clients and the customs department as well.